As the African Union gathers for its 2026 Summit in Addis Ababa this week, the continent’s youth remain vulnerable to international job scams, an issue that is not on the agenda.
The AU’s 39th ordinary session, from 14 to 15 February 2026, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will focus on navigating a “fractured world” through strengthened unity, security, and sustainable development. The summit is framed by the 2026 theme of water, alongside crucial discussions on reparations and geopolitical positioning.
But beneath the high-level diplomacy of pipelines and sanitation solutions, a darker, more predatory crisis is flowing across Namibia’s borders, one that thrives on the very peace and stability the government seeks to protect.
As unemployment grows, many Africans go online seeking refuge and opportunities outside the continent, often with perilous consequences. An August 2025 World Bank report advised that Africa’s growing workforce and global labour shortages create a window to transform migration into economic gain but it should be built through unified policies, skill-building, and expanded legal pathways.
Asked how the Namibian government plans to deal with the Alabuga Start programme and its reported deceptive recruitment of young African women for military production in Russia, ambassador Julia Imene said the Ministry of International Relations and Trade told The Issue last Friday, “to the best of our knowledge, we are not aware of any Namibians who have been recruited under the Alabuga Start programme.”
She said the government “is on record discouraging Namibians not to fall for local and international recruitment scams”.
This official stance, however, stands in jarring juxtaposition to the fact that a journalist from the government-funded newspaper, New Era, reported on 7 January 2026, after visiting the Alabuga facility, that four Namibians are part of the programme.
Ekaterina Lommas, spokesperson of Alabuga Start, confirmed the presence of the four Namibians to The Issue this week.
THE CONTRAST
The Alabuga Start programme, situated in Russia’s Tatarstan region, markets itself as an “educational and professional” opportunity for young African women. It promises high salaries in USD, free flights, and “hospitality” training.
Critics of the Alabuga Start programme allege it uses deceptive recruitment to exploit young women from the global South. Investigations by the Associated Press claim recruits are lured by social media ads promising “work-study” roles in hospitality, only to be forced into assembling Iranian-designed Shahed drones. This “bait and switch” hides the military nature of the work, often only revealed after participants arrive in Tatarstan.
Human rights advocates argue these conditions meet international criteria for human trafficking. Reports cite 12-hour shifts, passport seizures, and constant surveillance. Workers also face health risks, including skin and respiratory issues from handling chemicals without protective gear.
Lommas, however, said there is a coordinated effort by Western media to make the programme look bad and frames the initiative as a rejection of Western influence.
Njuguna, a Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) media lecturer, said there is a critical need for public awareness and education through ministries of foreign affairs in African countries, and the involvement of the media in campaigns that name and shame the fake recruiting networks can go a long way in safeguarding the youth.
The programme was at the centre of a sprawling controversy last year when South African social media influencers succumbed to public pressure and apologised for promoting Alabuga Start to young African girls.
Lommas said the programme holds numerous benefits for young Namibian women. Alabuga Start offers a transformative opportunity by combining significant economic advantages with professional development in high-tech fields.
She said participants achieve financial independence through a guaranteed salary and a fully funded starter package that covers travel, housing, and insurance, effectively removing common financial barriers to working abroad.
Lommas further said through a dual-learning system, women master industrial skills such as logistics and modern manufacturing, gaining international qualifications that remain highly valuable both in Russia and within Namibia’s industrial sector. Unlike academic Western grants, this practice-oriented initiative focuses on immediate vocational training and competence transfer, ultimately fostering long-term diplomatic and industrial ties between the two nations while equipping participants with valuable Russian language skills.
Namibia’s neighbouring authorities and civil society have sounded the alarm, leaning on their strict “anti-mercenary” laws that forbid citizens from participating in foreign armed conflicts or the infrastructure that supports them.
Wanja Njuguna, a regional analyst and media lecturer, notes that the African Union should be at the forefront to coordinate with governments across Africa on educating its people on not falling for the programmes that lure young jobless people to Russia.
She said South Africa and Kenya have already begun diplomatic engagements to repatriate nationals trapped in such schemes.
Rodney Cloete, Independent Patriots for Change member of Parliament and shadow minister of international relations, points to the data that the government often prefers to gloss over.
According to the 2023 Labour Force Survey released by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), the country faces a staggering unemployment rate: 36.9% on the narrow measure and 54.8% on the broad definition, which includes those who have given up looking for work.
As Cloete, who is also a Pan-African Parliament member, argued, “With these numbers, you do not need to kidnap people; “desperation will do the recruiting.”
Alabuga Start’s Lommas agreed.
“In Namibia, young women often face a gender pay gap and a lack of vacancies in the formal sector. The programme [Alabuga Start] offers a guaranteed salary, from US$541 (approximately N$8 600), which is significantly higher than the average income of a novice specialist.”
Namibians have already felt the sting of this desperation. In recent years, several Namibian citizens were lured to Southeast Asia with promises of data entry jobs, only to find themselves trapped in “scam compounds”.
Their passports were seized, and they were forced under the threat of violence to conduct online fraud.
In 2022, approximately 31 Namibian women were lured to Oman under false promises of employment and subjected to forced labour and inhuman treatment.
While the Ministry’s response has been to advise citizens to “be vigilant” and “contact us if you have concerns,” critics argue this is an abdication of duty.
DOMESTIC RESILIENCE
The AU’s history of protecting its citizens abroad is checkered. Many remember the 2022 crisis at the Ukrainian border, where African students faced systemic discrimination while trying to flee the war. At the time, AU Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat issued statements calling the treatment “shockingly racist”, but as Njuguna points out, little has changed on the ground.
“When an American has an issue in another country, their government goes out of their way to fight for them,” Njuguna said. How much does the African Union do when Africans are involved in problems beyond the continent?”
There is, however, a glimmer of legislative hope. The Pan-African Parliament has endorsed a Model Law on Labour Migration. The challenge now is for the AU to fast-track this law to include specific protections against the “mercenarism” of the 21st century, where citizens aren’t just recruited to hold rifles but to build the drones that fire them. Namibia, which has notably not signed the 1977 AU Convention on Mercenarism, finds itself in a precarious position as these definitions evolve.
Duminga Ndala, the Landless People’s Movement youth leader, argues that while international laws are necessary, the real battle is at home. “African countries should prioritise the creation of sustainable alternatives within their own borders,” she said. This requires deliberate investment in technology and innovation that offers meaningful employment.”
Young people themselves have a responsibility to exercise caution and to conduct thorough research into the authenticity and implications of such programmes to avoid compromising their safety, security, and future prospects.
Ndala has some advice for the African Union and other regional bodies, who she said “must play a more proactive role by supporting national governments with practical, impactful solutions that strengthen livelihoods and position Africa as a viable and attractive place to live, work, and invest.”
Cloete reminds Namibia’s youth: “If someone offers you a free flight and a big salary for work they cannot explain clearly, that is not an opportunity. That is bait.”
