Academy in Namibia Trains Young Barbers to Avoid Past Mistakes

In the city of Windhoek, Namibia, seven young people officially began classes at the Joe’s Fade Cuts Training Academy barbering school. The opening took place on Tuesday, November 10, under the leadership of founder Joel Mwatilefu. The event is relevant to the sector because it seeks to professionalize an activity often seen only as a means of informal survival.

The program selected ten trainees from 115 applications received, with a final screening conducted on October 24, 2026. Three participants were unable to attend the initial session for personal reasons but are expected to join the group later. The initiative aims to equip unemployed young people with practical skills to generate income and create their own businesses.

For Mwatilefu, the project has a personal character, as he wants to prevent the new generation from facing the same difficulties he encountered while building his career in the industry. He wants to simplify the path so that these professionals can, in the future, facilitate entry into the profession for others.

The course structure combines technical barbering skills with entrepreneurship training. The first week is dedicated to theory, followed by practical sessions in the second week. The main focus is not just on cutting hair, but on preparing participants to manage profitable businesses.

Mwatilefu emphasized that most of the students were unemployed and need to start generating income to support their families. The goal is that, within a few years, each of them will own their own barbershop, hire other professionals, and create new employment opportunities in the community.

The initiative is based on more than five years of community work by the founder, who has already offered free cuts at schools and trained aspiring barbers. Some of these former students today rent chairs or have their own businesses, which validates the approach adopted by the academy.

The trainees showed enthusiasm for the opportunity. Romano Green, currently unemployed, expressed hope to turn his passion for barbering into a solid career. Another participant, Ngumbpeua Kamuhanga, hopes to acquire skills to create similar opportunities for other young people in the future.

Mwatilefu plans to maintain the initiative next year, with two cohorts per year. The objective is to train ten people at the beginning of the year and another ten at the end, totaling twenty new professionals per year. He urged the students to value the free training, focusing on their studies so as not to waste the time invested.

The success of the academy will be measured not only by the completion of classes but by the graduates' ability to establish themselves in the industry and open doors for others, making the path more accessible for those who come after.