Emma Theofelus, minister of information and communication technology, at the hackathon fundraiser, Windhoek, 14 August 2025

In my role as minister, her excellency bestowed her trust upon me to drive the national efforts in harnessing technology for economic growth, public service improvement, and societal advancement.

This role integrates policy leadership, innovation promotion, and digital infrastructure oversight.

A week ago, as a nation, we launched a comprehensive strategy outlining how Namibia should leverage digital technologies to achieve her economic and societal goals.

The strategy typically involves integrating digital technologies across various sectors, developing digital skills, and fostering innovation to enhance public services, improve the economy, and promote social inclusion.

Complementary to championing the said strategy, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology will host a mega hackathon on 15 October 2025.

This event will provide a platform for innovators, students and graduates to advance and create digital solutions that solve national problems, and enhance efficiency, transparency and accessibility of government services.

It is with great enthusiasm that I launch the mega hackathon fundraising – an initiative harnessing the boundless creativity of our young innovators to elevate public service delivery and solve real societal problems across the public sector through digital platforms.

This engagement marks the first step and provides an opportunity for all of us to plant a seed to realise the hosting of the mega hackathon. Our mission is to empower youth by granting them opportunities to build solutions that solve real-life challenges, simplify citizen access to essential services, digitalise government services, and drive inclusive innovation.

We, as government, recognise that we must lead the way in digitalisation if we are to create an environment where the private sector can truly thrive. It is of little benefit if businesses modernise their systems yet cannot seamlessly interface with the government. If simple permits are still processed manually and procedures remain lengthy and cumbersome, we will continue to face hurdles in ensuring compliance and efficiency.

A truly digital government has the potential to unlock immense value for our nation. But we also know that digital transformation comes with challenges, including the natural fear of technology and resistance to change. This is precisely why the mega hackathon is so important: it will give various government agencies the momentum and practical exposure they need to embrace digitalisation.

We want our colleagues in the public sector to start believing in what they may never have imagined possible – to witness first-hand the transformative power of technology. Those of you in the innovation space know how difficult it can be to introduce a new idea or technology to a government agency. Often, it is not a question of resources; rather, it is that some have yet to see, with their own eyes, what is possible from their side.

This Hackathon is our chance to walk together, hand in hand, into the era of a truly digital government.

Why does it matter?

The time for youth-led digital transformation is now. Young Namibians are not just future leaders but today’s change makers. By tapping into their digital talents, we will accelerate social progress and ensure tech solutions rooted in local needs.

This approach echoes the call for youth-driven innovation platforms as per our commitment from past national ICT summits. The mega hackathon will channel inventive energy toward improving access, efficiency and accountability in government services – be it public sector performance management systems, registration portals, learning management systems or feedback mechanisms.