By: Loise Shiimi
The Ondangwa Town Council, in collaboration with Ileni Agrosolution and Consultancy CC, has created opportunities for unemployed youth to gain hands-on experience in baking and decorating.
Pashukeni Puhamba, the founder of Ileni Agrosolution and Consultancy CC, shared with Eagle FM that she conducted training sessions for 20 unemployed youth on baking and decorating skills over the course of two days (this past Monday and Tuesday), after which the participants received their certificates.
When asked why she chose Ondangwa, Puhamba cited the high rate of unemployment among the youth in the area. This prompted her to seek collaboration with the Ondangwa Town Council to provide free training as a Christmas gift and encourage the youth to seize these opportunities.
“In the north, there are numerous birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and various parties that require cakes, indicating a significant demand. We want to eliminate the need for people to travel long distances to order cakes when we have capable individuals who can be trained,” she explained.
Regarding the challenges faced, Puhamba mentioned that the biggest obstacle in delivering practical hands-on sessions was acquiring suitable industrial equipment, utensils, and high-quality ingredients for baking and decorating.
“Sourcing these items domestically or internationally can be quite expensive,” she stated. This, she said, underscores the necessity for sponsorships and empowering Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and technical university graduates to design and manufacture processing equipment locally to ensure affordability.
Additionally, she identified that many facilities in northern Namibia lack adequate accommodation and infrastructure for food processing activities.
“These limitations hinder compliance with food safety standards and restrict the training of learners in essential processing techniques. There is a critical need for infrastructure development, particularly in rural and informal areas, to establish appropriate food processing training facilities,” she said.
During the training, Puhamba reported that participant selection was managed by the Ondangwa Town Council.
Although more unemployed youth expressed interest, only 20 participants could be registered due to limited capacity and a first-come, first-served policy.
She narrated that the biggest challenge during the training was the insufficient oven capacity: only five 45-litre ovens were available, each capable of baking just 1 to 2 cakes at a time.
“This severely hampered the baking process and reduced hands-on practice time for participants. Securing sponsorships for additional or larger ovens would greatly enhance efficiency and the quality of training,” she noted.
On the day of cake decorating, she mentioned that the facility’s air conditioning was inadequate to keep the room cool, leading some cake frosting to melt. Puhamba also noted that this type of training requires access to a refrigerator to achieve professional results.
She also highlighted that her company aims to expand the free programs to informal settlements and rural areas, where proper facilities are often lacking. Thus, “owning a refrigerator and adequate ovens remains a top priority to ensure consistently high-quality training, regardless of the location,” she stated.
Adding that given the unemployment rate and low level of agro-processing, they are willing to provide free agro-processing training annually, including food processing and nutrition education, reduce youth unemployment, strengthen food security, and help decrease food imports in Namibia.
Ester Mweneni Auala, Ondangwa Town Council mayor, expressed her full support for the initiative.
“As the mayor of Ondangwa, along with the Council, I am thrilled and fully supportive of this capacity-building initiative. I encourage further partnership with us for additional training opportunities,” she remarked.
She further noted that the Ondangwa Town Council has developed various strategies, including the Local Economic Development and Marketing Strategy, designed to foster business growth and stimulate the local economy.
Auala shared the Council’s vision of becoming a catalyst for industrialisation and sustainable development, by governing and overseeing local affairs while creating a conducive environment for economic activities that enhance the living standards of the community.
“This training session offers young entrepreneurs the chance to learn valuable skills in baking and cake decorating. I urge every participant to maximise this opportunity and apply the knowledge and skills acquired here to start their own businesses,” she added.
