Day: July 11, 2024

WINDHOEK: Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah has said unemployment amongst the youth in Namibia requires both immediate and long-term solutions from the government.

He was responding to President Nangolo Mbumba’s comment that the government has the responsibility to address challenges faced by the youth during a meeting with Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) committee members last week.

Kamwanyah in an interview with Nampa said the government should invest in education and in vocational training programmes tailored to the needs of the current job market. It should also encourage entrepreneurship through funding, mentorship and business development services, and establish strong partnerships with the private sector.

‘Promoting digital literacy and integrating the youth into the digital economy can open up new job opportunities. Infrastructure development and social protection programmes, establishing safety nets like unemployment benefits, housing subsidies and health insurance can provide a buffer for u
nemployed youth while they seek job opportunities,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Mbumba indicated that the government should not ignore the unemployed youth’s pleas and should address the challenges they are facing, adding that government should shoulder some of the responsibility.

The preliminary results of the 2023 housing and population census showed that Namibia’s population has grown to three million, of which 2.1 million are young people, with youth unemployment standing at 43.4 per cent.

A local newspaper recently also reported that amid widespread unemployment, many young Namibian women have allegedly turned to selling sexual services on social media platforms to survive.

‘They need jobs. Without a job you cannot have shelter, money for transportation, you can’t send your children to school… It is difficult, from time to time we are the ones to be blamed because we have the responsibility and it comes with all those challenges,’ Mbumba said.

Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) Deputy Chief-Whip, Maximallian
t Katjimune in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday said government must put concerted effort into the creation of mass industries to employ the many unemployed young people and create support for Small and Medium Enterprises.

‘We are glad that the government is finally accepting responsibility for the challenges young people face in this country, such as unemployment. There has often been an attitude from the government that it is not the responsibility of the government to create jobs for young people but we have always contended that it is indeed the government that has the inherent responsibility,’ he said.

Source: The Namibia News Agency

Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, on Wednesday introduced an urgent amendment to Section 77 of the Electoral Act, which pertains to the nomination of candidates for the election of members of the National Assembly (NA).

In his motivation speech regarding the amendments, Uutoni explained that the Electoral Amendment Bill seeks to allow remunerated members of the public service to be nominated and to accept nominations as candidates for National Assembly (NA) election without having to resign from their employment.

Uutoni said the bill also allows remunerated members to utilise their leave days and take leave from their employment from the date of publication of their names on the party list until the election results are announced.

‘The proposed amendment will enable the upholding of constitutional rights and democracy, as well as the smooth administration of the electoral process and public service. Therefore, the clause expands the requirements for persons whose names may be submitt
ed in the party list by political parties, instead of relying solely on Article 47(1)(a) of the Constitution as is currently the case,’ said Uutoni.

According to the minister, under the amended bill, a person who did not secure a seat in the National Assembly can return to their employment. However, candidates that manage to secure seats in the National Assembly will be deemed to have resigned from the public service as from the date of the announcement of the results of the National Assembly elections.

‘The person participating in the NA election is not guaranteed that his or her political party will win or obtain enough seats in accordance with the Namibian Constitution. If such a person fails to obtain a seat, that person becomes unemployed as he or she is unable to return to the employment they initially resigned from for the purposes of participating in the NA election,’ stressed the minister.

In terms of the proposed amendment, an affected candidate would be required to notify their employer and the
Electoral Commission of Namibia that they have accepted the nomination and choose to resign or take early retirement if they have or will attain the age of 55 on or before the announcement of the election results.

Source: The Namibia News Agency