Young lawyers to play important role in Namibia – Dausab

Justice minister Yvonne Dausab has told National Assembly members that an abundance of law graduates should be utilised in markets where there will be a gap in the near future, such as environmental law and international commercial arbitration.

In response to lawmaker Maximalliant Katjimune's argument that the law programme at the University of Namibia (Unam) should be temporarily halted to prevent market saturation due to the large groups of students qualifying in law annually and then seeking work in this sector, Dausab said: "I firmly believe this should not even be a conversation. Limiting individuals in their educational pursuits is not a viable solution, as it would infringe upon various human rights."

Opportunities

Dausab also argued that the skills of law graduates can be valuable not only for the just ministry, but can make a difference in all sectors.

"With the emergence of green hydrogen, oil and gas, opportunities in environmental law are opening up, and in our markets, there is room to specialise. This brings potential for many LLB graduates and can thus alleviate Namibia's burden of having to bring in legal experts from abroad," she said.

She referred to discussions at Unam's Faculty of Law to diversify the fields in which students can specialise and advised that this be implemented if it is not already in place.

Dausab explained that government's incentive for the private sector to take in interns, by making it tax-deductible, plays an important role in giving graduates the experience they need. "If they lack experience, let's provide them with opportunities in the government and private sector to gain it," she said. She also said that the compensation for interns according to the government's policy will soon be reviewed to ensure it aligns with current needs.