The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has set a June 2026 deadline to dissolve Agricultural Business Development Agency (AgribusDev) as part of efforts to restructure and strengthen Namibia’s agricultural sector.
The directive was announced by Minister Inge Zaamwani during the ministry’s 2025/26 performance review and planning workshop.
The dissolution forms part of a broader list of key deliverables that the ministry wants implemented within strict timelines to improve efficiency and service delivery in the sector.
“I would therefore like to highlight several key deliverables that I wish to see a clear agreed way forward and timelines at the end of the workshop. The Department of Agriculture Development to dissolve AgribusDev by the end of June 2026,” Zaamwani said.
Agricultural Business Development Agency was established in 2011 to manage 11 government irrigation schemes and turn them into commercially viable projects aimed at improving food security and creating jobs.
However, the entity has faced persistent financial and operational challenges.
Cabinet first resolved in 2021 to dissolve AgribusDev after it accumulated significant debt, with plans to transfer its functions and financial obligations, including staff salaries, to the ministry.
Nearly six years later, the process remains incomplete.
Government had initially appointed Cha-Cha-Cha Management Consultancy to finalise the dissolution process and facilitate the reintegration of employees into the ministry.
The contract was originally scheduled for completion in June 2025 before being extended to September 2025.
At the time, government said no jobs would be lost, with the then Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform expected to absorb at least 32 former employees of the entity, a process that began in 2022.
Meanwhile, 285 employees at the green schemes were expected to be taken over by incoming service providers set to assume control of the projects.
