Windhoek: Affirmative Repositioning leader Job Amupanda questioned the legality of the Youth Development Fund on Wednesday, alleging that some beneficial companies were not properly registered when the N.dollars 14 million in project awards was announced this week. Amupanda in the National Assembly said while his movement supports the youth empowerment initiative in principle, questions of fairness and transparency had emerged. He alleged that at least one successful applicant company was only registered on 18 September 2025, two weeks after the 04 September application deadline, raising concerns about procedural irregularities. 'How is that company going to be successful when it did not exist on the due date of application,' Amupanda asked.
According to Namibia Press Agency, he further claimed that some other successful applicants were not listed on the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) database, questioning whether selection was influenced by political or religious affiliations. Amupanda also raised concerns about the protection of intellectual property rights of over 11,000 unsuccessful applicants, warning that their business ideas could be misused by others.
On his part, Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare, who formally launched the fund at Gobabis on Monday, admitted that if a company had indeed been registered after the deadline, the matter was irregular and would be investigated. "That's what it is. It is clear that it is irregular. Unless it is matrix overload. Yes, basically, if that company did not exist and it existed two weeks later, it must be a glitch within BIPA. If it is not a glitch, then it's deliberate. Well, there must be something irregular," Ngurare said in his response, promising to follow up through the responsible agencies.
Ngurare has announced the initial allocation of N.dollars 14 million to 42 informal and micro businesses owned by youth aged up to 35 years from across the 14 regions. He emphasized the government's commitment to youth empowerment, saying the N.dollars 14 million was part of a total of N.dollars 500 million, budgeted for the National Youth Fund of which N.dollars 257 million has been capitalized for the current financial year. He further indicated that the government may review the age eligibility criteria, with some stakeholders proposing that the upper limit be extended from 35 to 40 years, or even 45, to allow experienced entrepreneurs to mentor younger entrants.