Competition Commission high on ministry agenda

THE Ministry of Trade and Industry has placed the establishment of a Competition Commission high on its list of priorities for the year.

This was conveyed at the Ministry’s first staff meeting for 2009 on Wednesday, at which the Permanent Secretary, Dr Malan Lindeque, and Minister Hage Geingob briefed the Ministry’s staff on last year’s highlights and challenges and this year’s agenda. Lindeque pointed out that the progress in the creation of the Competition Commission had not been up to scratch in 2008, adding that this institution would have to be realised this year. ‘A greater role needs to be played in levelling the playing field in terms of competition, and this commission must be a priority for the Ministry this year,’ he said. In the context of competition and trade, Lindeque also highlighted the importance of a Board of Trade becoming operational to look into issues such as pricing, infant industry protection, anti-dumping measures and other trade-related priorities. Lindeque noted that while there had been some progress in trade agreements signed last year, particularly with the non-EU European states and with South America, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) was still not within reach. ‘We may run to a conclusion soon, but there are big issues still to be solved. We need to improve our trade security without forfeiting too much economic governance, and this needs to be looked into before the EPA is considered,’ he said, further emphasising the need for the Competition Commission. The Permanent Secretary also pointed out that regional integration had suffered in 2008, with many of the advances having been made until then taking a setback. He noted however that as a member of the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), big opportunities lie ahead for Namibia in terms of a trade agreement between SACU and India, and that making use of these opportunities should be an important priority in regional integration and trade. In addressing these issues, Lindeque pointed to the need for careful and strategic prioritisation and planning, highlighting the need to overhaul the Foreign Investment Act to reach consensus on investments and design a clear programme for supporting domestic investment, to reorganise and revitalise the SME programme, to expedite the creation of an SME Bank, to engage stakeholders in designing an industrialisation strategy and addressing institutional issues. Minister Geingob emphasised improved service delivery as one of the Ministry’s priorities, moving away from simple mechanical efficiency to effective and holistic delivery. ‘The Government has many policies, very good policies indeed, but they need to be implemented as the population cannot live on dreams and policies,’ he said. He described the civil service as ‘the transmission belt for the ideas and policies of politicians’. ‘The final judgment on whether or not you as civil servants have complied with your assignments will be in the visibility of deliverables such as increased local and foreign investments, economic growth, employment creation and prosperity.’ – nangula@namibian.com.na