EDITOR
Namibia is racing to achieve Vision 2030, a plan to become an industrialised nation in four years. Yet, this goal has slipped away under three administrations since independence, and it now seems increasingly out of reach.
Several key things are not yet in place for industrialisation. For example, our workforce is still trained mainly to work, not to innovate or create jobs. We also face power shortages, and industrialisation without enough electricity is impossible.
Decision-making in the country is slow. We often produce detailed policy documents, but they remain largely on paper and are hard to implement.
Industry experts have raised concerns about weak oversight, accountability, and performance at eight important state-owned enterprises (SOEs) that are currently led by acting executives. These include:
- Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco)
- National Petroleum Corporation (Namcor)
- Namibia Post Ltd (NamPost)
- Namibia Industrial Development Agency (Nida)
- Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia)
- Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB)
- Roads Contractor Company (RCC)
- Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR)
These SOEs cover crucial sectors such as meat, diamonds, oil, and roads. Yet, with acting bosses in charge for months, tough decisions are delayed, accountability is weak, and the risk of failure grows.
We are sometimes our own worst enemies. Replacing these acting executives with permanent leadership should be a top priority to ensure these institutions deliver the services Namibia needs.
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