GOVERNMENT has budgeted over N$180 million towards security upgrades for the President this financial year, a budget document shows.
The presidency tops the list with high profile construction work, followed by the ministries of defence and education, the Office of the Prime Minister, the National Assembly and the home affairs ministry.
The budget vote of the President includes projects such as accommodation and security facilities for N$180 million and N$35 million for the construction of a retirement home for President Hifikepunye Pohamba and upgrades to the house of former President Sam Nujoma.
According to the weekly Tender Bulletin, budget documents show that N$180 million will be spent on construction, renovations and furnishing of accommodation facilities in all the regions to accommodate the President and his entourage on official visits.
The permanent secretary to the President, Samuel /Goagoseb, yesterday insisted that the construction of mini-State houses has been called off for now.
He, however, admitted that government will spend the money of security upgrades on infrastructure used by the Head of State since security improvements are an ongoing programme.
“The issue related to security is not necessarily related to buildings. Security upgrades could be done to any infrastructure used by the President,” he said.
To illustrate the new scramble for government offices, The Namibian compiled a list of some of the State’s lucrative construction tenders over the past few years.
Most of the contracts involve international companies who handpick selected locals or multi-national companies that have connections to the ruling party Swapo or business influence. Some of the companies took each other to court after they lost out, claiming irregularities of tender procedures, while the prices of certain construction works ballooned from the initial bids.
PRIME MINISTER
The Office of the Prime Minister has one of the most lucrative construction tenders with plans to build its new headquarters for N$600 million.
Deputy Prime Minister Marco Hausiku has defended plans to construct new offices in parliament saying the building is an “urgent priority”.
The Office of the Prime Minister will also be responsible for renovating the old State House for N$16 million.
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
The Namibian Defence Force ( NDF) plans to build headquarters worth N$600 million, a contract linked to North Korean construction company Mansudae Overseas Projects, a darling of security-related contracts in Namibia. That contract was initially set at N$400 million. The ministry also plans to build five new military bases and upgrade several others across the country for about N$5 billion.
MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
Over N$543 million has been budgeted to build new head offices for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration. Close to N$15 million will be used to upgrade the current head office in Windhoek.
The ministry will also spend N$62 million on 13 projects, including new main offices for Oshakati worth N$16 million and Kashamane border post at Oshikango for N$11 million.
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology plans to build its new head office at a cost of close to N$200 million.
The contract was put on hold earlier this year by an order of the Windhoek High Court.
North Korean company Mansudae Overseas Projects and its Namibian partner, Econo Investments, sued the government to reverse the Tender Board’s decision to award a contract for the construction of the new building to their competitor Amupolo Building Construction CC.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Plans by the National Assembly to have a state-of-the-art parliament building worth N$640 million were endorsed by the Ministry of Finance this year.
The vote of the National Assembly shows that N$25 million will be used this year, N$40 million in the next two years and the remaining N$573 million thereafter. It remains unclear who was awarded the contract for the new parliament.
EDUCATION
The construction of vocational training centres is at last position in terms of infrastructure funding as it will only receive N$505 million. Having received N$25 million last year as government’s contribution towards construction and upgrading, vocational centres will receive N$28 million this year and N$24 million next year.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, earlier this year said her ministry wanted a new head office.
