Windhoek, April 6 — President Dr. Hage Gottfried Geingob will deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA) with many anticipating that the focus will be on the restoration of economic activity and incomes, facilitating economic growth, accelerating economic transformation, and building the resilience of the economy.
Further, the President is also expected to focus on renewable energy, the discovery of oil, corruption, Russia-Ukraine unrest, COVID 19, Public-Private Partnership, and narrowing the income gap among other things. The State of the Nation Address provides an opportunity for the President to articulate the plans and progress made thus far in the application of national values and principles. The fight against corruption, which has robbed of Public Resources requires bold legislative and policy reforms. There is a need now more than ever to restructure the economy and set the country on the pathway of economic recovery. I expect the President to provide a clear economic implementation strategy that demonstrates the importance of the government’s commitment to the Economic Recovery Plan. Further, I expect a debilitate policy to get youths to be trained as climate negotiators moving forward. I also expect that the President’s address will renew the government’s commitments to address climate change through a positive policy landscape and by using new and innovative economic models that are befitting to our local context, responsive services, and economic empowerment initiatives.
The recognition that an enabling environment for business is critical for attracting investment and helping to solve the unemployment and low economic growth challenge in Namibia is significant. The success or failure of the government in this regard will be a decisive factor in determining whether Namibia’s agricultural sector lives up to its potential or stalls as the nation’s infrastructure and vital services continue their decline. The job of the government is to create a conducive policy environment with working infrastructure and effective service delivery. Only then will the agricultural sector be able to accelerate the expansion of these employment statistics, creating a wealth of opportunity for a generation of workers in the rural communities that most need them. In this same collaborative spirit, the government must be willing to hear the voices of the sector as we propose solutions to some of the greatest problems facing the industry and the country. This is especially true for the issue of land reform.
Furthermore, what we need is a workable approach that balances the need to tackle unemployment while still addressing the critical shortage of key skills. For example, work permits could be severely restricted for unskilled work while accelerating opening on the critical skills front. Whatever approach is adopted, what’s important to bear in mind is that job reservation will not create any new jobs but a smooth, quick process of getting people with expertise in the areas we’re lacking will. There are countless ways this happens. One is that businesses are often unable to take advantage of opportunities they come across if they can’t quickly hire people with the required expertise. Whatever level of increased economic activity this would trigger, it is worth implementing because our unemployment situation is so desperate.
The problems in the Namibian economy are deep and they are structural. Structural reforms to support SMEs, investments in infrastructure, and the emergence of new sectors will drive a turnaround in economic growth driven by the private sector growth. Adopting truly transformative pathways will require viewing the roadblocks on the journey to sustainable development through a transformative lens. One way to clear the path is to address the issues that have been thus far ignored but are now brought to light. This is indeed a difficult time for the President who is tasked with reviving an economy ravaged by economic mismanagement and then damaged further by Covid-19. The critical aspect of his approach needs to strike the right balance in all his policies between protecting the poor and growing the economy. Working with both public and private sector partners, the government is implementing a range of measures to address inadequate and inconsistent service delivery in areas such as water provision, infrastructure build, and maintenance.
Therefore, we should aim to be masters of our own destiny, where we mobilize our own resources for the future, breaking the shackles of the colonial economy and a mindset of dependency, bailouts, and extraction. It is an economy where we look past commodities to position ourselves in a global marketplace. It is a country where we focus on trade, not aid, a hand-up, not a hand-out. It is a country with a strong private sector. It is a country that recognizes the connectedness of its people and economy to those of its neighbors. This requires a forward-looking vision for our country, enabling us to confront our challenges and embrace our opportunities, not one fastened in the rear-view mirror. It is a Namibia beyond aid. We need to see the words translated into actions, the emphasis on a market-led economy and a greater role for the private sector bodes well for the future. Let’s remain wholly committed to the fulfillment of this vision 2030, NDPs, and HPPs.
In conclusion, we expect an announcement that the President will release clear, firmly structured processes for each deliverable, clear responsibilities for members of the Cabinet, and timelines to achieve precise implementation milestones to focus on meeting the above goals. We believe that the SONA provides an opportunity to send a clear signal that the government is beginning to implement the structural reforms urgently needed to attract investment and build our economy.
As an institution, we have high expectations in the President’s address will provide a clear policy direction and road map on some of the major issues that the nation is faced with.
by Josef Kefas Sheehama
