The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports and Culture has urged the Bank of Namibia (BoN) to accelerate efforts to enable Namibian creators to access international monetisation platforms such as PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay.
Speaking at the BoN Creative Summit, Deputy Minister Dino Ballotti said that although local creatives produce content with international appeal, many remain unable to receive cross-border digital payments. He said this restricts their ability to monetise their work, grow small enterprises and participate in global value chains.
“It is our view that the central bank can truly champion and facilitate digital payment systems to enable creators to digitally monetise their craft directly and through other cross-border means,” Ballotti said.
He added that modern digital payment systems should be strategically integrated with platforms widely used across the world. Balloti welcomed the central bank’s recent announcement on instant payment solutions, saying interoperable systems would unlock monetisation on social media, enable cross-border sales and provide secure income streams for young creators.
Balloti also called for policymakers to recognise the creative sector as a productive economic contributor. He said the ministry prefers the term “creative culture economy” to reflect its role in job creation, innovation and national identity, rather than viewing it solely as an arts-driven sector.
Government reforms are ongoing, he said, noting that both the revised National Arts Fund Bill and the Copyright and Related Rights Bill are being finalised to improve funding and strengthen intellectual property protection in the digital space.
“We have a much stronger, integrated framework called the Namibia Arts, Culture and Heritage Policy, 2025–2030, which we launched earlier this year. It is a living policy, one that ties arts, culture and heritage directly to our economic and social goals,” he said.
This comes as the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology continues to pursue the introduction of YouTube monetisation and wider access to global digital payment platforms in Namibia.
