This article details how the U.S. Government-funded DREAMS program and Namibia’s Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service launched a Labor Market Assessment Report which identifies economic growth sectors, occupational and entrepreneurship opportunities for adolescent girls and young women in Namibia.

The assessment identifies seven economic growth sectors in the Namibian districts where DREAMS is implemented including wholesale and retail trade, artisanal sectors, information technology, and hospitality. The report also points out specific occupations within each sector as potential employment and self-employment avenues for young women.

DREAMS stands for Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe and is funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the aim to keep young women HIV-free and empower them socially as well as economically.

Since 2021, the program has supported over 560 adolescent girls and young women in Namibia to complete vocational training, linked 245 of them to internships and wage employment, and provided 148 with entrepreneurial start-up kits.