Maria David
PRESIDENT Nangolo Mbumba said that a total of 331,009 households, including 33,105 marginalized households, received Drought Relief on a monthly basis.
President Mbumba made the remarks during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, stating that they continue to achieve zero deaths from hunger poverty.
According to Mbumba, to contribute to the social and economic upliftment of the most vulnerable members of their society, the government successfully converted the Food Bank program into cash transfers in April 2022.
He said that the Conditional Basic Income Grant is now being rolled out to existing food bank beneficiaries, covering 8,907 households or 37,519 beneficiaries, at a cost of N$81.3 million per annum.
Moreover, Mbumba said 57,581 farmers were capacitated in crop and livestock production, animal health, horticulture, and poultry, among others.
In addition, 354 tractors and other equipment were deployed to farmers countrywide through the Namibia Agricultural Mechanization & Seed Implement Programme (NAMSIP).
“The government resolved to reignite productivity of Green Schemes by outsourcing their operations through competitive leasing,” he said.
He added that of the 4 Green Schemes placed on the market, the Uvhungu-Vhungu Diary Project and Orange River Irrigation Project have been awarded to potential investors.
With regards to land, President Mbumba indicated that more than two-thirds of Namibians live in communal areas, and the introduction of land registration in communal areas for tenure security for people holding land rights in those areas is one way to improve the lives of rural people.
Further, he said the implementation of the revised Resettlement Policy of 2023 is progressing well.
Regional consultations on the Draft Resettlement Criteria have been completed, and a total of 18 beneficiaries have been resettled in the Otjozondjupa, Kunene, Karas, Hardap, and Omaheke regions during the reporting period.
