Time to deliver on promises

One of the manifesto promises made by Swapo, who clinched just over 53% of the national assembly votes, is to establish a supportive policy framework to attract investments.

Addressing the nation shortly after she was announced as Namibia’s fifth president on Tuesday evening, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said the ruling party will honour its commitments.

“Today I’m saying to the Namibian people, as we have been telling you throughout the campaign, for us in the Swapo party and the team I am going to lead, we have made commitments. We are going to do what we said we are going to do,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said at the headquarters of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN).

In its manifesto released ahead of the elections, Swapo committed to expanding the size of the formal private sector to improve productivity.

It will implement the National Single Window to digitise international trade procedures,

streamline the cost of doing business by increasing the efficiency of trade processes and

enhance Namibia’s attractiveness as an investment destination, the party said.



Mining

Swapo pledged to establish a supportive investor policy framework to attract investments, leveraging favourable price trends to revitalise uranium exploration and mining, as well as to pursue new gold mining opportunities.

It will implement the Minerals Beneficiation Strategy (MBS) to enhance economic activity through the development of value chains for critical minerals.

The party will provide financial and legislative backing to the state-owned Epangelo Mining Company, empowering it to assist small-scale miners, claims holders and exclusive prospecting licence (EPL) holders with the technical support they need for exploration and mining.

Swapo will require EPL and mining rights holders to fulfil their corporate social responsibility (CSR) obligations to foster social development and encourage the involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within local communities.

It will revitalise the Minerals Development Fund (MDF) to offer financial assistance to small-scale miners, claims holders, and EPL holders, including support for obtaining senior debt backed by government guarantees where feasible, as well as access to other financial resources.



Oil and gas

Swapo said it will “swiftly” enact comprehensive legislation to regulate the oil and gas industries, ensuring local ownership and participation, along with related provisions.

The party committed to ensuring that Namibians hold a substantial and equitable stake in the oil and gas sectors.

It will prioritise awarding contracts to Namibian businesses for the supply of goods and services in these industries.

Swapo will increase financial support for Namcor, implementing strict accountability measures to ensure Namibia receives its fair share from the extraction of oil and gas resources.

It will allocate a portion of natural resource revenues to support social development initiatives.

Swapo will conduct a feasibility study to explore the establishment of a refinery for value addition to oil and gas in Namibia.



Fiscus

In its manifesto, Swapo committed to pursuing long-term fiscal sustainability through prudent fiscal management and ensuring sustainable budget deficits and public debt.

It will continue to strengthen the domestic revenue base by ensuring effective tax collection and pursuing initiatives that support the informal sector, enhance the role of the public sector, and expand the size of the formal private sector to improve productivity.

A Swapo government will also pursue economic diversification to enhance economic resilience and create opportunities for broader and inclusive economic participation.

The ruling party also committed to strengthening the revenue base through equitable tax policies and by ensuring effective taxation collection.



Unemployment

In its manifesto, Swapo said it will allocate N$87.5 billion over five years to generate 256 538 new jobs.

Swapo intends to reduce unemployment by investing in mass land servicing and low cost housing, sports infrastructure development, an apprenticeship programme and national fund, as well as education, arts and creative industries. The party furthermore identified the agriculture and health sectors as employment creators.

Other key employment creation interventions include increasing the quota of the uptake of National Youth Service recruits into the defence force, police and correctional service.

Swapo will also review legislation relating to the registration and admission to different professional bodies to facilitate the employment of youth.

A Swapo government will provide financial support to the tune of N$500 million per year to the National Youth Fund to empower youth to embark on various enterprises.

Through the Youth Internship Tax Incentive Programme and the National Apprenticeship Programme under the National Training Authority (NTA), opportunities for internships across the public and private sectors will be expanded to provide work-integrated learning.