Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has officially commissioned three new task forces aimed at accelerating Namibia’s progress towards achieving its national goals.
These task forces include the Task Force on Health, the Task Force on Housing and Land Delivery, and the Task Force on Economic Recovery.
“These task forces will be composed of individuals from diverse backgrounds, representing the government, the private sector, civil society, academia, and others. Their diversity reflects our belief that no single sector holds all the answers. Solutions will emerge when we listen respectfully to one another and when we challenge old assumptions with open minds,” President Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
The president explained that the task force on economic recovery is expected to drive growth, attract investment, support innovation, and create more opportunities for the youth. The task force on health, she added, will focus on building a strong and responsive health system that serves all Namibians.
“The Task Force on Housing and Land Delivery will address one of our most urgent social obligations, ensuring access to dignified housing and serviced land for families across the country. The way some people live is very deplorable, and no Namibian would want to find themselves in those situations,” President Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
The president emphasised that these task forces are therefore critical for addressing the country’s challenges. By bringing together individuals from various sectors, she explained, the task forces aim to foster collaboration and develop solutions for the nation’s problems.
“In recent years, our country has faced a combination of pressures that tested our collective resilience: rising living costs, constrained job creation, uneven service delivery, housing shortages, land pressure, and a health system carrying multiple burdens. At the same time, our private sector has had to navigate a complex economic environment, global uncertainty, and domestic bottlenecks that have inhibited growth. It became clear that if we wanted to accelerate progress, we could no longer operate in silos. We needed a unified platform where concerns could be raised openly, where solutions could be shaped constructively, and where the voices of government, businesses, labour, community, civil society, academia, and others could meet on equal footing,” she said.
The president revealed that the decision to establish the three task forces was made during the Namibia Public-Private Forum, which underscored that Namibia has the necessary talent, ideas, and capacity to achieve progress. However, she added, it also revealed a lack of alignment and unity of purpose.
“The forum was never intended to be another meeting. It was intended to be a turning point. It created a space where Namibians could look one another in the eye, acknowledge our shared challenges, and commit to working together with honesty and clarity. It reaffirmed that our nation has the talent, the ideas, and the capacity. What we needed was alignment, unity of purpose, and the willingness to approach our problems with fresh thinking,” President Nandi-Ndaitwah explained.
The president urged task force members to embrace the diversity of opinions that will arise due to their varied backgrounds. She noted that while disagreements are inevitable, they should be seen as opportunities for growth, offering valuable insights into different perspectives.
The president highlighted that the newly-established task forces cover the country’s priority areas, thus advancing the country towards the achievement of the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6).
“When you look at their work holistically, they are essentially covering all seven priorities that are in NDP6: agriculture, sports, the creative industries, youth empowerment, housing, education, and health. These are our priority areas,” President Nandi-Ndaitwah added.
Photo: Namibian Presidency
