Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah says the ambitious Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) manifesto will be tested in the implementation stage.
PDM on Sunday at Katima Mulilo launched the manifesto in which it promises to tackle unemployment, build homes, expand agriculture and secure a better future for all Namibians.
Launching the manifesto, PDM leader McHenry Venaani said they plan to reduce unemployment by 11% by 2029, as well as increase the budget allocation for agriculture to 10%.
He said young people will get jobs where they live, because they will put up at least one manufacturing factory in each of the 121 constituencies, as well as turn regions like the Zambezi region into agricultural zones to ensure the country feeds itself.
Other key points include cutting the urban housing backlog by 30% by 2029 with their 'one Namibian, one plot' policy intervention, as well as cutting the government debt to at least 50% of the gross domestic product.
Venaani said they will introduce universal healthcare coverage for all Namibians through the imposition of taxes calculated by tax brackets and by employing a primary healthcare approach.
He said they will renegotiate oil deals as Namibia received a raw deal on these discoveries.
Kamwanyah says PDM's promises would need effective governance that's committed to addressing Namibia's socio-economic challenges.
"It's important to remain cautiously optimistic while recognising the significant effort required to turn these promises into reality. The promise of manufacturing factories in each constituency is not just capital investment, but also skilled labour, infrastructure, access to markets and sustained demand for products," he says.
Kamwanyah says the expansion of the green scheme is in alignment with the country's agricultural potential, however, the key challenge will be to ensure there is effective management.
"Past experiences with green schemes have shown mixed results, often due to poor management, lack of resources and insufficient market access," he says.
He says reducing unemployment by 11% by 2029 is ambitious but not impossible, as long as there is consistent economic growth, significant investment in skills development and a diverse economy.
"Increasing the budget allocation for agriculture to 10% is a positive step.
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However, the effectiveness of this allocation would depend on how well the funds are used to modernise the sector, improve productivity and ensure food security," he says.
According to Kamwanyah, reducing the government's debt by 50% would require a combination of economic growth, disciplined fiscal management and possibly, some austerity measures.
"As for the reduction of urban housing backlog by giving each Namibian a plot, it would need logistics of land allocation, infrastructure development and the actual building of homes, which are complex.
"Namibia has struggled with housing delivery, and scaling up to meet the demand will require innovative approaches and perhaps partnerships with the private sector," he says.
Kamwanyah notes that trimming down the ministries to 15 and limiting deputy ministers to only four critical ministries could lead to a more efficient government. However, this would also require careful planning to ensure the reduction in ministries does not hinder service delivery.
Public policy analyst Marius Kudumo says PDM has diagnosed challenges facing the majority of Namibians and needs further concrete strategies informed by the economic realities, data and evidence.
"Investment in agriculture, including adequate funding consistent with the Malabo and Maputo declarations as well as attention to agro-industries and rural and remote area development, is the way to go. This could significantly contribute to addressing poverty and unemployment. Reducing both the cabinet and parliament or perhaps having one house of parliament with regional representation would release financial resources to developmental priorities," he said.
