The Office of the Governor of Kavango East has launched a regional enterprise development and investment programme aimed at improving youth business participation, attracting private investment and accelerating industrial development in the region.
The initiative, known as the Kavango East Accelerator Programme, was formally launched in Rundu through a partnership between the Governor’s Office and the Namibia Investment and Finance Academy (NIFA), which has been appointed as the implementing partner.
Hamunyera Hambyuka signed a Memorandum of Understanding together with two implementation annexures establishing the framework for the programme.
The initiative is aligned with Vision 2030, the Sixth National Development Plan and the National Youth Development Fund framework.
The programme will initially focus on three areas: improving Youth Fund readiness among young entrepreneurs, accelerating manufacturing and value-addition projects, and facilitating private sector investment into agriculture, enterprise infrastructure and education in the region.
Under the Youth Fund component, prospective applicants will receive support before, during and after the application process in an effort to address enterprise preparedness challenges that have affected the performance of the fund nationally.
The Manufacturing and Value Addition Acceleration Programme will target sectors including agro-processing, timber and wood processing, logistics and light manufacturing.
Hambyuka said the programme was aimed at ensuring development programmes deliver measurable outcomes in the region.
“We are not prepared to allow Kavango East’s Youth Fund allocation to become a statistic of underperformance. Our young people deserve better. Our region deserves better. What we sign today is a structured, accountable, and regionally owned effort to activate Kavango East’s economic potential, designed to deliver visible, measurable outcomes within the Governor’s custodianship,” Hambyuka said.
He said the framework was specifically designed around Kavango East’s economic profile and development priorities rather than being a generic national programme.
Speaking on behalf of NIFA, Head of Business Development and Strategy Morris Kalunduka said the institution would be judged on delivery and measurable results.
“Being the implementing entity is not a title. It is a burden of proof. When the six-month report is due, it must reflect real enterprises, real assessments, and real outcomes, not activity reports dressed up as impact. That standard is what the Honourable Governor has the right to expect, what the young people of Kavango East deserve, and what NIFA is committed to delivering,” Kalunduka said.
NIFA will oversee programme implementation, enterprise readiness support and investment facilitation under the strategic oversight of the Governor’s Office.
The implementation framework includes a 30-day inception and delivery plan as well as a six-month visible output commitment.
The signing ceremony was attended by representatives from government, the private sector, community leaders and the media.
