Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah: The Sum Effect of Policy Interventions

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (NNN) will assume the Presidency tomorrow to begin her term as Namibia’s first female president.

She has promised to serve her country and its citizens remarkably. This will be proven or refuted over time.

What are the parameters?

Many will argue they are, among others, economic growth, employment opportunities, strategic sector reforms, minerals beneficiation, poverty reduction, clean and safe drinking water, an enhanced learning environment at both primary and secondary level, better healthcare, zero corruption, and the list goes on.

These are parameters she used during her campaign; that they are collectively exhaustive and the inverse of mutually exclusivity is true. 

It is not always advisable to separate individuals from the party they lead but as Lenin argued, “Personal qualities of political figures, their theoretical preparation, skills, courage and determination can determine the outcome in a given situation.”

THE ODIKWA FACTOR

Although individuals cannot determine a society’s development by the force of their will alone, the subjective factor is pivotal.

We set Meekulu NNN apart from the rest because it is important to understand her contribution to sociometry.

What awaits her on her first day in office is a 36.9% unemployment rate, a declining gross domestic product, increasing public debt, a budget deficit, high-level corruption, a crisis in state-owned enterprises (downward profitability ratios), an ailing health sector, a frail education system, etc.

Is a year enough to address all these issues? The demographers and statisticians will need to estimate the probabilities under her presidency.

The most potent weapon in her arsenal is odikwa (or Odikwa yamu KwaNangombe), a term she used during her campaign.

Many will ask but what is odikwa and how will she utilise its power?

Odikwa is a term for caring. It generally refers to a mother carrying children on her back. It can be seen as how NNN wants to carry the nation – in fighting social issues and ensuring citizens are taken care of.

INTERVENTIONS

Here are some intervention policies NNN should implement to eliminate social issues:

• • Adopt a different econometric revenue collection model. Tax revenue will never be adequate. We have collected tax since 1990, up to no significant amount.
• • A powerful and radical finance minister. The portfolio needs a cadre well versed in radical policy via organic intellectualism.

Someone who can expand the Bank of Namibia’s mandate to help the government through their monetary power and  address social issues. A cadre feared by manipulative commercial banks, etc.

• • Enable the Roads Contractor Company (RCC) to be the sole beneficiary of all state contracts (construction). 
• • Prioritise vocational education by ensuring a well-structured budget plan, along with a robust monitoring and evaluation system.

To promote practical training and job creation, minor maintenance of government infrastructure, as well as production of school furniture (chairs and desks), should be assigned to vocational training centres (VTCs).

This will allow student trainees and graduates to gain hands-on experience while enhancing their employability, or chances of becoming job creators themselves.

• •Building on the initiative of the Okakarara VTC, bridging courses should be introduced at all VTCs to accommodate pupils who do not transition to tertiary institutions.

The minimum entry requirement should be Grade 11, regardless of a pass or fail status, based on the assumption that pupils reaching school exit level possess basic numeracy and literacy skills.

This would create a more inclusive vocational education system, equipping more young people with technical skills relevant to the job market.

EFFICIENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

• To enhance accountability and efficiency, each government entity should have an independent monitoring and evaluation department that reports directly to the Office of the President.

These departments will track key projects, and ensure the effective implementation of government initiatives. Non-performing entities should be held accountable, which will lead to improved service delivery and acceleration towards addressing or meeting national development objectives.

• •To achieve better public health, medical aid for all political office bearers should be cancelled and they should seek healthcare services at public hospitals.
• •Agricultural transformation to end hunger and undernutrition.

While modern agricultural technology can derive from the private and public sectors, the government needs to play a vital role in investing in agricultural research and development.

It must create conducive conditions, such as irrigation and enhanced market infrastructure, that allows farmers to obtain these inputs and to sell their agricultural produce locally and abroad.

The government will also need to build human capital to ensure a skilled labour force to master new techniques and machinery.

As Nobel Laureate Theodore W Schultz said in ‘Transforming Traditional Agriculture’, once you make modern technology available to farmers, they will turn sand into gold.

• – Tate WokOndingwanyama lectures biostatistics at the Namibia University of Technology. He has a masters in biostatistics and is a PhD (biostatistics) candidate at Stellenbosch University.
• – Emenhu LokEndola is a senior government official. He is pursuing a master of science in economics.
  – The opinions expressed here are solely those of the authors.