Africa-Press – Namibia. Kaviveterue Virere
Deputy Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy, Gaudentia Kröhne said government is committed to establishing chances that support social inclusion, poverty alleviation, and economic development, particularly in areas where women bear most of the burden.
Speaking during the 8th Rural Women Parliament this week, she emphasised that women, particularly in rural areas, are at the heart of this mission. For her, every policy and programme must consider how it impacts women, because when women progress, families and communities move forward too.
The deputy minister outlined several government programmes that have been designed to ease the struggles faced by women entrepreneurs and workers in rural areas.
She said the Equipment Aid Scheme, first introduced in 2009 by former president Hage Geingob, has already supported over 3,200 small businesses across Namibia.
The scheme provides tools and machinery to micro and small enterprises that would otherwise not be able to afford them. Many of these businesses are run by women, who are now creating jobs and acting as role models in their communities.
Kröhne also said more than 138 business owners have benefited from specialised training, while 325 more have completed financial literacy courses. These initiatives help women, young people, and informal traders transition from subsistence to fully established businesses.
The deputy minister stressed that knowledge and confidence are as important as funding, and rural women must have both to thrive.
Another initiative, she said, is the Gemstone Cutting and Polishing Training Programme in Karibib. Since 2016, the project has trained 235 young people, the majority being women and rural youth, with nearly 70% securing employment.
These abilities provide women who previously relied only on small-scale mining for their livelihood with a means of pursuing a reputable and sustainable career in Namibia’s gemstone sector.
Kröhne recognised the difficulties that women still have in small-scale mining despite these improvements. Many people struggle to get fair markets, land and funding.
For people with little resources, environmental restrictions present additional challenges. However, she emphasized that the government has registered about 1,000 small-scale mining claims as part of its efforts to formalise the industry. Supporting female miners, in her opinion, is important for rural communities’ livelihoods as well as for minerals.
The deputy minister also pointed to rural electrification as another cornerstone of empowerment. Namibia plans to electrify 200,000 households by 2030, moving toward universal access by 2040.
For rural women, Kröhne said, electricity is a tool of freedom and opportunity rather than merely infrastructure.
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