Nine Million Namibian Dollar Grant to help create biomas value chain jobs for youth through a three-year implementation plan

November 30, 2022

Mr. Benedict Libanda, Chief Executive Officer - Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia and Dr. Felix Musukubili, Commissioner of National Youth Service during the signing ceremony

Frieda Lukas

Employment opportunities are expected to be created among youths through an agreement which was signed between the National Youth Service (NYS) and the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF) as a responsible party for Output 2.7 and Component 3 of the NILALEG project. A ceremony was held at the EIF offices to officially sign their partnership agreement on scaling up a public works programme for landscape restoration, and piloting sale of charcoal and by-products from encroacher bush control. The event was attended by representatives from different line ministries, EIF, NYS, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Namibia country office and media houses.

The implementation partnership valued at Nine million Namibian Dollars (N$ 9 Mil) will contribute to the scaling-up of a public works programme for landscape restoration through piloting activities on 3000 ha land within the NYS Gemsbokpan 972 farm and the Rietfontein Youth Centre in Otjozondjupa Region. The funding is expected to cover the procurement of production related equipment to the tune of N$ 4,500,000.00 (FOUR MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND NAMIBIA DOLLARS), Infrastructure related expenditure of N$ 3,700,000.00 (THREE MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND NAMIBIA DOLLARS), and the remaining balance will be used as Working Capital during the Production Start-up phase.

The NYS is expected to train and develop a well-managed youth workforce that will be responsible for the construction, operation, maintenance, and marketing of graded charcoal. The programme is more than a “charcoal” programme, as it utilises the entire encroacher bush to deliver a variety of encroacher bush-based value-added products such as lumpy charcoal, charcoal briquettes, biochar, firewood, wooden fencing material, bush-based animal feed (“boskos”) and aftercare activities for a rehabilitated savanna rangeland. Bush encroachment is one of the most serious and conspicuous results or imbalances in savanna ecosystems. Along with various other factors, this poses a serious threat to livestock farming. The overall objective is to pilot bush control measures on Farm Gemsbok to be able to maintain a relatively open area for livestock and wildlife grazing.

The NILALEG Project is aimed at achieving Land Degradation Neutrality aligned with National policy commitments on Biodiversity; Climate Change: Nationally Determined Contributions in terms of the Paris Agreement, and Land Degradation. Through interventions in management and restoration of forests and rangelands, the project is directly supporting the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) priorities cited in the Nationally Determined Commitments in terms of the Paris Agreement.

Speaking at this ceremony, the NYS Commissioner, Dr. Felix Musukubili expressed happiness on this partnership as it will help create employment among youths. He highlighted that the project came at the right time to address the existing challenges of unemployment which continue to prevail among the majority of the Namibian youths. He supported his statement as he pointed out that NYS has trained about 6300 youths through their existing programs yet only 30% have been employed leaving the 70% of youth still unemployed. He was happy that this partnership through the NILALEG Project is envisaged to contribute to job creation for the youths and in the procurement of equipment’s for the established infrastructures. NYS, as the executing entity will take full responsibility for piloting an ecologically sustainable methodology for bush control and aftercare on 3 (three) resettlement farm sites of 1,000 ha each in Otjozondjupa, with a well-managed and trained workforce.

In his remarks, Mr Libanda, the Chief Executive Officer (EIF), pointed out the fact that EIF was an established mobilised funding institution which works with a variety of entities such as the Ministry of Finance, NAMRA, Multi-National Environmental Climate Fund, Development Partners such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP country office in Namibia) through which a variety of projects fall under such as the NILALEG and the Development Finance Institutions (DFI). He affirmed that the partnership resonated well with the mandate of the EIF. He too acknowledged that youths make up a bigger population of the country. Apart from meeting the expected outputs of the NILALEG Project, this partnership will also be achieving some national targets for land neutrality for Namibia hence should be considered as a national priority which will assist in yielding lessons and therefore lead to the adoption of best practices which can be duplicated for future projects.

Meanwhile, in the conclusion remarks delivered by Mr. Nghishidi, the NILALEG Project Manager, he stated that the MEFT was happy to witness yet another milestone achieved towards the Projects set targets. The results of this partnership will help with tackling social-economic and environmental challenges which will in turn contribute to the set principles of the three Rio Conventions especially the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) which aims to protect and restore our land and ensure a safer, just, and more sustainable future and the Sustainable Development Goals. He concluded by thanking the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme for the financial contribution towards numerous initiatives supporting our environmental conservation programmes.