Swapo parliamentarian Tobie Aupindi has proposed a sovereign fund for veterans to ensure that funding is not solely dependent on the treasury.
He made these submissions on Tuesday evening while contributing to the tabled budget for the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs.
The ministry received N$7.5 billion, with N$1.3 billion allocated to veterans affairs for the 2026/27 fiscal year.
“Instead of just spending billions, Namibia could have built a permanent financial asset that pays veterans indefinitely,” he said.
Aupindi said veterans’ benefits could be funded without relying entirely on the national budget if even part of the roughly N$1 billion annual allocation had been placed into an investment fund.
He added that if half the budget was invested at a modest 8% annual return in a balanced, sovereign-style fund, it could have grown to around N$20-40 billion or more in assets over the past 20 years.
He said the government would earn returns instead of spending,
creating a self-sustaining funding pool.
The lawmaker said veterans could be supported from investment income, not just annual budgets.
“A well-capitalised fund could directly invest in veteran housing schemes and income-generating projects,” Aupindi said.
He stated that instead of the N$2 500 payments, the funds could generate recurring income streams.
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