Namibia: United States Government Launches Youth Entrepreneurship Hubs

The United States Government-funded Reach Namibia project has launched the Adolescent and Youth Livelihoods and Entrepreneurship Accelerator (ALIVE) Hub at Rundu, Kavango East Region.

The ALIVE Hub initiative will equip project participants with entrepreneurial skills to establish sustainable businesses.  In collaboration with the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Services (MSYNS), regional and local governments as well as private sector partners, the project will also establish an ALIVE Hub in Nkurenkuru, Kavango West Region, to provide entrepreneurial starter packs and scale youth ventures.

“The Hub space will serve as training ground where young people can develop innovative ideas, design products or solutions, and refine them through testing and feedback,” highlighted USAID Acting Country Representative, Dr. Rockfeler Herisse.

ALIVE Hubs will offer computers, printers, and other hardware as well as consulting and outreach services to rural areas.  They are expected to play a pivotal role in addressing high unemployment among young people and to significantly enhance Namibia’s economic development in the long term.

The Hubs will foster connections between youth and other stakeholders such as government agencies, civil society partners, private sector investors, and employers through pitch exhibitions, coaching, mentoring, training, and skills-building sessions.  They will also facilitate access to existing programs such as the MSYNS Youth Credit Schemes.  The ALIVE Hubs in Rundu and Nkurenkuru are expected to serve 240 Reach Namibia beneficiaries per quarter and will extend services to general youth.

Reach Namibia provides support to youth in the country’s eight most populated regions.  The project is supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, through the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, and implemented by Project Hope Namibia and Intrahealth Namibia.  Reach Namibia and the ALIVE Hubs demonstrate the U.S. Government’s continued commitment to providing health and economic relief to the people of Namibia.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Namibia.