Staff Reporter
THE Namibian government is committed to tackling the high unemployment rate, particularly among the youth, through initiatives like sports development and professionalization in the country; mineral beneficiation and value addition to natural resources, including agricultural products, said President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Saturday.
She said that the government’s goal is to keep jobs in Namibia, and not to export them.
Speaking at the Omaongo Festival a day after she paid a courtesy visit to Angola, she said that she had “very fruitful discussions” with her Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço.
Among other things, they agreed to strengthen cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, with the purpose of growing the two neighbouring countries’ economies and creating jobs.
“I therefore call on Namibian businesspeople to take advantage of the opportunities and look for partnerships and joint ventures with their Angolan counterparts. I am also asking the nation to join the 8th administration in our programme of accelerating housing and land delivery, alleviating poverty, addressing rural-urban migration, and implementing other vital programmes outlined in the SWAPO Party Election Manifesto and its Implementation Plan, which has become the government’s policy for the next five years,” she said, noting that the government’s focus is to reduce unemployment by the end of its five-year term.
“We believe that by creating jobs we are fighting poverty,” said the President, as she called on all sectors of government—at national, regional council, and local authority levels—to be on board and lend full support to initiatives that ensure tangible improvement in the quality of life of all Namibians.
