Lawmakers share views on appropriation bill in National Assembly

Members of the National Assembly are continuing to scrutinise the 2025/26 appropriation bill, with some arguing that the multibillion-dollar budget fails to meet the needs of the average Namibian.

In his contribution to the budget debate on Tuesday, Mathias Mbundu of the Republican Party said the party would partially support the budget, however, he claimed it fails to address bread-and-butter issues.

He said the budget does not demonstrate how the government plans to benefit from natural resources or address skills gaps and create employment.

“We can’t expect to confront current crises of unemployment without looking at skills and knowledge gaps in the education sector. Most graduates end up jobless or over-skilled because our existing job market can’t absorb them. It brings back the question of how our natural resources are benefiting the unemployed,” he said.

Elvis Lizazi of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) called for a meaningful budget allocation towards strengthening community courts. Lizazi, who is IPC’s shadow minister of justice and labour relations, emphasised the need to train community court clerks and increase the N$1 000 monthly allowance they receive.

“By doing so, we validate the role of customary justice while ensuring it aligns with constitutional values,” he said.

He further called for additional funds for mobile legal clinics to offer services in rural areas.

Although Fenni Nanyeni of the Swapo Party commended finance minister Ericah Shafudah for tabling the N$106.3 billion budget, she expressed concern over the large amount allocated to servicing sovereign debt.

An allocation of N$79.8 billion is designated for operational expenditure, while N$13.7 billion is allocated for debt servicing, and N$12.8 billion is set aside for development expenditure.

“That means only 12% of our budget goes to building roads, schools, hospitals, water, electricity and the rural infrastructure our people need most,” she said.

“While the rise in development budget allocations is notable and I commend the minister for that, we must not ignore the widening gap between our consumption, what we owe, and what we build. For the third year running, our development vote is still lagging behind both operational expenses and debt servicing,” she added.

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