PPP partners urgently sought

Ogone Tlhage - The government is keen to find private-sector development partners for a number of projects which include the refurbishment of the office of the ministry of justice, a partner in the expansion of Hosea Kutako International Airport, and an operator for the soon to be completed Walvis Bay container terminal.This was said by the director of the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) Unit at the finance ministry, Saurabh Suneja.He was speaking at a PPP conference that was hosted by the finance ministry, PricewaterhouseCoopers Namibia, Standard Bank Namibia and Namibia Media Holdings.Suneja said presented attractive opportunities.“It is a good time to have discussions in the power sector. The [recently adopted] National Integrated Resource Plan envisages 590 megawatt in power generation to be set up. The majority of this investment is expected to come from NamPower. We believe that this is the sector that provides opportunities for PPPs,” said Suneja.The government was also looking for a partner for the redevelopment of the Ministry of Justice building on Independence Avenue in the Windhoek city centre.“The Ministry of Justice project is an interesting one. We believe we can create surplus commercial office space,” Suneja said in a bid to entice potential investors.Suneja said the government was also looking to bring a private operator on board for the Walvis Bay container terminal currently under construction, as well as the planned expansion of Hosea Kutako International Airport (HKIA).“There is an opportunity to utilise this project through the selection of a private operator,” said Suneja.He said the airport project presented a great opportunity for private-sector buy-in.“There is a need to expand this asset. This is likely to be a lucrative investment, PPPs present an opportunity to expand public infrastructure,” Suneja said.A PPP committee will be established in due course to guide regulation setting, Suneja said.“We are in the process of setting up a committee and regulation drafting is at an advanced stage,” he said.Finance minister Calle Schlettwein has announced that regulations related to PPPs are expected to be finalised before the end of the year.“The PPP regulations as per Section 40(1) of the PPP Act have been drafted. The draft regulations have been submitted to the office of the attorney-general for initial scrutiny. “The regulations will assist the implementation of the Act by providing guidelines to be followed throughout the PPP process. The regulations are anticipated to be gazetted by December this year,” said Schlettwein.Another recent development was the steps taken towards establishment of the Public-Private Partnerships Committee. The roles of the PPP Committee include advising the minister of finance on policies and best practices relating to PPP projects, Schlettwein explained.

PPP partners urgently sought

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Republikein 2025-04-21

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PPP partners urgently sought

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