The government, in collaboration with development partners, local institutions and individuals, spent approximately N$1.367 billion during the 2024-2025 financial year to mitigate the impacts of one of the worst droughts in the country’s history.
According to the Office of the Prime Minister, the National Drought Programme implemented several interventions, including the provision of food relief amounting to N$1.044 billion.
Furthermore, the development of a Commodity and Beneficiary Management Information System (CBMIS), livestock marketing support valued at N$86.6 million, and water provision projects worth N$87.8 million.
“During the 2024/25 Financial Year, Namibia was hard hit by one of the worst drought situations across the country. In total, the Government together with Development Partners, local Institutions, and individuals have spent around N$1.367 billion in providing humanitarian assistance and resilience-building measures to the communities,” Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare said.
He noted that major water supply initiatives included the drilling and rehabilitation of boreholes and the completion of projects such as the Onamatanga Waterline Project in Omusati, the Omatjete Pipeline Project in Erongo, and the Okangwati–Ohamaremba Water Project in Kunene, aimed at improving access to clean water for people and livestock in drought-affected areas.
“The Office of the Prime Minister has transferred N$50 million to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform to procure fodder with N$25 million and seeds with N$25 million for distribution to farmers at subsidized prices, in order to strengthen local food systems and resilience,” said Ngurare.
For the 2024/25 financial year, the Vote allocation for the Prime Minister’s Office stood at N$1.942 billion, with actual expenditure reaching N$1.927 billion, translating into a budget execution rate of 99.23%.
“The actual expenditure amounted to N$1,927,133,064.19, translating into a budget execution rate of 99.23%, demonstrating a high level of fiscal discipline and operational efficiency in the implementation of programmes under Vote 02,” Ngurare stated.
Additionally, under the Programme the government focused on improving policy coordination and support services, the Office utilised a budget of N$400,000 to drive food and nutrition security initiatives aligned with the objectives of the National Food and Nutrition Security Policy.
“During the 2024/2025 financial year, the Office of the Prime Minister effectively coordinated and supported several key initiatives aimed at strengthening food and nutrition security, ensuring a more resilient and better-nourished population across Namibia,” said Ngurare.
Partnerships with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) were also reinforced, leading to the piloting of the National Rapid Rural Transformation Initiative and the development of a national communication strategy to promote healthy dietary practices and improve nutrition awareness.
“Furthermore, collaboration with the WFP was strengthened through the existing Memorandum of Understanding, while in partnership with UNICEF, a comprehensive Communication and Behaviour Change Strategy is under development to raise public awareness, promote healthy dietary practices, and foster multi-sectoral collaboration to ensure equitable access to nutritious food for all Namibians,” Ngurare said.
This comes as of February 2025, 1.4 million people were benefiting from the national drought relief programme, which assists over 384,935 households across all 14 regions.
Meanwhile, the government had expanded the Conditional Basic Income Grant (CBIG) programme. Initially implemented in 20 urban and peri-urban areas from November to December 2024, the initiative has registered an additional 15,000 households.
A total of 21,697 households are now receiving CBIG support, up from the initial 8,328 households that transitioned from the government’s food bank programme
