Expert expectations ahead of Nandi-Ndaitwah’s Sona

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is expected to deliver her state of the nation address (Sona) on Thursday, and labour expert Herbert Jauch says poverty eradication is one of the issues that lingered for years and should be prioritised.

“We have been speaking about nobody should be left out and the reality has been the opposite with growing levels of poverty, inequality and a statistic of 54% for unemployment.

“This includes all those who have given up looking for jobs and are still unemployed, that needs to be the centre of her speech,” he says.

Jauch says changes on inequality, poverty and unemployment must be seen at early stages. They must be precise and not as vague as stated in Swapo’s manifesto.

Jauch says the reduction of Cabinet members is already a sign that the president wants change. Less members means less salaries.
It is also a sign that Nandi-Ndaitwah wants to have a more efficient and same-lined administration.

Jauch says implementing a universal basic income grant is an important step to take as it does not only reduce poverty, but it boosts the economy.

He adds that the oil and gas revenue should be made transparent, and benefit everyone in the country.

He furthers says politicians usually give general statements trying to hide reality. However, the president says it will not be business as usual and that her administration will be judged at what they are doing.

Agriculture expert Dobson Kwala says there are a lot of issues to be addressed around national security, education, gender-based violence (GBV), and unemployment.

“Now that we have a woman president, issues around GBV can get a different approach. This is the first president with a zero corruption tolerance. Previous leaders laid a foundation but hardly had a robust approach towards corruption,” Kwala says.

He says the Cabinet was the first change made by the president. He further highlights key issues to be prioritised in the Sona – healthcare, food security, and media organisations funding.

Kwala says an unhealthy nation cannot be productive, organised healthcare is key. He further says a hungry nation is an angry nation.

“Regardless of how much people earn, a country needs to be self-sufficient and produce enough resources.

“We need a safe nation, loopholes in the security cluster both internally and externally must be addressed.

“Media houses need funding, we need authentic media outlets and skilled journalists. We can’t compromise on information that goes to the public.

“Journalists must be protected regardless of what they report on, as long as they report on facts and not misinformation,” Kwala says.

He states that accredited media organisations need support to retrieve accurate information, and secure jobs

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