President Hage Geingob has warned Cabinet Ministers against complacency and directed them to hasten the implementation rate of key government projects, particularly agriculture, housing and education.
This was after he noted that the government’s rate of execution was weak and thus called for a critical examination of processes and an expedited rollout of important projects.
Geingob admitted that much work still remains to be done if the government is to realise the objectives set out in Vision 2030, development plans and the Harambee Prosperity Plans.
“I herewith charge all Ministers to ensure that they implement to the letter, projects under their portfolios, which are contained in the NDP5 and HPPII without delay. You must prioritise those projects and at the end of the day, come back and report 100% implementation rate. It has been said that we are good at planning and developing impressive plans, but when it comes to implementation things don’t move. This year we want an accelerated pace of implementation,” said the president.
As a result, Geingob has called upon Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila to regularly follow up with the Ministers and through the Secretary to Cabinet, with the Executive Directors to check on progress and report any inactivity or lack of progress directly to him.
He said this is in a bid to “call people to account and formulate whatever measures may be necessary to implement our economic revival and other policies”.
Geingob delivered these remarks on the occasion of the official opening of the Cabinet for the year 2023 at the State House on Tuesday.
“The Year of Revival. It is a New Year and with every New Year comes new challenges and most importantly new opportunities. In front of us, lies a clean page, a page on which we can shape the future, having learned from the past. I am sure you have reflected on your performance during the Year 2022, identified where you achieved success and pinpointed the areas where you could have done better,” he added.
Now that the sight of green shoots on the horizon brings the promise of a new dawn of optimism, everyone from an individual and collective perspective must endeavour to revive the fortunes and bring about the economic resurgence of Namibia, he said.
“Thus, our ultimate priority in 2023 should be to do our utmost best to enhance our competitiveness in all areas, meaning within our governance, macroeconomic and social architectures. Achieving these objectives should not be a question of if but of when. It is not a one man or one woman show but a cohesive undertaking geared towards delivering goods and services to all the people of this country,” he emphasised.
The President further added that the country is making good progress on the Southern Corridor Development Initiative, spurred on by global interest in developing Green hydrogen and its derivatives in the area.
However, at this critical stage, “meticulous planning and execution is key to fully unlock this opportunity as envisioned”.
He said moving forward, the Cabinet must all take collective responsibility in advancing developmental agenda as a nation.
Geingob called on the Cabinet to think out of the box and formulate new ideas with the potential for transformative change.
“Teamwork is critical. As members of Cabinet, we are bound by the principle of collective responsibility. The time for passing the buck is gone. Now is the time for each and every one of us to step up and be counted, to put our hands on deck and revive the Namibian House. Together, holding hands and pulling in one direction we can become catalysts for change and drivers of transformation,” he said.
