The Bank of Namibia hosted a Fintech Thought Leadership Forum themed “Unlocking Youth Potential and Job Creation Through Innovations of Tomorrow” and used the event to launch its FinTech Youth Programme, positioned as a flagship initiative to equip young Namibians with tools, networks and support to drive fintech innovation and employment creation. The FinTech Youth Programme will provide mentorship, financing, incubation and regulatory guidance, and is intended to strengthen collaboration between public and private institutions. In opening remarks, Governor Dr. Johannes !Gawaxab highlighted the shift toward digital money and payments and pointed to the need to modernise Namibia’s legal and regulatory environment, invest in digital public infrastructure and support domestic entrepreneurship. A keynote by the Ministry of Finance’s Executive Director, Dr. Michael Humavindu, linked fintech to competitiveness and inclusive growth and referenced ongoing government initiatives including expanding innovation hubs, establishing a National Youth Fund, reactivating Start-Up Namibia and working with the African Development Bank on digital skills development. The forum also held panels on building digital skills and education pathways, scaling youth-led fintechs including access to risk-tolerant capital and national platforms, and embedding innovation in economic strategy, before concluding with a commitment by stakeholders to continue partnering on a digitally inclusive financial system.

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