By Hilda Basson-Namundjebo
My current read, or at least one of them is by Bonang Mohale entitled “Lift as you rise”.
In this book Mohale, who boasts an illustrious career as a marketing professional and who also served as a business leader at Shell Downstream South Africa as Chairman, sets out to challenge South African businesses to rethink entrepreneurship by being very intentional in their approach about the value chain and to plot it in such a way that one seeks to add value to the supply chain.
The World Bank’s Namibia Country Partnership Framework makes a clear point: traditional sectors cannot absorb the scale of employment Namibia needs.
To create 500 000 jobs in five years means we must think differently. And fundamentally so! Renewable energy, digital transformation, and private sector diversification are not optional; they are the engines of employment growth.
This urgency demands a new mindset and a completely new approach. Jobs are not a by‑product of growth; they are the measure of success. That means that every Office, Ministry, and Agency (OMA) must align to this score, with employment creation as our national obsession.
However, it is worth noting that economic growth is the foundation of job creation. Without growth, jobs stagnate or vanish.
India’s trajectory illustrates this truth: by sustaining high GDP growth rates over two decades, India unlocked millions of jobs across technology, services, and manufacturing.
The lesson is clear for Namibia: if the economy does not expand, the promise of 500 000 jobs collapses under its own weight. Growth is thus not optional; it is the precondition.
Distinct Mandates: Government vs. Private Sector
Namibia’s employment landscape makes the distinction clear. The public service employs almost 120 000 people, but the majority of Namibians work in the private sector.
Government’s mandate is not to absorb the unemployed directly but to create a conducive environment through infrastructure, policy, and financial discipline. That allows the private sector to thrive.
The private sector, in turn, carries the responsibility of running businesses, innovating, and creating jobs.
The Matrix in Motion
Agriculture can absorb youth through agro‑processing, irrigation, and land reform, while Mines and Energy must drive local beneficiation and renewable energy projects that create jobs in mining services and green hydrogen.
Trade must integrate SMEs into supply chains, and Tourism can expand eco‑tourism and conservation employment.
ICT and Education reforms will unlock digital platforms and innovation hubs, while Works can generate labour‑intensive construction jobs.
Finance must provide credit guarantees and blended finance to unlock SME growth, while Labour must enforce apprenticeships and fair practices.
Home Affairs can attract rare skills and capital, and Youth & Sport must channel entrepreneurship funds into start‑up hubs.
Together, these levers form a coherent pathway: jobs distributed across Namibia’s 14 regions, anchored in SMEs as the backbone, with government enabling rather than employing, and youth absorbed into structured opportunities.
I remain seized with a question posed by a friend recently – what is possible here? That frame should align every seat we occupy while every role in which we serve must be tuned to creating employment and protecting the existing jobs.
Youth as Co‑Creators
Co‑creation is not a passive assignment. Namibia’s youth must move beyond receiving grants and funding. They must design enterprises, master new skills, and claim their role in shaping industries.
Entrepreneurship and innovation must be encouraged through start‑ups, digital platforms, and solutions for both local and global markets.
Skills ownership is critical; young Namibians must actively pursue expertise in digital technologies, renewable energy, and entrepreneurship to become indispensable in new industries.
Partnerships and networks will integrate youth into value chains, while the policy voice ensures that employment strategies reflect their realities and ambitions.
Social enterprises can solve pressing problems; from climate resilience to community health while creating jobs.
Digital leadership can expand Namibia’s reach beyond borders through e‑commerce, fin-tech and online services. Youth are not just beneficiaries of the future economy; they should be the architects of it.
Confronting Inertia
Remember that rocking chair; the one that shifts from side to side but never actually goes anywhere? That is inertia.
Meetings and speeches are not work. If we tracked government activity, how much time would be spent in meetings, driving to venues, and delivering speeches versus actual implementation? Meetings for the sake of meetings are inertia.
Speeches without follow‑through are inertia. Real work is measured in jobs created, businesses registered, SMEs financed, and skills transferred.
Re-imagine your contribution
To reach 500 000 jobs, Namibia must move from silo operations to jobs thinking and that everyone has a role to play.
Government must act as the jobs architect, orchestrating OMAs, policies, and partnerships toward employment outcomes.
The private sector must step into its role as the jobs engine, innovating and expanding across new industries. Citizens, especially the youth, must be empowered as co‑creators of the future economy.
This is not incremental reform; it is a re‑imagining of Namibia’s development path. The Prime Minister’s warning about silos must be heeded. The orchestra must be attuned. And the conductor’s baton must point to one score only: 500 000 jobs.
* Hilda is a business leader, public speaker and a seasoned broadcast journalist. Founder of the national brand and organisation Team Namibia, Hilda believes her purpose is to impact the world with kindness, one engagement at a time
