A new board, a new push for Namibia’s youth

Youth unemployment and changing job demands puts pressure on young Namibians
The newly inaugurated NYS board faces the task of turning high demand for opportunities into meaningful skills, jobs and participation.
Rozanne Swart
  • 1 Day Ago

A new board for the National Youth Service (NYS) was inaugurated at the NYS House in Windhoek last week, with youth unemployment, changing labour-market demands and the need for stronger civic participation among the issues facing the institution.

The NYS is tasked with helping young Namibians develop skills and access educational, vocational and employment opportunities while promoting patriotism and civic responsibility.

The demand for these opportunities remains high. Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture Sanet Steenkamp said that about 18 000 young people applied for the NYS’s 17th Recruit Intake in 2026.

“Young people are navigating unemployment, changing labour-market demands, technological disruption, social pressures and the need for stronger civic participation,” Steenkamp said.

The new board will provide strategic oversight and policy guidance to ensure the NYS fulfils its mandate under the National Youth Service Act, 2005.

Both Steenkamp and board chairperson Nicolars Tembwe stressed the importance of keeping governance separate from the day-to-day management of the institution.

“Our role is not to manage the day-to-day operations of the National Youth Service. Rather, our responsibility is to provide strategic guidance, exercise appropriate oversight, support management in the execution of the strategy and hold management accountable for performance and results,” Tembwe said.

The board’s work will focus on three priorities: inclusion, innovation and impact.

Inclusion means ensuring young people from all regions have equitable access to recruitment opportunities without discrimination. Innovation will focus on skills such as entrepreneurship and digital literacy, while impact will be measured by the tangible outcomes the service delivers for young people.

For the new board, the challenge is therefore not simply to oversee an institution, but to help ensure it remains relevant to the needs and aspirations of Namibia’s youth.

Tembwe said success would ultimately be measured by the difference the NYS makes in young people’s lives.

“Our ultimate measure of success will not simply be the number of meetings held or resolutions adopted. It will be whether ... we can look back and say that the National Youth Service has enhanced governance, is sustainable and makes a tangible impact in the lives of Namibian youth,” he said.