Vision 2030 is attainable: Katjavivi

‘A VISION is one thing; the process to get there is another thing. Perhaps we need to narrow down our focus and be more concrete and concise.’

This is how Peter Katjavivi, former Director General of the National Planning Commission, last week summarised where Namibia finds itself in terms of Vision 2030.The blueprint document which outlines where the country needs to be in 20 years’ time regarding industrialisation has come under fire regularly, as some claim there is no proper road map guiding its implementation. The Minister of Trade and Industry, Hage Geingob, recently even went so far as to say that Vision 2030 is ‘a tall order’ altogether.During a public lecture in Windhoek on Wednesday evening, Katjavivi, however, maintained that ‘we have all the instruments we need’. Furthermore, he told a relatively small audience of 80 people, ‘few [independent] countries in Africa have developed a national vision even after 20 years’ and that Vision 2030 is ‘something to guide us’.Despite this, Katjavivi conceded that not only is there no ‘tool for evaluating and monitoring the results of the entire process of [the] implementation of Vision 2030’ but no ‘dedicated and comprehensive study’ has to date been done to assess it and the accompanying National Development Plans (NDPs). According to him, the National Planning Commission ‘is in the process of doing research’ but it is ‘no easy task’.Regarding Vision 2030’s goal for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 6,2 per cent, the country did fairly well with its 6,1 per cent average growth during the past five years. The highest growth rate during this period, Katjavivi said, was 12,3 per cent in 2004.On the investment front, the picture looks less rosy. The average investment rate over the past five years was 5 per cent compared to the aim of 10,2 per cent, he said.According to the newly elected MP, the reason why the annual inflation target of 4,5 per cent had not been met is ‘due to high reliance on imports like food and fuel’. The average inflation rate is 7,2 per cent.Katjavivi said that regarding transport infrastructure – ‘the foundation for most of our development endeavours’ – the country has been doing ‘very well’. ‘We have made significant strides in terms of providing networks to our neighbouring countries.’In spite of the cracks in the education sector, he maintained that education and training rank high among Government’s priorities. He also had praise for the State’s antiretroviral treatment (ART) rollout programmes in terms of which ‘a large portion of Namibia’s population’ is receiving treatment. According to him, the HIV infection rate now stands at 17 per cent, whereas ‘some years ago it was 30 per cent if not more’.Two millennium development goals – decreasing child mortality and enhancing maternal health – need more attention urgently, he said. ‘We should not hide the facts. At the end of the day, the facts will speak louder than the words. With continued efforts, we hope to close these gaps.’A number of hurdles still bar Namibia from attaining Vision 2030, Katjavivi said. These relate to slow economic growth, high levels of unemployment, the fact that most exports are raw materials, the high dependency on imports – especially food – and HIV-AIDS.’Our progress requires patience, steadfastness, constant hard work and dedication to the process of transformation.’