President Nandi-Ndaitwah faces pressure over jobs, housing and fuel ahead of Sona

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah faces pressure to account for her administration’s promises when she delivers the state of the nation address (Sona) today.

Politicians, businesses, civil society organisations and economists are expecting practical solutions on employment creation, housing, fuel prices and service delivery.

Landless Peoples Movement (LPM) national youth leader Duminga Ndala says she expects the president to explain how the government plans to achieve the target of creating 500 000 jobs.

“This cannot remain a symbolic promise. Young people in particular need to see realistic pathways to employment and economic participation, and the housing crisis must be addressed with concrete interventions,” she says.

Ndala says affordable housing is becoming increasingly out of reach for many Namibians, and calls for bold policy direction and implementation.

Ndala expects the president to move beyond rhetoric and provide practical solutions on issues affecting ordinary Namibians, such as inequality, land redistribution, and service delivery in particular.

Namibian Employers’ Federation president Elias Shikongo says he hopes the Sona will provide direction on balancing worker protection with economic sustainability and job retention.

“It will also be important to see targeted measures to address unemployment, alongside efforts to create an environment for businesses to grow,” he says.

From a business perspective, Namibia is operating under significant pressure, which makes it difficult for employers to expand and sustain employment, Shikongo says.

O&L Group executive chairperson Sven Thieme says there is a strong expectation of the president to discuss clear, practical measures that will unlock growth.

“This includes reducing bureaucratic barriers, accelerating approval processes, and creating a more predictable and stable policy environment,” he says.

Thieme says the country needs to activate the local economy by strengthening local businesses, which can be done through emphasising local procurement and value addition.

“Equally important is targeted interventions to address youth unemployment through skills development aligned with industry needs,” he says.

THE PRICE OF FUEL

Kavango East entrepreneur Bonifasius Kudumo says fuel prices will be an important part of today’s address.

He says with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, they could rise again.

The government should continue subsidising the fuel levy to help keep basic goods affordable to all Namibians, and should consider buying fuel from Angola in this desperate time, he says.

As the price of fuel keeps increasing he anticipates that transport fees would increase too.

Kudumo believes the government should consider increasing taxi fares to assist taxi owners operating at a loss.

He would like an update on the construction of the railway between Grootfontein and Katima Mulilo, which would reduce the flow of trucks on national roads.

Economist Omu Kakujaha-Matundu also expects the president to discuss fuel prices.

“She should share with the nation her administration’s plan to cushion the most vulnerable against the imminent crisis caused by increasing fuel prices and ensuing increases in food prices,” he says.

Kakujaha-Matundu says this would be a good time for Nandi-Ndaitwah to describe the progress her administration has made on previous promises.

“It’s still early days for the eighth administration. The president should tell the nation about projects that are underway to create jobs.

“She should also comment on the economic cooperation with Botswana – particularly the joint railway. As this project holds economic benefits for both countries. When can we see the project started?” he asks.

CIVIL SOCIETY

Land and social justice advocate Uhuru Dempers says the president must address the needs of the people, which require more resources than the current national budget provides.

“As a matter of urgency, the government must allocate funds to legislatures such as the access to information bill and the whistleblowers bill, which have still not been passed in the parliament,” he says.

Dempers believes the housing crisis could be controlled if the government handed out plots for free to allow people to build, and if it did away with the bureaucracy involved in access to land.He wants the president to cut down on wasteful expenditure and redirect such funds to other social activities, such as hostility measures amid geopolitics, which could see food prices skyrocketing.

GOVERNANCE

Political commentator Olsen Kahiriri says he is expecting the president to give an update on the executed targets of the last financial year, as well as shortfalls.

He wants to know which of the president’s hand-picked ministers performed well, and what action she would take regarding non-performers.

“As a person who has declared war on corruption since her appointment, I want to see the results to that effect. Furthermore, she preached too much on youth development and the professionalism of sport.

“I want to hear her give us feedback on that process, as a year has already passed. She promised us 500 000 jobs – how far is she with achieving this, and how will she get us there?” he asks.

Public policy analyst Marius Kudumo expects the president to shed light on the current state of the economy and growth of the country as required by the Constitution.

He also expects the president to provide her plans on addressing structural social and economic inequalities, rural development, unemployment and urban migration, including education and health.

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