WINDHOEK, July 21– Namibia has allocated 10 million Namibian dollars (about 609,000 U.S. dollars) to its Food and Cash for Work (FCFW) Program to provide immediate income support to vulnerable rural households while creating community assets, an official said Tuesday.
Namibian Minister of Urban and Rural Development Sankwasa James Sankwasa announced the allocation in a speech delivered on his behalf by Deputy Minister Evelyn Nawases-Taeyele at the opening of the 2026 Annual Rural Development Review and Planning Workshop in Swakopmund.
“Although this program is not a permanent solution to unemployment, it provides immediate income support, creates community assets and strengthens resilience among vulnerable households,” Sankwasa said in the speech.
Namibia’s unemployment rate stood at 36.9 percent in 2023, while the rate among young people aged 15 to 34 was 44.4 percent, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency.
The official said the government would continue seeking additional resources to expand the program and enable more communities to benefit.
Sankwasa also called for closer cooperation between the ministry and regional councils, saying effective planning and decision-making depend on accurate and timely information.
A large share of Namibia’s population lives in rural areas, where communities often depend on subsistence agriculture, livestock farming and small-scale economic activities for their livelihoods.
The FCFW program, whose reinstatement was approved by the Cabinet in July 2025, provides short-term work for eligible rural residents in exchange for food or cash. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
