Working hard to make dreams come true

Johannes Shikongo is a medical student and youth leader with big dreams of achieving what some may deem impossible, including dismantling poverty and performing groundbreaking surgeries.

"I am all about stretching boundaries beyond my comfort zone and persevering in perplexities," he said. He strives to be a leader in medicine, trained in neurology.

His biggest aspiration is to perform the world’s first brain transplant, "an immunologically privileged organ".



Educational background

Having attended Centaurus High School in Windhoek, Shikongo pursued an honours degree in applied biochemistry at the University of Namibia (Unam). He graduated with a second upper class and received an academic award.

While doing his honours, he signed up and received distance learning certificates in artificial intelligence and biotechnology from the University of Helsinki in Finland and the European Open University in England, respectively.

"I am currently completing my bachelor of medicine and surgery at Unam," he said. He also served as an executive committee member for Unam’s youth branch.



Representing Namibia

In 2020, he was selected to represent Namibia at the African Union Agenda 2063 Academy. He met like-minded African leaders from across the continent who were brought together to discuss and explore entrepreneurial solutions to Africa’s biggest challenges.

"My team was more committed to climate change and alternative ways in which we can foster more adequate renewable energy resources in our country."

Shikongo also represented Namibia at the Asia-Africa International Model United Nations (AAIMUN) conference.

He said AAIMUN aims to engage youth leaders from all over the world, providing a platform to share perspectives and opinions on solving world issues.

At the conference, he was awarded for being the best speaker and writing the best position paper. "During the pandemic, the Ministry of Health hosted a talent competition. My poem titled 'Thee Covid Volume', which was aimed at raising awareness on protective health measures, scooped the first price."



Encouraged to go further

In 2021, he ran for a spot on the student representative council (SRC) at Unam, to no avail.

However, he said it did not discourage him but merely laid the foundation for visibility and exposure.

"The latter prompted my appointment as one of the executive committee members for a Unam youth society branch," he said. This year, he became an African Pathfinder Leaders Initiative fellow, the Harvard University Aspire Leaders fellow, and the country’s representative for the Youth Development Network of the Development School of Africa.

In 2019, Shikongo founded 'Kill Poverty, the Dream Killer', an academic programme to assist learners from marginalised societies with their school work.

"It started with me assisting my schoolmates with their schoolwork. I saw how not everyone has parents back home to help them with homework," he said. He said that the programme offers educational support by tutoring learners and offering social and emotional support.