‘We are on course,’ says President
By Asser Ntinda

Billions earmarked for development projects

Namibia is set to spend billions of dollars on development projects across the country to improve the living standards of the people and accelerate poverty reduction measures with Vision 2030 in mind.

This was the central theme around which this year’s President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s State of the Nation Address was anchored, giving hope and telling Namibians not to despair, but to look forward to a brighter and better future.

“We will do our utmost best to realize the aspirations of all our people,” said President Pohamba on Tuesday when delivered the address in Parliament. “We will utilize public resources to improve the living conditions of our people. I call upon all Namibians to join me and our government in this noble quest.”

The 22-page address outlined several development projected that had already been financed and the ones where funding was still being sourced. Most of the projects mentioned were in rural areas.

These are projects aimed at improving the living conditions of our people through the provision of safe drinking water, electricity, access to land, sanitation and the expansion of Namibia’s physical and communication infrastructure.

Health and education top the least. One of the major concerns Namibia faced over the last year was the occurrence of the new HINI influenza, with 72 cases confirmed and one death.

In response to that, Government responded quickly by implementing a response plan based on recommendations made by the World Health Organizations, WHO. With technical support from WHO, infections were quickly contained.

A state of the art hospital is being built at Omuthiya, with assistance from the government of China. It will be completed by February next year. Many aging heath centres and hospitals are up for renovations and overhaul.

Windhoek Central Hospital has a Cardiac Unit. The University of Namibia, UNAM, has a medical school, enabling Namibia to train its own medical doctors for the first in history.

Hospitals fees as provided for by the Hospitals and Health Facilities Act have been revised. Vulnerable groups such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities, orphans and vulnerable children as well as war veterans would no longer pay user fees at public health facilities.

Cabinet has also approved a proposal by the Country Coordinating Mechanism, which makes significant financial resources available to fund several health programmes.

Under this facility over the next six years, N$1,6 billion has been earmarked to deal with HIV/Aids and strengthen health systems, N$14,2 million has been earmarked to fight Tuberculosis, TB, while N$138,9 million has been set aside to combat malaria.

“We will continue to focus on strengthening our health system in order to ensure sustainability of our achievements,” said President Pohamba, adding that education, too, would receive its fair share. Education and health have been receiving the biggest chunks of the national budget since independence.

Implementation of the Education and Training Sector Improvement Programme, ETSIP, has started in earnest. It aims at addressing access, equity and quality in the education system.

President Pohamba said that Government wanted resources allocated to education to translate into quantifiable outcomes in terms of improved performance, availability of textbooks and other teaching aids.

The construction of school libraries and laboratories as well as improved physical conditions of school buildings and teachers’ accommodation, especially in rural areas, have also been included in the allocation of resources.

“Funds have been made available to purchase text books for primary and secondary schools,” announced President Pohamba. “Our target is to ensure a 1:1 ratio of the availability of text books in the critical subjects such as Mathematics, Science, English and Geography.”

Over the last year, more than N$40 million was allocated to providing sustainable, accessible and safer water supply in rural areas. Government regards clean drinking water as essential for ensuring a better quality of life for the people.

Several water pipelines were constructed over the last year. Among them was Onambutu Project, with a pipeline network of 197km and 94 water points. N$4 million was used for Phase III of the Tsandi South Project. It comprises a six kilometer power line, a pump station, a 172 cubic meters reservoir and 102 km rural pipelines.

N$92,5 million was allocated to the Green Scheme over the last year. N$49 million was set aside for Ndonga Linena irrigation infrastructure. N$9 million was allocating to build silos around the country to promote increased grain production and ensure food security. As a result, silos with a capacity of N$500 tons were constructed at Omuthiya in Oshikoto and Okongo in Ohangwena.

On social welfare, nearly 8000 old age grant applications were approved over the last year. More than 3000 disability grants applications were also approved over the same period.

President Pohamba applauded both local and foreign investors who have also made notable investments over the last year. He cited the N$2,6 billion Ohorongo Cement, the N$2 billion Namundjebo Plaza Hotel and the multi-million Super Dairy Farm in Mariental.

Government has approved N$350 million for the fishery sector to buy a new modern and larger research vessel to facilitate multi-disciplinary surveys. N$15 million is being spent on building Ongwediva Aquaculture, while a N$32 million fish farming project at Leonardville would be built soon.

“I am proud about the progress the SWAPO Party government has made in improving the living conditions of our people, as well as the challenges that we faced during the review period. I am proud because our nation continues to be on the right course, despite the turbulences caused by the global economic crisis,” said President Pohamba.

“With each passing fiscal year, we are sharpening our capacity to plan better, to analyze and frame the challenges facing us so that we can provide appropriate solutions. This has enabled us to address the needs of our people in a more effective manner.”