The Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) has made a significant contribution to the economic development of the Otjozondjupa Region with an investment of N$1.4 billion.
The investment is spread out in the pharmaceutical sector, renewable energy initiatives and facilitating home loan accessibility for residents.
Speaking at the launch of the GIPF’s biometric verification device in Okandjira Ovitoto, Councillor of Omatako Constituency Israel Hukuru said that another notable aspect of the investment is the development of a new retail shopping centre.
“I briefly touched on the softer issues of the Fund’s footprint in our region. I must therefore highlight the Fund’s investment injection in our region to the tune of N$1.4 billion in various sectors such as manufacturing (animal feed), biomass projects, property development, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, home loans, and the development of a retail shopping centre,” he said during the launch of the fund’s handheld biometric verification devices.
Also speaking at the event, GIPF’s CEO Martin Inkumbi introduced an initiative to streamline the verification process for GIPF pensioners with the introduction of a mobile verification application and a handheld biometric verification device.
The new biometric verification process requires eligible pensioners, as well as child and spousal beneficiaries, to verify their proof of life to receive timely monthly pension benefits.
Traditionally, the verification required members to travel to GIPF offices, which posed challenges due to long distances and transportation costs.
The introduction of these digital solutions aims to alleviate these burdens.
“We have heard the appeals to improve our biometric verification process and therefore introduced and integrated digital transformation to streamline our business processes by embracing new and emerging technologies for the benefit of our members and their beneficiaries. I am delighted to therefore announce that we are launching two offerings today, namely, the handheld biometric verification device and the mobile verification application,” Inkumbi said.
He further explained that the handheld biometric verification devices will be available at various Regional and Local Authority Constituency Offices, allowing members to verify their status without the need to travel to GIPF offices.
Initially, the devices will be piloted in Ovitoto and thirteen other constituency offices across the country, including locations such as Mukwe, Khorixas, and Omutele.
“This will ensure that members no longer need to travel to our offices but simply visit the nearest constituency offices to verify proof of life. We have identified Ovitoto and thirteen (13) constituency offices across the country to have the handheld devices as a pilot phase before introducing the offering to other parts of our country,” he said.
In addition to the handheld devices, the mobile verification application enables members to verify their proof of life from the comfort of their homes using their mobile devices.
The app is currently available on Android platforms, with plans to launch it on iOS devices in the near future.
“This application is available to all GIPF pensioners, child and spousal annuitants who have access to a mobile device and data. The application is available from today on all Android phones only. We will communicate the date it will become available on iOS devices (Apple devices),” he said.
The Fund is a statutory pension body that provides guaranteed pensions and related benefits to over 98,623 civil servants and employees of participating employers in Namibia.
