Miss Namibia champions women’s empowerment

Newly crowned Miss Namibia 2026 Charene Labuschagne says growing up in an entrepreneurial family has shaped her decision to make women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship central to her reign.

Labuschagne, who was crowned on Saturday, says watching her parents build businesses gave her an early understanding of both the opportunities and challenges associated with entrepreneurship.

“I’m incredibly passionate about entrepreneurship. I speak often about the fact that I was raised by entrepreneurs. That’s really such a massive part of my story,” she told Desert FM earlier this week.

Labuschagne said her parents started their businesses about 28 years ago and believes Namibia has developed a wealth of entrepreneurial knowledge that can be used to support others.

“There’s absolutely no reason why anybody, especially women, should go feeling like they don’t have the skills or the resources at their disposal,” she said.