New PPP Committee inaugurated

WINDHOEK, 03 DEC – Public private partnerships (PPPs) will play a key role in getting growth back into the economy, Minister of Finance Calle Schlettwein said Monday.
Addressing the media during the inauguration of the PPP Committee on Monday, the minister said the committee has to create a safe platform for good governance and not tolerate “funny” deals.

The new committee members are Ally Angula as chairperson, Hellen Amupolo, Nangula Uaandja, Annely Haiphene, Steve Galloway, James Myupe and Michael Mukete.

The committee’s appointment came into effect on 01 December 2018 and they will serve in their positions for three years.

“The committee is one of the strongest committees and shows that the private sector has bought into the principle of PPPs,” the minister said.

Schlettwein further explained that the new committee would be responsible for appraising documentation at various stages of PPP projects’ life cycle and give their opinion on ‘transaction approvals’ in line with the PPP Act.

He said PPPs were still a new concept in Namibia, and thus there was a lack of understanding of the risks of such partnerships.
Schlettwein further told the committee to ensure that it starts with easy PPPs “to avoid disasters” and move to the most complex ones at a later stage.

So far, a number of PPP projects have been identified in areas of power generation, particularly in solar power, and water desalination to secure water supply for Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and countrywide.
Services could also be delivered to the health sector by PPPs in areas where there is a big demand for improvement, Schlettwein stated. – NAMPA