State House, Windhoek, 8 October 2026.
Statement by Her Excellency Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, President of the Republic of Namibia, at the handover by the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) of N$90 million for sport and the announcement of the Namport–NFA football sponsorship.
Right Honourable Dr Elijah Ngurare, Prime Minister,
Honourable Veikko Nekundi, Minister of Works and Transport,
Honourable Dino Ballotti, Deputy Minister of Education, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture,
Mr Jerome Mouton, Chairperson, and members of the Namport Board,
Mr Andrew Kanime, Chief Executive Officer, and the Namport team,
Mr Robert Shimooshili, President, and members of the Namibia Football Association Executive Committee,
Members of the media,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today, we welcome a partnership that brings renewed hope to Namibian football and practical support to our young people. Namport’s commitment of N$90 million over three years is an important investment in the development of sport and in the communities that sustain it.
At N$30 million annually, this is the largest annual sponsorship in the history of Namibian football. It carries both opportunity and responsibility.
I congratulate the Board, management and employees of Namport for stepping forward at this important time. On behalf of the Government and the people of Namibia, I thank you.
This commitment follows Namport’s N$100 million dividend to the State, announced at its recent Annual General Meeting. These contributions reflect sound performance and show how a well-managed public enterprise can create value for the Namibian people.
Namport is also building on its existing support for regional football across all fourteen regions. I am informed that, over the past two years, that partnership reached about 720 teams. It demonstrated the depth of talent in our country and the importance of taking opportunities to our communities.
This new investment must strengthen that foundation. It must help our players progress and give clubs the stability they need to develop the game.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Sport is one of our Government’s development priorities under the Sixth National Development Plan, NDP6. We want to build a sports industry that develops talent, creates employment and supports livelihoods.
For our young people, football offers a pathway to develop their abilities and pursue their ambitions. A football pitch also teaches discipline, teamwork, leadership and resilience. These qualities serve young people throughout their lives, whether they remain in sport or pursue other careers.
Investment in football reaches beyond the players. It supports coaches, referees, groundskeepers, administrators and local businesses. Well-organised competitions can generate activity in our towns and communities while bringing people together across regional, linguistic and social boundaries.
This is why we must approach sports development with purpose. The investment we welcome today should translate into stronger institutions, better opportunities and a game that contributes to our national development goals.
The central message of this occasion is clear: sponsorship follows responsibility.
We have seen sporting codes attract sponsors year after year, often with increasing support. Good governance and responsible financial management earn that confidence. Sponsors return when they can see that their contributions have been used properly and that the people entrusted with them have delivered results.
That lesson must guide Namibian football. Talent and enthusiasm need the support of credible institutions. Players must be able to rely on properly organised competitions, and sponsors must be able to trust those who administer the game.
Every organisation seeking support must therefore recognise that accountability is part of the work of developing sport. The way a contribution is managed influences whether the next contribution will come.
This partnership gives football an opportunity to demonstrate that it can manage substantial support responsibly and build the confidence needed for long-term sustainability.
Namport is a public enterprise. The resources it commits carry a responsibility to the Namibian people. We must honour that responsibility through prudent spending and results that the public can see.
Every dollar must be accounted for. Those administering these funds must be able to explain how they were used, who benefited and what was achieved. The interests of our players and the development of football must guide spending decisions.
I expect transparent financial management, regular reporting and independent scrutiny of the use of these resources. Where shortcomings arise, they must be addressed promptly. Where funds are misused, those responsible must be held to account.
Namport and the NFA will share the detailed terms and conditions governing this partnership. Those arrangements must give practical effect to these principles. Our role today is to make the standard clear: public trust must be protected throughout the life of this sponsorship.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This must be a partnership that serves the whole of Namibia.
I expect a fair and equitable distribution of these resources across all fourteen regions. Every region must receive its fair share and have a meaningful opportunity to benefit. No region must feel excluded from a contribution made by an enterprise that belongs to the Namibian people.
Our young people must have access to opportunities wherever they live. We must recognise talent in smaller communities as readily as we recognise it in our larger towns. Regional football is essential to identifying and developing that talent.
The sponsorship will support national and regional leagues, including women’s football, as well as match officials. Its reach must be evident on the ground, in active clubs, stronger competitions and opportunities for emerging players.
The success of this investment will be judged by how widely its benefits are felt across our country.
To the leadership of the Namibia Football Association, the nation is placing considerable trust in your hands. I ask you to accept the responsibility that comes with it.
Use this support to provide professional, well-run leagues and competitions. Pay players and officials on time. Invest in coaching, refereeing, women’s football and youth development so that our players have a clear pathway to progress.
Work openly with Namport and ensure that your reports are complete and submitted on time. Good administration must support the work taking place on the field. Clubs and regional structures must understand how the partnership will benefit them and what is expected of them.
The ambition must be to develop football that can produce talent capable of competing on the world stage. That requires patient development, consistent leadership and institutions that put the interests of the game first.
The opportunity is now before you. Use it well.
Today’s commitment shows what can be achieved when Government, public enterprises and sporting bodies work towards a shared national priority.
Government cannot carry the sports development agenda alone. I encourage other enterprises and partners to support it. Their contributions can help expand opportunities for young Namibians and strengthen the sports industry envisaged under NDP6.
To Namport, thank you for responding to this call. To all those responsible for implementation, let us ensure that, at the end of these three years, we can show the Namibian people what this investment has achieved for our players and communities.
Let us receive this contribution with gratitude and manage it with integrity.
It is now my honour to receive Namport’s cheque of N$90 million and welcome this partnership for the development of Namibian football.
I thank you.
