Namibia stands at a historic crossroads.
As global headlines map out our offshore oil discoveries and multibillion-dollar green hydrogen ambitions, a familiar rhetoric echoes through our ministerial halls and corporate boardrooms: Youth empowerment.
We see it printed on summit banners and listed as a corporate social responsibility key performance indicator.
Yet, as a young political science scholar and a regional coordinator working directly with grassroots youth networks, the reality on the ground tells a fundamentally different story.
For the majority of young Namibians, the energy boom remains a distant headline – a spectator sport where we are given front-row seats but barred from entering the field.
It is time to speak plainly.
The current model of youth inclusion in Namibia is broken. It has been reduced to tokenism – inviting a handful of young people to sit quietly as “delegates” in luxury conference halls, or handing out generic training certificates that do not translate into meaningful employment or decision-making power.
True youth advocacy is not about begging for a seat at a table that was built without us.
It is about recognising that sustainable development – specifically goals 16 (strong institutions) and 17 (partnerships) cannot be achieved if the largest demographic in the country is treated as a charity case rather than an operational asset.
Young Namibians are not lacking in ambition, intellect, or execution capability.
Across our regions, young leaders are already doing the heavy lifting – coordinating community pilot projects, managing volunteer logistics at trade centres, and drafting local development frameworks with zero state funding.
We possess the exact strategic thinking, digital adaptability, and grassroots data needed to implement local content policies effectively.
We understand how national environmental and economic strategies impact real families on the ground because we live those realities every day.
If the state and multinational corporations are serious about maximising Namibia’s resources, the approach must shift from passive mentorship to active institutional governance.
We do not just need more summits; we need young leaders structurally integrated into the regulatory bodies, local content steering committees, and regional development boards managing these resource transitions.
We must also challenge our own youth institutions.
The National Youth Council and regional forums must step up to become aggressive pipelines for raw, unfiltered intellect, ensuring that opportunities reach the regions and are not just monopolised by elite circles in the capital.
The generation currently studying policy, running local non-governmental organisations, and launching grassroots businesses will be the ones left to manage the environmental and economic legacy of today’s choices.
We are not the leaders of tomorrow; we are the operational reality of today. It is time the gatekeepers stop checking the “youth representation” box and start sharing actual structural power.
Our national future depends on it.
– Metumo Shikongo
