Staff Reporter
Namibia aims to increase the contribution of sport to employment from approximately 1% to 3.5% by 2030 and called on institutions, sports bodies and the private sector to support this ambition.
This was highlighted in the President’s speech, delivered on her behalf by the Minister of Finance, Ericah Shafudah, at the Creative Sport Tourism Expo, which took place at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek.
“Young Namibians today stand on different ground. They live in a free country, with the right to dream beyond the limits that confronted earlier generations. However, freedom must be matched by functioning pathways: quality coaching, safe facilities, regular competitions, professional administration, investment and access to markets. Talent alone is not a development strategy. It must be identified, trained, supported and connected to opportunity,” Shafudah said.
She highlighted the intersectionality between creativity, sport and tourism and emphasised the need for Namibia to be marketed as a destination for sport and adventure.
“We aim to increase the contribution of sport to employment from approximately 1 percent to 3.5 percent by 2030. In tourism, Namibia recorded 1,217,108 international tourist arrivals in 2025, compared with 1,257,093 in 2024 – a decline of 3.2 percent. Our target remains 1.8 million tourist arrivals by 2030. These figures reinforce the urgency of diversifying our tourism offering and linking it more deliberately to sport, culture and the creative industries,” she said.
Shafudah said that while Government has a role to play in creating an enabling environment, meaningful transformation will require cooperation between the public and private sectors, communities, athletes and creatives.
She said Namibia’s focus should now shift from simply recognising its potential to building industries capable of generating employment, income and long-term economic value.
“The name of this Expo tells an important story. Creativity gives sport its identity. Sport draws people together. Tourism carries that energy into our towns, communities, businesses and national economy. When these sectors are connected deliberately, a single sporting event becomes an entire chain of opportunity. This is the approach required under the Sixth National Development Plan,” Shafudah said.
She urged relevant stakeholders to consider how Namibia can participate more meaningfully in professional and participatory sport, sporting goods and sports tourism.
“The size of the global opportunity is considerable. Recent research by the World Economic Forum and Oliver Wyman estimates that the global sports economy generated approximately 2.3 trillion United States dollars in revenue in 2025 – close to 2 percent of global Gross Domestic Product. It is projected to reach 3.7 trillion United States dollars by 2030. This wider economy includes professional and participatory sport, sporting goods and sports tourism. The question before us is therefore not whether opportunity exists, but how Namibia positions itself to secure a greater share of it,” Shafudah said.
She stressed that the economic benefits of sport extend well beyond athletes, creating opportunities across a broad range of professions and businesses, including design, lighting and sound, promotions, broadcasting, catering, security, healthcare, transport, accommodation, tourism, music and crafts.
“This is the value chain of sport. The opportunities do not begin and end with the athlete. We saw this clearly during the recently concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States of America,” Shafudah said.
She emphasised that Namibia is well positioned to create a similar value chain and build that kind of economy.
“Every link in that chain represents a skill, a profession and an opportunity to earn a living. When we understand the full chain, we understand that the opportunities are virtually limitless. Namibia has everything required to build this kind of economy. We have gifted athletes, designers, artists and performers. We have compelling landscapes, a rich cultural heritage and communities with stories worth sharing,” Shafudah said.
She therefore called on stakeholders to treat this value chain as serious economic infrastructure. She further called on relevant ministries, regional and local authorities and the private sector to develop an integrated national calendar of sporting and cultural events that could be packaged and promoted alongside tourism offerings. She also encouraged improved data collection on employment, enterprises, visitor spending and local procurement across the sport, tourism and creative industries.
“I call on public institutions, sports bodies and the private sector to treat this value chain as serious economic infrastructure. We must develop facilities, strengthen academies and leagues, build reliable event calendars, invest in broadcasting and digital platforms, and market Namibia more boldly as a destination for sport and adventure,” Shafudah added.
Photo: NBC Sport
