Date: 16 October 2026
Story by George Sanzila
Young MPs from the National Assembly and National Council are meeting this week to establish Namibia’s first Youth Parliamentary Caucus, a platform to give young people a stronger voice in law-making.
A workshop on Strategic Planning, Leadership and Institutional Development of the Youth Parliamentary Caucus has been organised by the Parliament of Namibia, with support from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The workshop further seeks to develop the Caucus’s Strategic Plan.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Hon. John Mutorwa, who facilitated the first part of the workshop, urged young MPs to work together across party lines. He pointed to the members of the Constituent Assembly, who drafted the Namibian Constitution despite their ideological differences.
“If those who were fighting each other could rise above petty things and achieve their objective of writing the Constitution, what is so difficult for us? The Caucus can serve as a platform to achieve our common goals,” he said.
Young MPs were taken through the principles of effective lawmaking, leadership and communication, the core functions of Parliament, cross-party cooperation, and building partnerships for lasting impact.
IPU expert Monicah Amoding shared some of the best practices from other parliaments and sought input from MPs on amendments to the draft Constitution of the Youth Parliamentary Caucus, which sets out its mandate, membership and governance structure. The workshop, which concludes tomorrow, will result in the adoption of the Constitution.
Namibia is making progress in bringing young people into Parliament. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), 7.3% of National Assembly members are aged 30 or younger, while the National Council has none. Neither House currently has a dedicated youth caucus.
