By Ian Coffee
Let’s be honest.
Namibia does not welcome the notion that “the country has a skills shortage”. It feels uncomfortable, even painful.
Yet the data is unequivocal. A structural mismatch exists between the skills we produce and those demanded by our evolving economy.
This is not a failure like some would led you to believe, it is proof of growth. The question is not whether that gap exists, but how we respond going forward.
Let’s take the backbone of industrialization.
Engineering.
Engineering appears well represented at first glance in Namibia. Civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, and industrial engineers populate our universities and walk our streets.
But beneath that broad classification lies a web of specialisations. Civil, mechanical, aerospace, environmental, biomedical, automotive etc. Each applies science and mathematics to deliver solutions to global problems.
Namibia produces engineers, but global industries increasingly demand specialists. That is where the gap is.
Within civil engineering the emphasis is on roads, bridges, and water systems. In mechanical engineering the focus shifts to engines, HVAC, robotics. Each field fractures further: structural, environmental, thermal, automotive. These are not distinctions for classrooms. They fuel economies. They underpin safety standards. They determine societal progression.
Mining and offshore drilling illustrate starkly where shortages emerge. Namibian mines rely on CNC machining, on-site and off-site precision shaping of metal components.
This is a very rare qualification in Namibia, as it requires practical experience and companies like Namibia Onsite Machining provide critical services in mining, but the industry remains under-resourced globally. Similarly, offshore drilling in the Orange Basin employs specialised systems, blowout preventers (BOPs), top drives and many more.
Namibia’s President has publicly flagged a shortage of specialised skills in oil and gas. A recent Deloitte analysis confirms that Namibia currently fulfills only 45 percent of sector-specific roles.
Certain certifications essential for offshore work, STCW‑95 for seafarers, HUET for helicopter escape, BOSIET for survival training, dynamic positioning for offshore vessels.
These qualifications are scarce. Offshore engineers often lack these credentials that are needed to perform this important roles and on‑the‑job training opportunities are limited.
Consequently, if companies rely on expatriates Namibia risks missing out on the full value of its natural resources.
A 2025 national report covers 73 occupations where demand exceeds supply, particularly in engineering, manufacturing, agriculture, education, transport, and health.
While tertiary attainment has improved, a reliance on fields like business, public administration, and humanities has resulted in surplus graduates in low‑growth sectors.
Meanwhile, foundational numeracy and literacy at secondary level remain weak. TVET outputs are low, only 14 percent throughput are reached and youth unemployment stands at 44.4 percent.
This is the context.
The concern is not talent, it is specialisation. We are graduating educated individuals capable of advancing. What we are missing are people with experience and insight into high‑impact specialisations.
National pride often recoils at the idea of seeking experts from outside yet knowledge transfer has always driven progress globally. Every industrialised nation has embraced it, will we be next.
Thus the imperative, we must invite specialists, not to replace local professionals but to train them. We must establish domestic and international collaborations, aligning academic curricula to sector needs.
The NIPDB recommends reforms, updating occupational classifications, developing a critical skills list, strengthening forecasting, and creating partnerships between government, academia and industry. And I agree.
What binds these efforts is resolution. We recognise the gap and we have begun responding. But the scale of challenge is greater than we often admit. It is time for the private sector and government to collaborate more deeply. It is time to integrate foreign expertise with local talent. It is time for bursaries, exchange programmes, vocational reform. The, and only then can we say “Nambia is ready to grow”.
Our skills shortage is not a weakness but rather a signal of aspiration. It says Namibia is on a trajectory that demands excellence. Our local workforce is capable, eager, and trainable. What we lack are opportunities to acquire cutting edge standards.
The choice lies ahead. Do we continue relying on incomplete systems and external solutions, or build our own through knowledge transfer and investment.
Pride must not obstruct progress.
Namibia has no shortage of talent. It has a shortage of exposure. Bridging that will define our future.
Will we step forward?
