As we look towards the future, it is imperative that Namibia invests in research and development to drive innovation in the emerging green energy and new oil and natural gas sectors, Dr. Itah Kandjii-Murangi, the Minister of Higher Education, Technology, and Innovation, has said.
Speaking at the 2024 Creative Entrepreneurship Academy conference last week, Kandjii-Murangi said that the global shift towards sustainable energy solutions offers immense opportunities for Namibia, particularly in the fields of green hydrogen (GH2), green ammonia, and biofuels.
“These sectors have the potential not only to diversify our energy portfolio but also to create new industries and job opportunities, contributing to our economic resilience. To this end, our academic institutions and research centres must prioritise the development of cutting-edge technologies and processes that will position Namibia as a leader in the production and export of these green energy sources. By fostering collaborations between government, industry, and academia, we can ensure that the necessary knowledge, skills, and infrastructure are in place to support the growth of these crucial industries,” she said.
Speaking about the creative industry, the Minister said that she was happy to note that the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) are developing new TVET programs that aim to build skills for the creative industries.
“I sincerely hope these programs will strengthen the link between creative industries and youth employment, the preservation of cultural heritage, and technical and vocational skills. According to UNESCO (2019), TVET can play a valuable role in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH), and ICH can be an incredibly rich resource for TVET programs.”
The United Nations General Assembly in November 2023 underlined the importance of unlocking the benefits of the creative economy. This sector significantly contributes to the global economy, comprising 3.1 percent of the total global gross domestic product in 2020, generating 50 million jobs worldwide and accounting for 3 percent of the global trade in goods and 21 percent of the global trade in services in 2020. The accelerated growth in the creative industries has opened up considerable employment prospects, particularly for our youth and women. It has also offered a springboard for innovation in developing cultural and creative industries, from safeguarding tangible and living heritage to promoting the diversity of cultural expressions and the development of sustainable cultural tourism.
The rapid advancement of digital technologies is transforming the cultural and creative industries, democratising the production and distribution of cultural and creative content. This has opened new avenues and approaches, including through the digital economy, to producing, distributing, and benefiting from creative products, inspiring a new wave of creativity and innovation.
Furthermore, the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in the creative and cultural industries is set to transform the sector drastically, further reducing barriers to producing cultural and creative content while creating new challenges. It is evident that AI allows for content production without requiring extensive artistic or technical knowledge.
“Namibia has a rich intangible cultural heritage with the “Marula festival” and the “Nama Ancestral Musical Sound Knowledge and Skills (the nama stap)” elements inscribed on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. This rich cultural heritage, if effectively exploited, can serve as an input in entrepreneurship that will guarantee a distinctive nature of business and increase our global competitiveness. We should do everything possible to harness this rich cultural heritage and creativity to develop and grow the creative industries in Namibia for the benefit of our youth and our shared future, taking advantage of the advancement of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI).
“The Government of the Republic of Namibia will continue to create an enabling environment that ensures that the creative economy is equally accessible and inclusive for all at the national and local levels. This inclusivity will include, among others: women, youth, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, local communities, and people in vulnerable situations, which reinforces the status of artists, creators, cultural practitioners, and professionals. It is my belief that the creative economy will advance the agenda of promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all, progressive formalisation of the labour market and fair remuneration, and improve access for micro, small, and medium enterprises (SMEs), including cultural enterprises, in the creative economy to participate in national, regional, and global value chains,” Kandjii-Murangi said.
Lastly, she said that the priority of the Ministry is to develop a workforce with suitable knowledge and skills to succeed within the creative industries. This includes more investment in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) skills and quality apprenticeships.
“I thus challenge our higher education and TVET institutions to provide employment skills and knowledge for our students and others wishing to work in the creative industries as an attractive and appropriate way of gaining employment. Digital skills and literacy in the arts and culture sector are becoming increasingly important worldwide. We need to ensure that our artists, creators, and cultural managers have the digital skills to enable them to compete globally,” she concluded.