Namibia’s Ministry of Finance has approved a further N$37.7 million for 66 youth-led businesses under the National Youth Development Fund, bringing total commitments since the fund’s September launch to more than N$52 million and creating 404 direct new jobs across agriculture, renewable energy, waste management, agro-processing and green transport.
The second-round approvals, processed through Agribank and the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia, cover every one of the country’s 14 regions, with individual loans ranging from N$88,000 to N$1 million. Successful projects include mobile veterinary clinics, biomass briquette production, aquaponics systems, portable solar trailers, sanitary-pad manufacturing from recycled materials and electric-vehicle logistics services.
Oshikoto and Khomas regions secured the largest allocations at N$4.8 million each, followed closely by Otjozondjupa (N$4.7 million), Zambezi (N$3.4 million) and Omaheke (N$3.6 million). Even Erongo, which received the smallest envelope of N$888,435, will see 18 new positions created. Women-led ventures feature prominently, accounting for roughly 45 per cent of the funded initiatives.
As reported by The Namibian Sun, the approvals come from the same pilot-phase pool of over 11,475 applications received earlier this year, with the ministry indicating that further successful candidates will be announced in waves to ensure orderly disbursement and mentoring support. A fresh call for proposals will open shortly through regional governors’ offices, where applicants can also check their status from the first week of December.
The National Youth Development Fund forms a cornerstone of Namibia’s Harambee Prosperity Plan II and its national youth policy, which target a reduction in youth unemployment – currently estimated at 46 per cent for the 15–34 age group by the Namibia Statistics Agency – through entrepreneurship and skills development. According to the World Bank’s latest Namibia Economic Update, youth-owned SMEs already contribute approximately 18 per cent of non-mining GDP, yet access to start-up capital remains the single largest barrier cited by young entrepreneurs.
Stand-out projects in the latest cohort include a N$1 million mobile veterinary clinic in Omaheke, a N$1.5 million meat-processing revival in Otjozondjupa, a N$1 million sanitary-pad production unit using waste materials in Ohangwena, and several renewable-energy ventures such as Konjamin Portable Solar Trailers in Erongo and Drivers Eco-Simlab in Khomas. These align closely with Namibia’s green hydrogen ambitions and the government’s push for circular-economy enterprises.
Ministry spokesperson Wilson Shikoto emphasised that the funded ventures were selected not only for viability but for their potential to generate sustainable livelihoods in rural areas and to advance environmental goals. Unsuccessful applicants are being encouraged to seek feedback at regional level to strengthen future submissions.
With the fund still in its early stages and more announcements pending, the initiative is already being hailed as one of the most geographically inclusive youth-support programmes in southern Africa, offering a tangible lifeline to a generation eager to turn ideas into income amid stubbornly high unemployment and limited formal-sector opportunities.