Steenkamp confident on delivering on education, innovation, youth, sport, arts and culture alongside Ballotti

NEWLY appointed minister of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts, and culture Sanet Steenkamp has pledged her dedication to effectively managing the ministry’s broad portfolio alongside her deputy, Dino Ballotti.

Steenkamp and Ballotti were appointed to lead the ministry by president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Saturday.

Steenkamp, who served as the executive director of education, arts, and culture since 2015, was among the eight presidential appointees.

Steenkamp says the appointment letter was very clear on the deliverables, and also expresses confidence in her team’s ability to deliver.

“The appointment letter is quite hefty, with a lot of deliverables. It is not going to be easy, I admit that . . . However, with the deputy minister and executive directors and the strong teams on the ground I have absolute confidence that we will be able to steer this ship with the consolidation to one ministry.

“It is a very important mandate and one that I do not take for granted,” she says.

Meanwhile, Ballotti (38) has committed to prioritising youth and sport matters, particularly in developing sport infrastructure.

He was appointed as one of the 10 Swapo National Assembly candidates in September 2024.

Ballotti emphasises the need for the development of sport infrastructure.

“The list of priorities is lengthy, but first and foremost is funding to develop sport infrastructure to make Namibian sport more competitive. We also need to focus on job creation and sustainability for our youth, which is a cross-cutting function,” he says.

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