Rehoboth’s youth recently had the opportunity to learn how to do business when the City Council offered a 3-day training course through the Office of the Mayor. The course presented youth entrepreneurial skills focusing on procurement and how to write a funding proposal.
Rehoboth Deputy Mayor, Crystal Swartz said the training is a strategic investment in the future of Rehoboth and it young people. “The training comes at a critical moment in the town’s youth development journey. Rehoboth and Namibia by extension, continues to face significant challenges, particularly among our youth, like unemployment, limited access to economic opportunities, barriers to finance and the growing mismatch between available opportunities and the skills required to access them.”
However, she said while these challenges are real, they also present opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership. “The training not only ransfers knowledge but also cultivates a new generation of entrepreneurs capable of identifying opportunities, solving problems and creating sustainable enterprises. We believe that our young people are not merely beneficiaries of development, but drivers of development.”
Swartz said the youth are not empty vessels that always need to be force-fed information, but that they are innovators and co-creators of knowledge. “The future of Rehoboth, the Hardap Region, and indeed Namibia, will be shaped by young people who are prepared to identify opportunities, solve problems, create enterprises and contribute meaningfully to economic growth.”
She said the course covered more than academic subjects, instead offering essential tools for economic participation and self-reliance. “You will be asked to develop a business idea, proposal and establish a meaningful partnership, which may very well become the foundation of a successful enterprise that creates employment and contributes to Namibia’s economic transformation under the NDP 6 national development framework.”
The Rehoboth Council said the programme is targeting youth between the ages of 18 and 35, and participants typically engage in practical sessions covering entrepreneurship, innovation, critical thinking, business registration and compliance, procurement readiness, proposal writing, project financing and business development. “The programme has been carefully structured to provide young people the foundational knowledge necessary to transform ideas into viable business ventures.”
They said the training also serves as a preparatory platform for the upcoming Reho-Youth Connect Festival and Expo 2026, where participants will have the opportunity to engage directly with key business support institutions, regulatory bodies, financiers and development partners. “Through exposure to entities such as business registration authorities, tax and compliance institutions, financial service provider and enterprise development stakeholders, participants will be positioned better to present business ideas, develop bankable proposals and navigate the regulatory landscape required to establish and grow a successful enterprise.”
