Staff Reporter
THE Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Frans Kapofi, during a robust discussion on the future of the Namibian nation at the SKW Sport Klub in Windhoek on Thursday, stated that food security poses a serious risk to the country. He added that the governing party, Swapo, aims to enhance food production in the country.
Kapofi said this would be achieved by designing and implementing a national agriculture index-based insurance scheme to mitigate potential losses for small- and medium-scale farmers due to the effects of climate change. Additionally, Swapo plans to allocate an estimated N$500 million annually for the production of high-nutrition products to counter the effects of hunger and drought and to ensure food security.
“We are aware of the fact that our country is the driest and hottest in Southern Africa. Therefore, we need to redouble our efforts to enhance food security. Our manifesto outlines several other measures we shall put in place to ensure food security is realized,” Kapofi said.
He added that while the quality of Namibia’s drinking water is world-class, Swapo recognizes that as a drought-prone country, water remains scarce.
“Our main sources of water are dams, boreholes, and rivers, which are in some cases far away from where people reside. All these sources rely on rainfall, which has also decreased in most parts of our country. Therefore, the issue of water is a priority and is very high on the government’s agenda. We will accelerate the implementation of the desalination plant in the Erongo Region to support national and industrial water security. We shall also accelerate the provision of potable water in rural communities through the excavation or rehabilitation of earth dams, among other measures,” Kapofi said.
Highlighting the party’s track record, the minister noted that Swapo has maintained a peaceful constitutional democracy with respect for the judicial system, where the ruling party does not influence the appointment of judges or other judicial officers, as is seen in some other southern African countries.
“Since 1990, we have reduced poverty among those who lived below the poverty line. We increased the income tax threshold from N$50,000 to N$100,000 this year, and the economy’s size grew from N$7.2 billion to N$227.8 billion in 2023. Our country’s financial system is the second largest in Southern Africa,” Kapofi said.
