Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has urged local authorities to make use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to accelerate service delivery amid the reduction in public revenue caused by a downturn in the economy.
Speaking at a meeting with members of the Association of Local Authorities in Namibia (ALAN), Kuugongelwa-Amadhila stressed the importance of finding innovative ways to raise funds to finance interventions.
“With a reduction in public revenue, owing to a downturn in the economy. It is important that we find innovative ways to raise funds to finance our interventions,” said the Prime Minister.
“While the subdued economic situation means a limited fiscal space to finance priority public programmes, the pressure for public spending has increased, due to a spike in socio-economic challenges caused by the downturn in the economy.”
The Prime Minister highlighted that PPP provides a framework to foster a partnership between the government and the non-state actors to mobilise Namibia’s full human and financial capacity towards optimal development of the country and grow the economy.
“It is in this regard that the PPP framework offers an opportunity for the government to leverage private sector finance and expertise to push through important programs to grow the economy, create jobs and promote development,” she added.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila emphasised the significance of local authorities in the development of the country, particularly as Namibia’s population becomes increasingly urbanised. She stressed that adequate funding for local authorities is indispensable for sustainable socio-economic development, alongside rural development financing to harness the potential of the rural economy and curb rural-urban migration that puts pressure on local authorities for services.
“Local authorities are, therefore, important stakeholders in development in our country, especially considering that our population is becoming increasingly urbanised. Hence, adequate funding for local authorities is, therefore, indispensable for sustainable socio-economic development, alongside rural development financing to harness the potential of the rural economy and curb rural-urban migration that puts pressure on local authorities for services,” she stressed.
The Prime Minister assured the nation that the government is prioritising effective governance to ensure optimal performance of public institutions and improved public service delivery. “This transition, if successful, will translate into quality services to the public and improve the development situation throughout the country,” she said.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila urged all tiers of government, including local authorities, to improve efficiency in the use of scarce resources to achieve more with less and be innovative in their approaches. She reminded the nation that embracing change will turn the public service into a modernised entity that is customised towards meeting the citizens’ needs and expectations.
“It is in this context that the Government adopted the Public Service Innovation Policy which intends to institutionalise new ways of thinking and working. The policy calls for collaboration across sectors, while being cognisant of the whole-of-government approach and embracing whole-of-nation perspectives,” she elaborated.
While modalities and structures for promoting innovation have been established, there is a need to co-opt stakeholders within the innovation ecosystem to ensure that these perspectives are leveraged, according to the Prime Minister.
She also called for identifying services to be re-engineered to eliminate bottlenecks that are a barrier to effective service delivery, to ensure a public service that is efficient, effective, and accountable.
The government’s commitment to effective governance, improved public service delivery, and the adoption of innovative policies such as PPP and Public Service Innovation Policy is expected to translate into quality services to the public and improve the development situation throughout the country.
