ǁKharas questions NYDF funding
The National Youth Development Fund (NYDF) should ensure transparency, inclusivity and accountability while promoting a more equitable distribution of funding across Namibia’s 14 regions, ǁKharas Regional Council chairperson Gerrit Witbooi has said.
Witbooi was speaking at the official opening of a Regional Business Management Workshop facilitated by the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) in Keetmanshoop on Monday.
He said the ǁKharas Region had recorded only one successful NYDF applicant despite hundreds of applications.
“The fact that the ǁKharas Region produced only one NYDF-approved applicant is a shame. Only one young person among [the applicants] who applied for funding in the whole region was successful,” Witbooi said.
He called for greater clarity on the application process, stronger feedback to unsuccessful applicants and a more balanced regional distribution of funding.
“When an application is not approved, the outcome should not become a silent dead-end. It should become an opportunity for feedback and improvement,” Witbooi said.
He said applicants should be informed of the status of their applications, the reasons for non-approval and possible ways to strengthen and resubmit their proposals.
Witbooi urged the region and DBN to work together to improve applicants’ chances of securing funding.
“The DBN has identified recurring challenges in applications, including limited experience in business set-up and management and gaps in business information about developing sustainable enterprises. Young people with viable business ideas should have access to information, guidance, mentorship and, where eligible, funding,” he said.
Witbooi added that funding alone could not guarantee the success of a business, arguing that support should continue beyond approval.
“Young entrepreneurs need information, mentorship, discipline, market knowledge and continued guidance,” he said.
Witbooi described the NYDF as a significant national intervention, saying the government had invested an estimated N$317 million in the fund.
He said the approved portfolio was projected to support about 2,500 employment opportunities. By August, participating development finance institutions had received about 13,809 applications, with approximately N$130 million approved and N$90.8 million disbursed, he said.
“These statistics underscore the strong demand among Namibian youth and the need to continue refining the process of turning applications into viable and sustainable enterprises,” Witbooi said.
He thanked the DBN for bringing its national mentoring and coaching programme to the ǁKharas Region through the two-day workshop.
“The workshop presents an opportunity to strengthen the skills and confidence of young entrepreneurs beyond Namibia’s main economic centres. The programme addresses practical areas including entrepreneurship, business formalisation, planning, governance and compliance, financial literacy, access to support, networking, growth and sustainability,” Witbooi said.
“These are not abstract subjects. They are the tools that determine whether an idea can become a properly managed enterprise that creates value and survives beyond its first year,” he said.
Witbooi encouraged participants to engage actively, ask questions, test their assumptions and develop realistic business plans.
“The willingness to learn is one of the greatest assets an entrepreneur can possess. Do not be spectators in your own development. Participate fully and take ownership of your destiny. Use the workshop to address challenges and bridge the gap between business ideas and bankability, rather than treating it as a once-off event,” he said.
