Empowering rural Namibia: The SmartVille Living Lab in Nauaspoort

One of the goals of the “Developing Sustainable and Entrepreneurial Villages through Educational Living Labs in Namibia and Zambia – SmartVille Project” is to strengthen rural and underserved communities. It does this by expanding access to both formal and informal education, while building entrepreneurial capacity among community members.  A core initiative of the project is the establishment of the SmartVillage Living Labs. The Living Labs are physical and technological hubs where community members, including women, youth, and persons with disabilities, can access training, education, digital tools, and entrepreneurship support. (LAB 2025)

Each African partner selected a community to work with, facilitating the development of both physical and technological infrastructure for the Living Labs. Nauaspoort community was selected as the Living Lab site by University of Namibia.

Before the establishment of the Living Lab, Nauaspoort had no common meeting place for residents. Despite being located close to Windhoek, the area historically lacked access to essential services, structured entrepreneurial support, and digital learning opportunities.

Enthusiasm and resilience

During early focus group discussions conducted by the project team, community members identified poultry and crop farming, small business ventures (such as internet cafés, corner shops, and veterinary services), and the need for modern farming knowledge as key priorities. The enthusiasm and resilience demonstrated by the Nauaspoort community members convinced UNAM project team members that it was the ideal site for the SmartVille initiative. The settlement is in the Windhoek Rural Constituency of the Khomas Region.

By promoting skills development and income-generating activities, the SmartVille Living Labs directly support Namibia’s national development agenda; that of encouraging self-employment, improving living standards, and advancing socio-economic inclusion.

Key features of the Nauaspoort Living Lab

The Nauaspoort Living Lab offers a range of short courses in entrepreneurship, with ambitious plans to eventually integrate these programs into accredited university curricula. This approach ensures that individuals who may not have the means to pursue full degree programmes still have access to higher learning opportunities.

Inclusivity is at the heart of the Living Lab’s mission. The initiative actively encourages participation from disadvantaged groups, including women, youth, and persons with disabilities, ensuring that everyone in the community can benefit.

The Lab’s infrastructure is powered by solar panels, which supply essential equipment such as computers, a photocopier, and a fridge. This not only creates new entrepreneurial opportunities but also enhances daily life for community members.

Modern technology platforms are a cornerstone of the Lab. With access to computers, internet connectivity, and digital resources, community members can engage in learning and business innovation – even in an environment where infrastructure is limited.

The Living Lab has become a central hub for the community, hosting meetings and events, including those organized by the Regional Council and the Electoral Commission of Namibia to engage with residents.

Empowering today, inspiring tomorrow

Since the Lab’s establishment, residents have found a new sense of purpose and community. Saturday mornings are now dedicated to training and self-development rather than idle or unproductive activities. Participants are learning practical entrepreneurship skills, while teachers and facilitators gain real-world experience in community engagement and inclusive education:

“Many times we have ideas, but we don’t know how to put into action, but during this training, we have been trained how to develop our entrepreneurial skills. During this training I’ve learned how to put up a business plan and how to strategize for my entrepreneurship skills and how to run my own business. What I have experience during this time is with what I gain I should also empower the others with the skills that I gained during this training. We want to extend our appreciation to the sponsor that they have come to empower us and we should really by all means try to improve and better our lives here in Nauaspoort.”

References

LAB. 2025. Developing Sustainable and Entrepreneurial Villages Through Educational Living Labs in Namibia and Zambia. Project websites. LAB University of Applied Sciences. Cited 22.10.2025. Available at https://lab.fi/en/project/developing-sustainable-and-entrepreneurial-villages-through-educational-living-labs-namibia