Information and communication technology minister Emma Theofelus says there are no regulations that prohibit or restrict Namibians from receiving online payments through international payment providers. “Limitations are often imposed by big technological companies themselves, either due to a lack of business case in Namibia or a perceived lack of interest from Namibian entrepreneurs,” she says. YouTube, a leading online platform for content creators, notably excludes Namibia from its list of countries where views are monetised.
Theofelus says there is a need for Namibian entrepreneurs to explore opportunities in this market and develop strategies to facilitate monetisation. “Licenced commercial banks in Namibia are authorised to engage in foreign transactions. The cards they issue also enable them to receive foreign payments.
It is, therefore, up to banks or domestic merchants to approach entities like YouTube to monetise their views and receive payments directly into their domestic bank accounts,” she says. Acknowledging the importance of digital entrepreneurship, Theofelus says the ministry has established a task force to analyse the information and communications technology ecosystem and recommend steps to ensure Namibians benefit from the digital economy. Theofelus says the ministry had the opportunity to travel to countries where Google, Meta, IBM, Microsoft, YouTube and others have offices, to engage with their policy departments to look into these matters.
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