Youth turn AI skills into money

Patience Makwele

Young Namibians are turning artificial intelligence (AI) skills into income by developing websites, creating digital solutions for businesses and offering AI training and consulting services.

For some young entrepreneurs, the technology is also lowering the barrier to entering the tech industry, with AI-powered tools helping them develop solutions without years of traditional coding experience.

Gotlieb Mupandela, founder and chief executive officer of Apnium Technology, started his own company at the age of 16 after looking for ways to make money.

Mupandela said AI-assisted coding tools have since helped him develop software and work on products aimed at solving local problems.

One of his projects is an AI-powered accounting assistant, which he said is being developed to help accountants work more efficiently.

“First we do research. We need to find out what problems we need to solve in Namibia,” Mupandela said.

He encouraged young people to look at problems in their own communities and develop solutions that can be sold as services.

Using an example, he said young people could build and maintain websites for schools that do not have an online presence.

“Many schools do not have websites. Students can learn how to use tools like Cursor to build a website for their school and charge their school $200 per month for a website,” Mupandela said.

Johannes Masambo, an AI instructor who also works in software development and ICT, said AI is creating income opportunities through training, website development and business solutions.

Masambo said businesses are increasingly interested in using AI for tasks such as drafting emails, creating marketing material, managing workflows and responding to customer queries.

He said young people do not necessarily need to be expert programmers to benefit from the technology.

“If you are into media production, for example, learning about AI and integrating it into your workflow makes you much faster,” Masambo said.

He however explained that young people need to distinguish between simply experimenting with AI tools and developing a skill that can generate income.

He said those looking to make money from AI should focus on solving a specific problem rather than constantly moving from one new AI trend to another.

“Somebody who wants to develop these skills is always looking to solve a problem,” he said.

Mupandela also cautioned aspiring AI entrepreneurs against relying on a new business as their only source of income while it is still growing.

He said having other income streams can help young entrepreneurs finance their businesses as they develop their products.

Both entrepreneurs encouraged young Namibians to build practical skills, identify problems around them and use AI to develop solutions that people and businesses are willing to pay for.