The Governor of the |Khomas Region, Sam Nujoma, has called on youth entrepreneurs to make full use of available financing opportunities to grow their businesses and create jobs.

Nujoma made the remarks at an information sharing session, held under the theme "Access to Finance Opportunities for the Youth", in Windhoek.

Nujoma emphasised that the provision of funding opportunities cannot be the responsibility of government alone, pointing out that it should be the result of lasting partnerships between public and private entities.

"When public finance lowers the risk and private finance brings a scale and economy truly begins to lift its people, that partnership is precisely what this region intends to build, and this work is already bearing fruit."

Head of Promotion of SME Development, Vistorina Ilonga, says Pro SME is an initiative that reflects the shared commitment between the governments of Namibia and Germany and their partners to advance inclusive economic growth and strengthen Namibia's MSME ecosystem.

"So the objective of the project is to strengthen the sustainability, competitiveness and growth potential of Namibia's Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through targeted financial and non-financial support."

Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPBD) Manager for Startup and Scaleup Linda McLeod urged youth to see the SME fund as a de-risker and see it as a vehicle that allows them to access finance in the country.

"There is no differentiator; if your business has been operating for a year and more, you can qualify. Secondly, it has to have a functional bank account, not your private bank account; it needs to have a business account and it needs to have all of the good standing certificates."