Nandi-Ndaitwah hands governors the ball to fast-track Namibia’s sport stadiums

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has given regional governors the power to lead the construction of Namibia’s sport stadiums.

The directive, dated 30 December 2025, follows the president’s concern over slow progress, despite N$1.3 billion being allocated for sport, youth and national service in the 2025/26 national budget.

“Having completed the first nine months in office and with the financial year drawing to a close, I hereby express my concern regarding the limited progress in the implementation of sport facilities to date,” she said.

The funds include N$200 million for category 2 stadiums, N$200 million for basic sport infrastructure, and N$50 million for sport leagues.

The funding supports plans to provide basic sport facilities in all 121 constituencies, CAF category 2 stadiums in each of the 14 regions with around 10 000 seats, and category 3 stadiums of about 30 000 seats in key regions such as Khomas, Erongo, Oshana, Kavango East, and ||Kharas.

“To ensure that allocated funds are utilised according to plan and not returned to the treasury or diverted to alternative initiatives, I hereby direct that the designated funds be transferred to the respective regional governors, who should coordinate closely with regional councils to achieve project objectives,” she said.

Nandi-Ndaitwah has set a 21 March deadline.

“I consider it absolutely vital that we deliver on the commitments we have made to our people in this regard by showing tangible progress by the 21st of March 2026,” she said. Nandi-Ndaitwah further instructed that governors be given treasury exemptions to avoid administrative bottlenecks. In a letter addressed to finance minister Ericah Shafudah, education minister Sanet Steenkamp, and National Planning Commission director general Kaire Mbuende, the president expressed concern over the pace of implementation.

The move shifts control of the construction of sport facilities from the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, with funds channelled directly to governors’ offices to accelerate projects under the Swapo Implementation Manifesto and the sixth National Development Plan. “The governors should be given treasury exemption to ensure that the projects are implemented without further delay,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

The sport ministry is tasked with providing support.

“The education and sport ministry should provide technical assistance, and deputy minister Dino Ballotti is delegated to work with the governors on the subject matter,” she said.

The deputy minister’s office yesterday refused to comment, saying it does not respond to questions from The Namibian. The Presidency and Ministry of Finance did not respond to questions at the time of going to print.

Mbuende told The Namibian yesterday that he could not comment on the confidential letter.

“I can talk about how the budget execution has been low because of various processes including documentations, designs and procurement. There are serious bottlenecks in terms of those processes that have delayed the implementation of projects including for the sport facilities,” he said.

With regard to sport facilities, he said he has been in contact with the regions.

“Most of the regions are ready. They have identified land where basic facilities have to be constructed. Category 3 facilities such as at Oshakati, Eenhana and Independence Stadium in Windhoek are ongoing,” Mbuende said.

He added: “But the basic ones are yet to start. There is a sense of urgency to start with those. Governors are active. I have been in touch with some of the governors to say that before the financial year ends, those facilities should be created and the funds won’t go back to the treasury,” he said.

||Kharas governor Dawid Gertze says the matter was discussed at a regional council meeting on Monday.

He says the council resolved that the stadiums are going to be built at Tses and Karasburg.

“We just held a meeting on that. There are some of the things that we still have to deal with,” he says.

Kavango East governor Hamunyera Hambyuka says the region will build two sport facilities.

Zambezi governor Dorothy Kabula says she was not aware of the directive. “I have nothing to say but we are planning to build two sports facilities,” she says. Otjozondjupa governor Khamuseb Garoeb says the stadiums will be built at Tsumkwe and Okandjira in the Omatako constituency.

He says the sport facility at Tsumkwe would be a little bit problematic during the construction phase as the region would need more funding because of the distance between Grootfontein and Tsumkwe.

“What I want is that local people should team up with those that have capacity. I am not a proponent of poor quality construction. It must be of exceptional and good quality because these things are built to keep for generations to come,” he says.

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