N$90m football boost comes with accountability call

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah welcomed Namport’s N$90 million sponsorship of Namibian football but warned that the historic investment must translate into tangible opportunities for young people across all 14 regions and that every cent must be properly accounted for.

Namport announced the three-year commitment at State House yesterday, with N$30 million to be provided annually for the 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29 football seasons.

The sponsorship is intended to support football development across Namibia, including national and regional leagues and women’s football.

Nandi-Ndaitwah described the commitment as a significant investment in one of the country’s most popular sports and linked it to the government’s decision to make sports the second priority of its administration. “The sport priority number two in our agenda, it really means a lot,” the President said. She said the investment comes at a time when the government is working to establish basic sports facilities in every constituency, with football pitches expected to form a central part of those facilities.

“Everywhere you go in Namibia, you find communities putting up their own football pitch. I see it because I travel in this country. And when it is a holiday, every village you are passing. You are just finding children playing football on the side of the road,” she said. According to the President, the government’s decision to take sports development into communities was informed by young people’s widespread participation in football, even in areas where formal sporting facilities are limited.

She said the investment should strengthen that programme and help Namibia improve its performance both domestically and internationally.

“For our young people, football offers a pathway to develop their abilities and pursue their ambitions. So, it’s not just football that we are talking about,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

Fair distribution

However, the President made it clear that the value of the sponsorship would not be measured by the amount of money announced, but by what it achieves on the ground.

“Accountability is the key to success in everyone’s life,” she said, stressing that the Namibia Football Association (NFA) must demonstrate responsible financial management.

“I would want to see that every donor must be accountable. Those who are demonstrating those facts must be able to explain how they were used, who benefited, and what was achieved,” she added. Nandi-Ndaitwah further called for the money to be distributed fairly across the country, saying no region should be left behind. “As the idea is to promote football across Namibia, I expect a fair and equitable distribution of those resources across all the 14 regions,” she said. “Every region must receive its fair share and have meaningful opportunities to benefit. No region must feel excluded from a contribution made by an enterprise that belongs to the Namibian people.”

She said regional football was important for identifying talent in smaller communities and ensuring that young players did not have to move to major towns to access opportunities.

The President also specifically highlighted women’s football, saying the sponsorship should support both national and regional leagues.

Namport board chairperson Jerome Mouton said the N$90 million commitment was made in response to the President’s call for public enterprises to support youth development. “When you called on public enterprises to support youth development, the Namport board did not hesitate,” Mouton said.

Mouton said Namport had already supported football through its regional football league, which has assisted second- and third-division football in all 14 regions since December 2024 at a cost of N$10.5 million. The N$90 million commitment is the largest sponsorship announced for domestic football in Namibia, according to Namport, and is expected to provide financial certainty for the country’s leagues over the next three seasons.

-ljason@nepc.com.na

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