LocationsOn International Youth Day 2026, UNDP Namibia celebrates young people’s leadership in digital inclusion, green growth, environmental stewardship and peacebuilding.
Young Namibians Leading Change from Digital Innovation to Green Jobs
August 13, 2026
Namibian Youth at the 2026 UNDP Namibia Open House Event
UNDP Namibia
WINDHOEK, 12 August 2026 — As the world marks International Youth Day under the theme “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” UNDP Namibia is celebrating the energy, ideas and leadership of young people who are helping to shape a more inclusive, peaceful and sustainable future.
Across Namibia, young people live in different realities, yet many share the same hopes: access to opportunity, meaningful participation, decent work, a healthy environment and the chance to build a better future. Through partnerships with government, universities, civil society and communities, UNDP is helping to turn these aspirations into practical pathways for learning, work, enterprise and civic action.
Expanding Digital Inclusion and Youth Participation
Young e-ID Ambassador (centre) demonstrates how an e-ID works during the Community Awareness Drive
UNDP Namibia
In partnership with the Namibia University of Science and Technology, UNDP’s AI Sprint initiative is equipping young people with practical artificial intelligence skills. Students are collecting voice data from underserved communities to support an indigenous-language repository, helping ensure Namibia’s local languages are represented as digital technologies evolve.
Through the Youth e-ID Ambassadors Programme, young people are also promoting digital inclusion, encouraging civic participation and helping citizens access public services. UNDP is complementing this work by investing in youth capacities for peacebuilding, digital integrity and countering harmful narratives.
These initiatives recognise young people not only as users of digital systems, but as leaders who can shape technology and public participation in ways that respond to Namibia’s needs.
Creating Pathways to Enterprise, Trade and Green Jobs
Gloria Pepper Sauce is one of the 24 youth-founded Micro, Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that received a grant under the Sustainable Development Goals Impact Investment Blended Facility (SDGIIF)
UNDP Namibia
Youth inclusion is also central to UNDP Namibia’s Inclusive Green Growth Portfolio, which supports entrepreneurship, green jobs, trade, energy and inclusive finance.
Through the EMPRETEC entrepreneurship training programme, UNDP has supported more than 234 youth- and women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises with mentorship, business-development services and pathways to finance.
Through the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions, 295 young people received accredited training in biomass harvesting and processing, opening pathways to employment in Namibia’s growing green economy.
The SDG Impact Investment Facility mobilised NAD 8 million and supported more than 26 MSMEs, while UNDP’s AfCFTA support improved the market readiness of 120 MSMEs and connected at least 40 businesses to regional trade opportunities across Africa.
In the energy sector, the Namibia Centre of Excellence for Green Energy is building a pipeline of more than 50 graduates and trainees each year, preparing young Namibians for emerging energy and industrial sectors.
Putting Youth at the Forefront of Environmental Action
A UNDP beneficiary from the Namibia Energy Institute at the Namibia University of Science and Technology showcases how a renewable energy installation system works. This was received with support from UNDP Namibia
UNDP Namibia
Across UNDP Namibia’s Environment Portfolio, young people are contributing to research, ecosystem restoration, sustainable livelihoods and wildlife conservation.
In partnership with the University of Namibia, UNDP has supported eight PhD and three MSc students undertaking research on ecosystem restoration, biodiversity monitoring and land degradation neutrality.
In collaboration with the National Youth Service, 621 young people were trained in sustainable charcoal production. At the Gemsbok Farm pilot site, bush thinning restored 512 hectares of land and produced 56,000 kilograms of charcoal, generating income opportunities while contributing to land restoration.
At Etosha National Park, 28 young people were among 57 participants trained in first aid, workplace safety and environmental safeguards as part of a boundary-fence rehabilitation initiative. Around the Mahango Game Reserve, community members were also recruited for short-term work contributing to efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflict and wildlife crime.
Young people also played an active role in the 2026 wildlife game count across six northern conservancies, where 32 per cent of the 182 participants were youth. The information collected will support stronger wildlife management, anti-poaching efforts and sustainable wildlife-based livelihoods.
This International Youth Day is a reminder that young people matter not only because they represent the future, but because they are already shaping the present. Their ideas, enterprise, creativity and commitment are helping communities respond to climate change, use technology more inclusively, build peace and create new opportunities. By working alongside young people and the institutions that support them, UNDP Namibia is helping ensure that different contexts can still lead to common aspirations: dignity, opportunity, participation and a sustainable future for all.
