Staff Reporter
THE Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani, has criticised public officials responsible for the procurement process for government infrastructure contracts, revealing that the prices charged to government for construction and installation work are often five times higher than those offered to private-sector clients and individuals.
“Apparently, there are two systems of pricing in Namibia – one for the private sector, which is cost-effective, and one for government, which is almost four times the price that I pay as an individual,” she said.
Zaamwani made the remarks in Swakopmund during Africa Public Service Day 2026, where she spoke on behalf of the Prime Minister, Dr Tjitunga Elijah Ngurare.
“For government, when I look at our minimum prices that we pay for drilling and installation of boreholes, it’s N$500 000 and more – minimum. And when you ask the procurement colleagues, ‘How come government pricing is five times more than when I pay as an individual?’, we are told, ‘No, we are referencing the government price book.’ So I don’t know, EDs and CROs, where is this government price book? How come we don’t see it? Who has decided on the price book, and is this book not reviewable?” the minister said.
Zaamwani said inflated procurement costs amount to a misuse of public resources that could otherwise be directed towards improving service delivery.
“Our government is not poor. Our government does not lack resources; it is the way we use the resources,” Zaamwani said..
The minister noted that procurement-related challenges continue to slow the delivery of essential services, including water and sanitation infrastructure.
She acknowledged progress made during the 2025 financial year, with 102 boreholes drilled nationwide, of which 87 were successful, while 2 120 sanitation facilities were constructed.
However, she stressed that significant challenges remain, with some communities still relying on weekly water tanker deliveries due to saline groundwater or low-yielding boreholes. Zaamwani said improving water and sanitation services requires addressing delays caused by procurement challenges.
“Similarly, sanitation projects at schools, clinics and public places have been affected by procurement delays, contractor non-performance, site abandonment, unresolved responsibilities for operation and maintenance, ageing infrastructure, limited operational resources and emergency expenditure, which continue to constrain service delivery,” she said.
She stressed that these issues extend beyond technical or engineering challenges and require stronger institutional accountability. Zaamwani urged public servants to ensure that government institutions responsible for delivering services are more responsive to the needs of citizens.
“The credibility of government depends not on what we announce, but on what we deliver,” the minister added.
Photo: MICT
