The Bank of Namibia hosted a stakeholder engagement event, highlighting local startups, in Windhoek.

The "Connecting Pioneers of Our Future" event aimed to do more than just inspire and position Namibia as a leader in enterprise, innovation, and technology in Africa.

"Connecting Pioneers of Our Future" brought together a diverse mix of citizens, entrepreneurs, investors, and government leaders, all united by that vision.

Various startup founders, many in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – STEM – industries, had the opportunity to pitch their startup companies.

The Manager of Innovation and Industrial Research at the National Commission on Research, Science, and Technology, Grant Balie, explained how startups contribute to the Namibian economy at large.

"I saw a statistic the other day saying that Namibians don't have enough money to save because they're supporting someone else within their family. And this is an opportunity for you to not support them financially but to support them with a job. If you're the startup, you can literally employ friends, family, and others with skills (but not necessarily paper qualifications) to do the business you need and pay them, because working with your family is tricky."