ON 2 DECEMBER 2021, I had the opportunity to witness extraordinary talent as I watched the presidential youth engagement.
A young man by the name of Shepherd Nyambe raised some serious concerns on the matter of innovation and how we as a nation have become fond of neglecting young people with innovative ideas.
Despite ending his statement with a question, his concern was not addressed.
Instead, he was promised an appointment to engage with the minister of mines and energy, which has not realised.
After the engagement, I went onlIne to learn more about the young inventor of Shepherd Energy Saver, and was shocked to discover he has been featured in the papers, magazines and various other media, including international media, such as Sierra Leone-based online platform The African Dream, and United Kingdom-based online magazine The Happy Boss, yet he is still not recognised, appreciated or rewarded for his attempts to contribute towards sustainable development.
Not only is he innovative, he also demonstrates his leadership skills through activism and advocating youth leadership.
After getting his Instagram and LinkedIn contacts online, I reached out to him to find out how he has been and what his visions are.
From then on I have been following him and assisting him in trying to create connections.
This young man is an asset to the nation, and if the government is really concerned with sustainable development and youth leadership, then he should be up there.
Nonetheless, the public should also take charge of contributing towards sustainable development, as it affects all of us.
Two occasions pained me with regards to this individual: one was when his leadership and innovation enthusiasm was recognised by some global leaders who invited him to attend the Africa World MUN summit in Egypt, but he couldn’t make it because no one assisted him with finances, despite writing to many parastatals and private companies.
He even asked the public for help through NBC news.
The second occasion was when again he was selected to attend the One Young World summit in Germany with one other person, a woman, to represent Namibia.
The woman made it with the help of a scholarship, but Nyambe didn’t make it due to a lack of finances, despite asking for help in The Namibian and on 99FM.
What I want to share with the nation is the painful post he published on LinkedIn.
He wrote about his journey and efforts to contribute to sustainable development and how he struggles financially – often to the extent of sometimes not being able to pay his rent.
The government currently has a number of projects, such as the green hydrogen project.
These projects could make use of Nyambe’s strategies and initiatives while benefiting him financially and in gaining skills development, which, of course, would later benefit the whole nation and continent.
“He has to be protected and supported by the government. He is an asset to the nation.”
Let us protect and support our own Elon Musk before we lose him.
Concerned Citizen
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