President pins hopes on 2030

THE blueprint for the country’s long-term national development policy, Vision 2030, was officially launched on Wednesday – six years after President Sam Nujoma addressed Cabinet on the need to plan for the country’s future.

Vision 2030 aims to put the quality of life of all Namibians on a par with people in the developed world by that year. “Vision 2030 is a national initiative based on our collective hopes, aspirations and our desire to move forward and strengthen our nation’s capacity for self-reliance,” President Nujoma said at the launch in Windhoek.”With this Vision, we will be able to enhance the well-being of all our people and enable them to live in peace, prosperity and to pursue dignified lives.The President singled out education as the basic tenet upon which the goals of Vision 2030 were based and pledged an annual appropriation to the education, training and social sectors of 50 per cent of the national budget.”I strongly believe that a trained and well-equipped workforce will lead to economic efficiency and result in greater benefits in the form of employment, high productivity levels, the broadening of our manufacturing base and the strengthening of our economy’s regional and international competitiveness,” he said.A major ideal of Vision 2030 is that Namibia will have become an industrialised nation by then and be classified as an upper income country.Manufacturing and the service sector are to constitute about 80 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, while the export of processed goods should account for no less than 70 per cent of total exports.In 26 years time, the unemployment rate should be less than five per cent of the work force.It is envisioned that, despite the HIV-AIDS pandemic, Namibia will have a population of no less than three million by 2030.The Director General of the National Planning Commission, Immanuel Ngatjizeko, described the document that outlines the major national problems and how they are to be resolved as among one of the most important national initiatives undertaken since the writing of the Constitution.The goals of Vision 2030 will shape the country’s five-yearly national development plans, the second of which is currently under review.Ngatjizeko added that the plan also took cognisance of the need to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which include addressing poverty, hunger, illiteracy, gender equality, infant mortality, maternal health, HIV-AIDS and environmental sustainability.”Vision 2030 is a national initiative based on our collective hopes, aspirations and our desire to move forward and strengthen our nation’s capacity for self-reliance,” President Nujoma said at the launch in Windhoek.”With this Vision, we will be able to enhance the well-being of all our people and enable them to live in peace, prosperity and to pursue dignified lives.The President singled out education as the basic tenet upon which the goals of Vision 2030 were based and pledged an annual appropriation to the education, training and social sectors of 50 per cent of the national budget.”I strongly believe that a trained and well-equipped workforce will lead to economic efficiency and result in greater benefits in the form of employment, high productivity levels, the broadening of our manufacturing base and the strengthening of our economy’s regional and international competitiveness,” he said.A major ideal of Vision 2030 is that Namibia will have become an industrialised nation by then and be classified as an upper income country.Manufacturing and the service sector are to constitute about 80 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, while the export of processed goods should account for no less than 70 per cent of total exports.In 26 years time, the unemployment rate should be less than five per cent of the work force.It is envisioned that, despite the HIV-AIDS pandemic, Namibia will have a population of no less than three million by 2030.The Director General of the National Planning Commission, Immanuel Ngatjizeko, described the document that outlines the major national problems and how they are to be resolved as among one of the most important national initiatives undertaken since the writing of the Constitution.The goals of Vision 2030 will shape the country’s five-yearly national development plans, the second of which is currently under review.Ngatjizeko added that the plan also took cognisance of the need to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which include addressing poverty, hunger, illiteracy, gender equality, infant mortality, maternal health, HIV-AIDS and environmental sustainability.