The critical success factor for HPP is to target bottlenecks, remove implementation challenges and accelerate development..
HARAMBEE PROSPERITY PLAN 2016/17 – 2019/20 Namibian Government’s Action Plan towards Prosperity for All
FOREWORD
On 21 March 2015, I was inaugurated as the third democratically elected President of our Republic and assumed the mantle to deliver Prosperity for all our people. Former President, Comrade Hifikepunye Pohamba, cemented our democracy and stabilized the country by building on the firm foundation established by our Founding Father, Comrade Sam Nujoma. Spurred on by these giants of our revolution and building on their legacy, I have declared all out war against poverty and embarked upon the path towards prosperity. Many heroes and heroines of our liberation struggle selflessly sacrificed their lives for the independence of our motherland. They never got to experience the peace, unity and prosperity they fought and died for and their blood indeed waters our freedom. It is for that reason that their inspiring legacies must never be betrayed.
I am acutely aware of the burning desire of the Namibian people to inhabit a Namibian House where there is no poverty. Namibians want a house where everyone feels a sense of belonging, where everyone is presented with a fair opportunity to prosper in an inclusive manner and by so doing, ensure that no one feels left out.
Last year (2015), I traveled the length and breadth of this beautiful country, where I listened to the concerns and suggestions of citizens from all walks of life in a series of regional Town Hall Meetings. I undertook this nationwide outreach to thank our citizens personally for electing me as their President. I also used the consultations to share my vision for a unified Namibia where no citizen feels left out. This vision has now been wholeheartedly embraced by all Namibians and continues to be a rallying cry for the future of our Republic.
Namibians have overcome tremendous historical obstacles in the past and through the HPP, I am confident that we will rise to the challenges of the present and those we will encounter in the future. This Plan ushers Namibia into the era of Prosperity for all.
The Kiswahili word “Harambee” which means, “Pull together in the same direction” has been deliberately selected to call for unity and encourage Namibians to work towards a common purpose.
This Plan is called the HARAMBEE PROSPERITY PLAN [HPP]. Talk of Prosperity may sound overly ambitious to some. However, when we speak of prosperity, we do not intend to create opulence and excess. We want to ensure that every Namibian has access to the basic necessities for survival. We aim to meet those most basic needs and by so doing, enable every Namibian to realize their full potential and prosper according to their inherent abilities. We strive towards building a Namibia where there are no structural poverty traps. A prosperous Namibia should be inhabited by people with decent shelter, access to basic amenities such as safe potable water, access to quality education and adequate health services.
Reducing poverty and inequalities has always been a SWAPO Party Government policy priority as encapsulated in the comprehensive Vision 2030 and the policy recommendations contained in the National Development Plans (NDPs). This document is further informed by the 2014 SWAPO Party Election Manifesto which anchors Government policies. In other words, the HPP does not replace any national development roadmap but aims to complement the long-term national goal for prosperity.
Furthermore, this document was enriched by consultative community engagement through the Town Hall Meetings in all fourteen regions. Namibians from all walks of life were given an opportunity to address, engage and challenge the status quo and provide suggestions on how things can be done differently. This engagement had a profound effect on me as President as it yet again demonstrated that Namibians do not seek handouts, they seek an enabling environment in which they can survive and thrive.
The consultative process also engaged key stakeholders such as farmers, workers unions, media, the business community and the youth. Many of the concerns and suggestions raised in these extensive consultations have been distilled into this document and other policy initiatives.
The critical success factor for HPP is to target bottlenecks, remove implementation challenges and accelerate development in clearly defined priority areas, with greater urgency.
The HPP is not presented as the panacea that will resolve the myriad causes of poverty and deliver absolute prosperity within a four-year period. This Plan aims to identify goals that can be pursued with vigour in the short-term implementation period (2016/17 – 2019/20) and lay a solid base to attain prosperity in subsequent planning phases. The Plan is aligned to the budget provisions of Government as contained in the MTEF timelines. In other words, the proposed interventions are to ensure effective implementation of already budgeted for programmes and to accelerate the reform processes with a new approach.
What is required is an understanding that it is no longer “business as usual.” We are not only required to act with more urgency to reform processes, we are also required to reform our minds and attitudes and pull in the same direction. A new culture of efficiency and accountability is critical to foster the change we wish to see.
Some of the key outcomes we would like to see pending successful implementation of this Plan include:
• A more transparent Namibia;
• A culture of high performance and citizen-centered service delivery;
• A significant reduction in poverty levels;
• A reputable and competitive vocational educational training system;
• A spirit of entrepreneurship resulting in increased youth enterprise development;
• Improved access to serviced land and housing;
• Guaranteed energy supply and sufficient water for human consumption and business activities. Namibians have overcome tremendous historical obstacles in the past and through the HPP, I am confident that we will rise to the challenges of the present and those we may encounter in the future.
This Plan is a product of wide consultation which has engendered a sense of collective ownership in the war against poverty. I am grateful for the overwhelming support and input from Namibians of all walks of life, including OMA’s and key stakeholders who have provided my Office with timeous and critical input which has informed the goals, targets and actions.
This Plan belongs to all of us ushers us into the era of Prosperity for all.
One Namibia. One Nation.
Dr. Hage G Geingob
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA
April 2016