Swakopmund: Vice President Lucia Witbooi has cautioned delegates at the Third General Assembly of the National Youth Council (NYC) against allowing electoral competition to create divisions within the youth body. Officially opening the four-day assembly in Swakopmund on Friday, Witbooi emphasized that the council's credibility and its ability to represent the interests of young Namibians depend on delegates respecting democratic processes and supporting those elected to lead the organization for the next four years.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture Sanet Steenkamp stated that the gathering marks the culmination of efforts to restore stability to an institution that had faced years of governance and compliance challenges. Steenkamp noted that the condition of the NYC was among her greatest concerns when she assumed office in 2025, prompting her to examine governance reports and records to understand the challenges confronting the council.

She commended the interim board for strengthening governance systems, improving accountability, and addressing long-standing compliance issues that enabled the council to convene a lawful and credible general assembly. 'There is a difference between competition and division, and there is a difference between ambition and entitlement. You are here to compete for the right to serve,' she told delegates.

Outgoing Executive Chairperson Patience Masua remarked that the interim board inherited an institution facing serious governance, operational and compliance shortcomings when it was appointed in October 2025. The council had failed to produce annual reports for six years, lacked approved policies, and carried unresolved compliance obligations accumulated over several years, she said.

'We found an institution that needed to rebuild confidence in itself. The task before us was not only institutional, but also deeply human because the NYC serves over 70 per cent of our population,' Masua noted. She described the assembly as the final milestone in the board's mandate to restore stability, compliance, and credibility to the youth body.

Delegates from 121 affiliated youth organizations are expected to deliberate on policy matters and elect a new executive leadership and board to lead the council until 2030.