SHINYUNGWE, KAVANGO EAST, Oct 16 – The Linus Shashipapo Climate Change Action Centre has officially been launched in Shinyungwe, Ndiyona Constituency, with a focus on equipping young Namibians with practical skills in climate-smart agriculture, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.
The centre, inaugurated on 16 October 2026 by the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, seeks to position young people as active participants in addressing climate change while creating economic opportunities for themselves and their communities.
The initiative brings together Government, DAPP Namibia, traditional authorities, regional leadership and local communities in a partnership aimed at strengthening youth development through practical training, agricultural innovation and sustainable production.
According to the Ministry’s site visit in August 2026, the project had reached 52 beneficiaries, including 25 young people collectively managing more than 100 small-scale demonstration farmer plots.
Through the Shinyungwe Smart Agriculture Centre, participants can gain hands-on experience in horticulture, sustainable farming and climate-smart agricultural practices designed to help communities respond to climate variability while supporting food production.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister emphasised that the centre represents more than a physical facility, describing it as a platform for knowledge, innovation, skills development, climate action and entrepreneurship.
The Minister encouraged young people to move beyond producing food for household consumption and explore commercial agriculture through youth-led enterprises and cooperatives. Stronger links with local markets, schools, training institutions and private-sector buyers were also highlighted as important to ensuring that agricultural production translates into income and employment.
The centre aligns with Namibia’s National Youth Policy III for 2020–2030, which prioritises skills development, employment, economic empowerment and youth participation in national development.
The Minister further called for the programme to remain inclusive, particularly by creating opportunities for young women, rural youth, persons with disabilities, unemployed young people and those with limited access to skills training.
The centre’s history dates back to the 1980s, when the site was identified for youth development activities. It was named after the late Hompa Linus Shashipapo of the VaGciriku Traditional Authority. The partnership with DAPP Namibia introduced a climate change and climate-smart agriculture focus following initial engagement in 2023 and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2025.
The Ministry sees potential for the centre to become a regional learning and demonstration hub, with lessons from its implementation potentially informing similar initiatives in other parts of Namibia.
The Minister stressed that the success of the facility would ultimately be measured by tangible results, including the number of young people trained, enterprises established, jobs created and income generated.
The launch therefore marks a step towards placing young Namibians at the forefront of climate action, agricultural innovation and sustainable economic development.
