IMELDA AMBONDO
Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Dino Ballotti has encouraged the Bank of Namibia to work towards enabling digital payment systems such as PayPal and Apple Pay to allow Namibian creatives to monetise their work globally.
He said Namibia is witnessing a renewed focus on creativity and sport as two engines for youth empowerment and economic growth.
“When we get this component right, we will see a generation of self-employed young Namibians creating, exporting, and contributing to GDP,” Ballotti said.
He was speaking at two major events last week including the Bank of Namibia Annual Symposium on Creative Industries and the AUSC Region 5 Board of Advisors Meeting in Windhoek.
“We resource what we prioritise.We are witnessing a focus as never seen before, championed by our President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who has long advocated for the creative industries,” Ballotti said.
He said the newly launched Namibia Arts, Culture and Heritage Policy 2025–2030 links arts and culture directly to economic and social goals, while new legislation, including the revised National Arts Fund Bill and Copyright and Related Rights Bill – aims to protect creators and enhance access to funding.
At the AUSC Region 5 Board of Advisors meeting, Ballotti echoed a similar message of empowerment through sport. “Sport builds nations, unites communities and ignites economic opportunities, Namibia has elevated sport to the second-highest national priority.” Ballotti said.
He urged the regional board to strengthen systems that position sport as a pillar of the regional economy. “There is serious money in sport, and we must double efforts to claim our share of the sports economy,” he said.
Congratulating the 15 women from Region 5 named among Africa’s Top 50 Most Influential Women in Sport, Ballotti said the recognition highlights progress toward gender equity.
“The future is not female, female is now,” he said.
Ballotti reaffirmed Namibia’s commitment to the AUSC Region 5 vision and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, saying both culture and sport are vital to youth development, integration, and national pride.
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