Ohangwena: Ohangwena Governor, Kadiva Hamutumwa, has called on government to complement the National Youth Development Fund with market access and enterprise development policies, saying funding alone will not create sustainable youth-owned businesses. Hamutumwa made the remarks on Wednesday during an oversight visit by Parliament's Standing Committee on Education, Youth, Civic Relations and Community Development to assess the implementation of the fund and the rollout of sports facilities in the region.

According to Namibia Press Agency, she said although the fund has enabled young entrepreneurs to start businesses, many beneficiaries continue to face challenges in accessing markets, threatening the long-term viability of their enterprises. "We are providing capital and funding for young people to start their businesses, but we are not saying where they are going to sell. The one who is coming up with poultry, where are they going to sell their eggs? Because Shoprite will block you, SPAR will block you and Pick n Pay will block you because they already have their suppliers," Hamutumwa said.

She called for policy interventions that would require retailers to create opportunities for youth-owned businesses supported through the fund to supply products to local markets. "We must make it compulsory that the retailers then take in those products because that's the only way we will sustain the business for the young person. Otherwise, we are just putting money into projects and those projects will not grow," she said.

Hamutumwa said the fund should be backed by a structured enterprise development strategy that monitors beneficiaries beyond the initial funding stage and supports them as they expand their businesses. "There needs to be a policy intervention on how we are developing and tracking those coming from the National Youth Development Fund, so that 10 years from now we are saying whoever was given funding for a piggery will be able to set up a butchery and so on," she said.

She also called for increased mentorship, coaching and business development support, particularly for young people in rural areas with limited access to development finance institutions. "We want these development finance institutions to come on the ground and we want government institutions to avail funding for mentoring, coaching and business plan development. Not just funding," Hamutumwa said.