Prime minister Elijah Ngurare has put Namibia’s 14 regional governors on the spot, demanding that they turn their offices into engines of development and not merely administrative structures.
Speaking at the handover of a donation of N$25 million, by the Namibia Special Risks Insurance Association to the governors’ offices in Windhoek on Thursday, Ngurare said regional leaders must ensure that government interventions translate into visible improvements in people’s lives.
He said governors are the link between the central government and communities and must be able to respond to the socioeconomic challenges faced by people in their regions.
Ngurare said the donation should be used for “productive development”, particularly initiatives capable of creating jobs and lasting economic value.
He said the government is pushing ahead with president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s directive for each of Namibia’s 14 regions to establish a manufacturing plant based on its local production.
Planned projects include a mango processing plant at Katima Mulilo, a tomato sauce plant in the Omusati region, a watermelon processing plant in the Kavango East region, a peanut butter plant in the Omaheke region and a bottled water plant at Gibeon.
“Job creation remains central to our enhanced drive to implement the Sixth National Development Plan priorities,” Ngurare said.
He challenged state-owned enterprises and government ministries to use their corporate social responsibility programmes to address basic needs in communities.
“If a village like Otjitho in the Ruacana constituency does not have water, it is Namibians without water,” he said, stressing that development must be treated as a collective national responsibility.
Ngurare said the same approach should be applied to sanitation, rural roads, housing, telecommunications and water harvesting.
He urged governors to remain accessible, humble and decisive, saying they must listen to all communities regardless of political affiliation.
“The responsibility is now to ensure that this opportunity translates into measurable results and tangible benefits for the people of every region,” Ngurare said.
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