Namibia to embrace 4IR to achieve goals, says President Geingob

WINDHOEK, Aug. 28  — Namibian President Hage Geingob on Sunday said for the country to achieve its goals, there is a need to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and work smarter.
Speaking at the opening of the country’s biggest trade fair, the 21st Ongwedive Annual Trade Fair (OATF), President Geingob said as the country is faced with numerous independent intervening variables and a global economic slowdown, it is forced to think out of the box and develop new avenues for efficient and effective utilization of economic resources.
“As we continue to strive toward the attainment of our developmental objectives, it is pertinent that Government and the Private Sector hold hands and work in tandem in order to promote technological transformation in the local economy and work on ways to combine digital transformation with innovation and talent competitiveness to improve Namibia’s readiness for the 4IR,” he said.
Geingob said the Namibian government has prioritized agriculture as one of the sectors in addition to health, finance, defence and education, where 4IR technologies can be used to increase production, create new jobs and ensure food security for the country.
“To this end, the 4IR Task Force, which I appointed on July 1, 2021, has been working jointly with the World Economic Forum to develop a 4IR Policy and Legislative Toolkit, for use to ensure our policy and legislative instruments are 4IR compliant and ‘Future-Proof,’ given the rapidly advancing nature of these modern technologies,” he said.
The popular annual event is returning after a two-year hiatus following the lifting of COVID-19 regulations earlier this year. More than 350 local and international exhibitors attend the fair this year.
The OATF, with a theme titled “Gearing toward the smart economy,” will run from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1    (Xinhua)