Youth leading the charge for democracy and dignity
2025-08-12
Namibia’s young people are not disengaged – far from it. Many are voting, debating, mobilising online, and organising around the issues that matter to them. Yet our latest research confirms what many already know from lived experience: structural and economic barriers, institutional gatekeeping, and persistent cultural norms continue to limit participation.
High youth unemployment not only undermines livelihoods, it also dampens the time, resources, and confidence needed for sustained political engagement.
International Youth Day, celebrated globally on August 12, is a reminder that democracy thrives when young people are able to organise, work with dignity, and have a real say in the decisions that shape their lives. This year’s theme, Young workers organising for democracy, justice and a better future, could not be more fitting for Namibia and for the global south, where youth face intersecting challenges of economic insecurity, political exclusion, and shrinking civic space. Youth participation is also a powerful driver of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the 2030 Agenda recognising young people as essential partners in shaping responsive, inclusive, and representative decision-making. SDG 16.7 directly links their political participation to stronger democratic institutions and more sustainable futures.
Today, we also make available on our website a new research report, Namibia’s Youth and Political Participation in the 2024 Presidential and National Elections. The study, authored by political scientist Christiaan Keulder and supported by the British High Commission to Namibia, offers one of the most detailed examinations to date of how young Namibians are engaging with democracy - in the voting booth, in digital spaces, and in their communities. While the official launch of the report will take place during our annual YouthQuake Namibia 2025 on Friday, August 15 at the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC) under the theme “Access to Information: Igniting Youth Power,” the gathering itself centres on youth agency, skills, and accountability.
The report also shows that political participation is evolving. While overall youth turnout has at times been lower than other age groups, the 2024 elections saw encouraging signs of renewedparticipation, especially among young first-time voters. Digital activism and issue-based organising are growing, but so is the recognition that online energy needs to be matched with offline influence.
Young Namibians continue to rely on social media for immediacy, but trust newspapers, radio, andtelevision for verification – a reminder of the importance of credible, ethical and independent media and strong media literacy skills in the fight against disinformation and misinformation.
This year’s YouthQuake will bring these findings to life. On August 15 we will gather young leaders, workers, policy-makers, media, and civil society to talk about what it really takes to open doors – to jobs, to information, to meaningful roles in shaping Namibia’s future. We will explore how access to information can drive economic opportunity, hold power to account, and build a more inclusive democracy.
Our position is clear: young people are not the leaders of tomorrow; they are leaders now. They are already organising for change, demanding that institutions listen and adapt, and building alternatives when they don’t. But their energy and vision must be met with genuine commitment from those in power. That means creating decent work and protecting the right to organise, delivering on the promise of access to information, expanding civic and digital literacy, ensuring elections are accessible and trustworthy, and protecting civic space from intimidation or securitisation. It also means making sure young women, LGBT+ youth, and persons with disabilities are not confined to tokenistic roles but have meaningful influence across all levels of decision-making.
As we mark International Youth Day, we call on Namibians of all ages to stand alongside young people and embrace this year’s YouthQuake rallying cry: “I am unstoppable when I’m INFORMED.”
Zoé Titus
Executive Director
Contact for media inquiries: info@nmt.africa