President Hage Geingob has charged all Ministers to ensure that they implement to the letter, projects under their portfolios, which are contained in the NDP5 and HPPII without delay.
Opening the first Cabinet seating of year last week, Geingob made this call to Ministers while also admitting that much work still remains to be done if Namibia is to realize the objectives set out in Vision 2030, Development Plans and the Harambee Prosperity Plans, which are impact plans aimed at accelerating implementations.
“You must prioritize those projects and at the end of the day, come back and report 100% implementation rate,” Geingob told Ministers further stating, “It has been said that we are good at planning and developing impressive plans, but when it comes to implementation things don’t move.
“This year we want an accelerated pace of implementation. In this regard, Comrade Prime Minister, I equally charge you to regularly follow-up with the Ministers and through the Secretary to Cabinet, with the Executive Directors to check on progress and report any inactivity or lack of progress directly to me.
“So that we call people to account and formulate whatever measures may be necessary to implement our economic revival and other policies. Notwithstanding the above, we should be encouraged by how far we have already progressed. As we prepare to revive our fortunes, our focus should turn to specific areas that will require our attention in the medium to long term periods. As I said, there are green shoots of recovery in several sectors of our economy. Let us take advantage of these opportunities by developing new ideas that may reinvigorate our economy, create jobs and open new horizons for sustained growth and innovation,” charged Geingob.
He reminded the Ministers that at the 2020 Cabinet Retreat, government prioritized agriculture, housing and education.
“We must therefore critically review our processes and expedite the implementation of key projects in these sectors. The line Ministers responsible for these sectors would be expected to present detailed plans with timelines as to how they envisage speedy delivery of relevant projects with catalytic economic impacts. I want to see clearly articulated plans of action for these projects. We are making good progress on the Southern Corridor Development Initiative, spurred on by global interest in developing Green hydrogen and its derivatives in the area. However, at this critical stage, meticulous planning and execution is key to fully unlock this opportunity as envisioned,” said Geingob.
Geingob also took time to speak about the education sector stating that everyone was aware of the outcome of the 2022 Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary (NSSCO) Level and Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Advanced Subsidiary (NSSCAS) Level Examinations.
He noted that this is not a matter to be taken lightly and that is why upon receiving the news of the results, he immediately took action by inviting the Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Anna Nghipondoka and her team who presented a report detailing the performance of the 2022 cohort who sat for the NSSCO and the NSSCAS levels.
“Afterwards I issued a statement detailing the outcome of this meeting. Subsequently, I also held a meeting with the Minister of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation who suggested a conference to discuss matters concerning the state of education in Namibia. However, I wish to inform you that I intend to call a broader consultative meeting of various stakeholders in the education sector including Cabinet Ministers, Governors, Executive Directors, Regional Directors of Education, the youth and youth organisations, experts in education, members from academia and international experts to mention a few.
“This meeting will discuss the state of our education and deliberate on ways to improve performance across the board within the sector. Moving forward, we must all take collective responsibility in advancing our developmental agenda as a nation. We must therefore think out of the box and formulate new ideas with the potential for transformative change. Teamwork is critical. As members of Cabinet, we are bound by the principle of collective responsibility. The time for passing the buck is gone. Now is the time for each and every one of us to step up and be counted, to put our hands on deck and revive the Namibian House. Together, holding hands and pulling in one direction we can become catalysts for change and drivers of transformation,” explained Geingob.