SWAPO lawmaker Fenni Tutjavi says it is time Namibia treats the creative sector not as side hustles but as a real economic sector as important as mining, tourism and agriculture.

Tutjavi was delivering her maiden speech in parliament on Wednesday evening.

“It is high time we stop treating the creative industry as a hobby sector. Arts, music and media are not side hustles, they are industries. They employ thousands, attract international capital, and shape national identity. If properly harnessed, they can stand beside mining, tourism, and agriculture as pillars of gross domestic product growth,” she said.

The lawmaker also told parliament there is a need to confront “the uncomfortable truth” of thousands of young people finding themselves in an educational limbo.

“Let us not confuse pass rates with progress. Let us not settle for structural systems that
reward privilege and punish potential. Technical and vocational education and training must be brought to the same footing as traditional academic paths. The moment we call one formal and the other informal, we already begin to devalue the latter,” she says.

She welcomed the directive issued by the Ministry of Finance and Social Grants Management to all offices, ministries, and agencies to allocate budget lines for apprenticeships, internships and graduate intensives in the 2025–2027 cycle.

“But policy alone is not progress, it must be implemented with urgency and resolve. When linked with the youth empowerment pillar, these initiatives have the potential to transform the country’s human resource base and reduce youth unemployment in a real sustainable way. Youth empowerment will no longer be lip service. It will be a national commitment,” she said.