Maria David
SWAPO Party Vice President and Presidential candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said that the SWAPO Party is committed to investing in agriculture and sustainable forestry.
Nandi-Ndaitwah made these remarks during a rally held in Katima Mulilo on Saturday.
According to Nandi-Ndaitwah, their priority will be to accelerate the productivity of Green Schemes to enhance national food production for food security and job creation.
She indicated that the allocation of N$8 million to the Kalimbeza Green Scheme in 2024/25 demonstrates the SWAPO Party-led government’s commitment to agriculture.
“Once the Kalimbeza Green Scheme is fully operational, it will help to create much-needed employment,” she added.
She highlighted that agriculture and tourism play important roles in the regional economy.
Moreover, she said that increased participation by local people in agriculture and tourism activities will drive job creation, food security, cultural heritage preservation, service delivery, and entrepreneurship opportunities for their communities.
Nandi-Ndaitwah underscored the importance of conservation tourism, noting that Zambezi is one of Namibia’s biodiversity hotspots.
In the past year, she reported that N$34,115,654.98 was generated through conservancies in the region, with N$12,343,912.13 paid out as community member benefits in Zambezi Conservancies.
Nandi-Ndaitwah further highlighted that the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, through the Poverty Oriented Support to Community Conservation in Namibia (POSCCIN), distributed Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) grants valued at N$17 million to 12 conservancies. These funds support conflict mitigation measures such as predator-proof kraals and water points located away from rivers.
Additionally, she said that SWAPO will focus on upgrading informal settlements and ensuring rural water security by 2027, noting that these are key priorities for improving living conditions for all Namibians, with quality service delivery being essential across all sectors.
