Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has said there is a need to take full advantage of the country's charcoal industry.

Dr. Ngurare said the industry is strategic and capable of addressing key national priorities, such as environmental sustainability, land restoration, economic diversification and youth employment.

He was speaking at the closing of the National Service Training Crash Course at Rietfontein and the launch of the Charcoal Youth Self-Employment Project.

Namibia is one of the largest charcoal exporters globally, with markets in South Africa, Germany and the UK and growth potential in China, Japan and the Middle East, including Turkey.

With the launch of the Charcoal Youth Self-Employment Project in Rietfontein, trained youth will be recruited to be producers of the biomass at various government farms.

"Our country is endowed with abundant natural resources, and that includes the biomass. But these natural resources are leveraged to create much-needed youth employment. Against this backdrop, the government made deliberate moves to provide financial resources to the line ministry specifically for the youth self-employment project in charcoal or biomass production. I am informed that to date, about 630 youth, selected from all the 14 regions of the Republic of Namibia, have undergone and completed the three mandatory training phases of the programme."

The Prime Minister encouraged the National Youth Service to go beyond foundational skills training and intensify efforts in value addition, enhance access to local and international markets, and support the establishment and growth of youth-led businesses in the industry.

He said such an approach will strengthen the charcoal industry's contributions to poverty reduction, sustainable livelihoods, and broader national development goals.

Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts, and Culture Minister Sanet Steenkamp promised to continue funding the biomass projects if assessments reveal they are enabling self-employment and self-sufficiency among the youth.

"We will have to make an assessment of how successful and impactful this charcoal production will be in terms of the self-employment of our youth, because if we find that it transforms lives. We must commit; we will commit to continually funding this project. That's a commitment that we are making today."

At the event, about 345 recruits who underwent the one-month crash course will join the 255 who have already completed the training and are currently in production at NYS Germsbok Farm.