As a board member of the African Council on Foreign Relations, a Pan-African economic think tank, and an independent economic and business researcher, I extend my congratulations to H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on becoming Namibia's first female president.
It is commendable that President Nandi-Ndaitwah reduced Namibia's cabinet to 14 ministries and 7 deputy ministers. This is necessary to make sure that policies are executed successfully and adhere to the good administration approach. The president pledged to increase investment in urban land development and delivery so that most of our citizens can have access to decent housing, promote the green revolution, support the manufacturing sector, which is a must-win for industrialization and job creation, diversify the economy, and more.
Her economic priorities for the new administration should be in line with the current macroeconomic framework policies and executed meaningfully to encourage change by revisiting industry and trade policies. Reforming the industrial and agricultural sectors, as well as the educational system, are among the macroeconomic factors that the president pledged to give priority to. In order to create more comprehensive educational systems that can handle crises, it is critical to remember that modernising information gathering and analysis as well as enhancing the efficiency of existing systems, are imperative. It is expected that the reform process would result in a flexible curriculum that becomes the key to professional success.
Additionally, Namibia still has significant challenges in accessing high-quality medical care. Many rural communities lack enough infrastructure and trained personnel, while the health outcomes of urban and rural populations differ widely. Despite the government's efforts to improve infrastructure, issues persist. Infrastructure investment in healthcare is essential. Namibia must work for a better future by promoting health education, strengthening infrastructure, and giving priority to community involvement. Some medical facilities, especially the casualty areas, require air conditioning, and healthcare system needs to be seriously upgraded. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Health and Social Services claims that it has made great strides in the delivery of healthcare, with more than 76% of Namibians currently residing within ten kilometres of medical facilities. This is still insufficient, and people continue to walk long distances. As a result, health creates opportunities for cooperation and partnerships between the public and private sectors, the community and individuals to promote the growth and development of the health sector.
Investments in infrastructure have the potential to boost productivity and to support future economic expansion. In addition to effectively implementing infrastructure plans, the government must create the framework for private investment by enacting regulations that address the availability of private funding and safeguard private infrastructure investments if it hopes to draw in the kind of investments needed to transform Namibia's health infrastructure.
Furthermore, there are significant doubts regarding the sustainability and practicality of green hydrogen because the Namibian Green Hydrogen Council has not been able to adequately define how it would be included into their larger energy strategy. The nation should also be cognizant of the rapidly evolving and heavily regulated global green energy sector. A lack of a clear plan and continued uncertainty regarding the viability of green hydrogen could result in the technology's likely failure. The fifth industrial revolution is undermined if people lose sight of this economic enabler.
Moreover, without reforms to Neudamm and Ogongo Agricultural Colleges we cannot talk about competitiveness in agriculture. A major challenge confronting the agricultural community is how to develop policies and strategies that will help previously disadvantaged farmers to benefit from the more liberalized, deregulated market for agricultural products. The commercial and communal farmers have to join hands to assist each other in farming challenges. The sooner we redefine communal set ups in terms of their benefits and strengths to livestock farmers as opposed to their weaknesses, the better our farmers will become. Together with agriculture, we must safeguard and expand our manufacturing sectors by providing financial support, imposing high import tariffs and levies, drafting legislation to promote increased output, and modernising our infrastructure.
The imperative for economic diversification in resources remains strong, given highly volatile commodity prices and the low employment potential of primary sectors. Namibia's economy heavily relies on its mining industry and its mineral resources. We need to understand that diversification is a strong drive, but must be given adequate time to create a change in the process of whatever it is expected to accomplish. History shows that no nation has ever achieved economic diversification without skilled technical manpower and technological capability. Thus without creating effective policies to address economic challenges that lure investors to the economy; and without ensuring that the Constitution and rule of law are respected and without investing in human capital, particularly technology education, Namibia will continue only to dream of being an industrialized nation. As we move to the desired industrialization, it is important to understand how value is created and by whom, and how to maximize the impact in terms of job creation and poverty reduction.
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Namibia has a huge gap between rich and poor. Only good governance can shrink this gap and create wealth. The institutional framework should be capable of making structural adjustment and effectively implement stabilization policies whenever required to do so. In fact, effective economic governance primarily depends on the strength of its institutional framework, the flexibility, maneuverability and resilience to the changing political, economic and social environment and the ability and competence of the persons to take bold, practicable and rational decisions. Where the institutional framework is fragile and the decisionmakers are incompetent or indifferent, even the best economic policies will be worthless. To eliminate public resource mismanagement and to ensure quality service delivery and effective administration, strengthen the rules of law as well as the promotion of credibility, accountability and transparency, together with ongoing capacity building.
In conclusion, it is important for the incoming administration to recognise that accountability and transparency are the foundations of good governance. If members lack a feeling of responsibility and accountability, Namibia's economy cannot grow. For this reason, H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will experience difficulties if her cabinet members view their appointment as salary earners rather than as servants to the Namibian people.
