Youth in driving seat of the economy

Dear Editor,

The last year was definitely a setback for almost all industries and people from all walks of life suffered through the crisis; whether it was a schoolgoing child who was waiting to see his friends and teachers and get out of the house which had become almost a cage, or a working class man employed at a big company in Windhoek, whose HR told him about retrenchment which was synonymous to destruction.

One month into the new year and we all know that the wounds caused by the pandemic in our lives are going to take time to heal. With the ongoing record breaking rains around the country, and dams like the newly built Neckartal Dam getting filled to the brim, some people from the agricultural sector were able to catch a sigh of relief, but only time will tell if this would be a dreamy kick-off for the Namibian economy or not.

All these situations have really taken a toll on the mental health of the citizens and its time we realise that the only way forward is by going back to basics.

The situation at hand makes it evident that we need to look into strengthening the core on which our society stands–food, shelter and education.

Now, while some might argue that it is the era of technological advancements, I believe from my experience as a Computer Science engineer, it is safe to say that technology is definitely a catalyst and an absolute need of the hour, without a doubt, but it can never replace the core building blocks like shelter, food and education.

It is high time that we restructure our lifestyles and focus on and invest in basic necessities like education in order to impact the lives of our dear ones and the whole society and join forces towards an education and technology driven revolution, which is being termed as Industry 4.0.

I believe that this generation of Namibians is one of the most privileged to see the world in 2020 and also to witness the strength of the nation as they got one of the youngest deputy ministers of all time.

They have the support of parents who understand their choices and ways to communicate and make an impact on their peers, and hence they need to work on their ambitions, focus on education and bring about the change they want to see, the stage is all theirs, starting now.

Prateek Khare

Head of Marketing & Corporate Relations

Edudite Consultancy