Africa-Press – Namibia. THE President of Namibia, Dr Hage Geingob, in his powerful, to-the-point New Year’s message, reminded Namibians our humanity and compassion are what unite us as a formidable nation that will continue to overcome any hardships through goodwill and faith in ourselves and our country.
For the benefit of those who could not watch the live broadcast, the President’s message is published in full: “Fellow Namibians, As the long shadows of the dusk fall on the Year 2021 and the twilight approaches, we prepare to draw the curtain on a testing twelve months and look forward in anticipation to a new beginning, which brings promise and hope.
The Year 2021 will undoubtedly go down as a year of many trials and tribulations. A year which tested the limits of our patience, our resolve and our faith.
Indeed, this was a year of resilience, in which we withstood a multitude of challenges, most notably the assault on our way of life by the invisible enemy, Covid-19. The havoc inflicted by this merciless pandemic of the 21st Century has been unlike anything we have experienced since our independence in 1990.
Covid-19 is indiscriminate; it knows no borders, no nationality, no race, no tribe, no gender, no age and no social class. It has reached out and affected all of humanity. However, in the middle of untold despair, the war against this virus has also united people across the globe.
Although 2021 is a year many will not remember with fondness, it is a year which reminded us about what it means to be human and the most fundamental qualities that define us as sensitive beings.
In the midst of great loss, we saw faith; in the midst of untold suffering, we saw courage; in the midst of endless despair, we saw love. In times of death and bereavement, we saw a deep sense of connection and empathy.
The year 2021 reminded us that through unity and collective resilience, we can bend, but we will never break and by holding hands, we can overcome that which may seem insurmountable.
Many Namibians have lost their lives due to Covid-19 and as we enter in the New Year, let us remember these men and women, wives and husbands, sons and daughters, old and young, who have left us this year. As I have stated before, one life lost is one life too many.
Those of us fortunate to continue with our lives should enter the New Year with renewed vigour and optimism to ensure that we do justice to the memory of our fallen compatriots by working tirelessly to achieve the dream of prosperity.
Whereas many lives were lost due to Covid-19, many more lives were saved as a result of the hard work, commitment and sacrifice of brave Namibians. Let me commend our frontline workers, who put themselves in harm’s way in order to ensure that lives are saved. I commend the first responders and members of the uniformed services for their invaluable contributions.
I also commend Cabinet Ministers, and in particular the Minister of Health and Social Services, and all his staff for having ensured that Namibia maintained a heightened state of readiness and preparedness to deal with the pandemic. It is due to the collective high level of vigilance that we managed to stave off from the initial stages, the worst effects of the pandemic.
I also thank our private sector, churches, development partners and ordinary Namibians, who from the kindness of their hearts, reached out in whatever way they could to assist Government in the war against Covid-19.
You have all been outstanding exemplars of the spirit of Harambee. Fellow Namibians, as we move on from 2021, we should look at the lessons learned over the course of these past twelve months.
The advent of the Covid-19 has changed our lives in unexpected ways. As a Government, we will ensure that we are more resilient and better prepared to deal with pandemics. Workplace health and safety protocols need to be revisited in order to ensure that we are better prepared to provide medical care to our workers.
On the economic front, the pandemic has impacted our economy adversely, with limited mobility leading to supply chain disruptions and low economic growth. The situation is exacerbated by vaccine hesitancy and the subsequent slow pace of vaccinations in Namibia which has adverse effects on our economy. As a nation, we cannot continue to lag behind others in terms of vaccination rates.
Namibia is not an island. We belong to a global village and for us to survive, we must do business with the rest of the world. Therefore, if we fail to reach acceptable levels of vaccination and achieve herd immunity, we are effectively cutting ourselves off from the world and severely limiting our economy’s ability to generate the prosperity we so desperately long for.
I once again urge all of you to please get vaccinated. Moreover, refrain from spreading falsehoods about vaccines that will set us back as a nation. Despite the fact that the global economy has taken a battering, thereby affecting our economy, positive sentiment remains and barring any new Covid-19 variants, we expect to see improved economic growth in 2022.
As a nation, we cannot sit back and wait for commodity prices to dictate the economic outcomes we yearn for. For that reason, we have to think out of the box and pursue innovative ideas and ventures that can generate economic growth. One of these ventures is Green Hydrogen.
In that vein, during my official trips to the United States to participate in the 76th United Nations General Assembly in September as well as the COP 26 Heads of State and Government meeting in Scotland which took place in November, significant progress was made in marketing Namibia’s potential for green hydrogen production.
This new industry will strengthen our renewable energy footprint, which will result in competitive electricity tariffs. In 2022, we shall secure the first 100 million Namibian dollars in concession fees from the preferred bidder, bringing immediate relief to the fiscus and translating the vision of a synthetic fuels industry into immediate Foreign Direct Investment flows.
We shall deliver Namibia’s Green Hydrogen strategy, outlining a clear pathway to unlocking even greater investments and to establishing Namibia as a regional and global decarbonization champion.
In the Year 2022, given the extent of economic disruption experienced due to Covid-19, economic recovery and growth, employment creation, provision of basics such as housing and sanitation will continue to be key priorities.
Although Government spending is currently limited, as a country we still remain endowed with a stable governance architecture, a strong macroeconomic framework and excellent infrastructure, which are all built on democratic institutions and the rule of law.
Additionally, Namibia has many unique and untapped economic opportunities which have the potential to attract meaningful investments and change the face of our economy.
To turn opportunities into tangible outcomes, and to catalyze a rapid and sustainable growth trajectory, we must refocus our attention to maximize Namibia’s investment potential.
In this regard, there is resolute commitment from the Government to provide the requisite enabling environment for the private sector to unlock opportunities.
Within this context, we have prioritized key economic interventions through the Harambee Prosperity Plan II with the main objective of jumpstarting Namibia’s economic recovery and growth, and creating productive employment for our people, particularly for the unemployed youth.
Furthermore, Namibia will need to diversify its portfolio of economic activities in strategic sectors, which can support our access to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the global market.
Diversification of economic products, including finished products, and unique services will enable us to be cushioned against external risks and shocks.
In order to achieve this, we need to retool and reskill our workforce. If there is one thing this past year has taught us, it is that one must adapt, evolve or die.
Therefore, to prepare ourselves to benefit from the AfCFTA and continental integration, we are taking initial steps aimed at enhancing regional integration.
One of these steps is the introduction of the new Identity Documents with advanced features for nationals, residents and refugees. Namibia and Botswana are working on usage of IDs for travel between our two countries, to be implemented following formalization of the process.
We in Namibia as trailblazers have decided to refer to the refugee ID as a document for African Guests because Namibia is part of Africa and we cannot refer to fellow Africans as refugees.
It should be noted that Namibia was the first country to hoist the African Union flag and to sing the African Union anthem. We are now the first country to affirm a Pan-African vision of refugees as Guests of Namibia. These steps will among others enable Namibia to do business with the rest of the continent seamlessly and with reduced stumbling blocks.
Fellow Namibians, in terms of national peace and security, I wish to commend the Namibian Police Force and the Namibian Defence Force as well as all other agencies of the security cluster for maintaining safety and order in our country.
Let us all, as citizens of this country, ensure that during this New Year period, we behave in an orderly and dignified manner. We should all ensure that we make our communities bastions of peace, safety and social harmony.
Let us root out crime and violence, especially that which is aimed at our women and children. Let us also ensure that our roads and highways are safe by adhering to the rules and regulations.
Let us avoid the unnecessary devastation and carnage that oftentimes characterizes festive season travel. I also urge all Namibians to continue adhering to the Covid-19 guidelines. Let us make a collective commitment to ensure that we do not have a repeat of the outbreaks we experienced in 2021.
On the international front, we hope that 2022 will be a year characterized by peace, unity, goodwill and rapprochement. The war against Covid-19 has united humanity to fight one common enemy. We therefore hope that, in the wake of the realization that a united world, in which everyone holds hands, is a more resilient world.
Furthermore we hope to see a new dawn signifying improved relations between the United States of America and the Republic of Cuba. In this regard, we call on inhumane sanctions to be lifted against the people of Cuba.
The pursuit of the two-State solution is the only pathway to peace between Israel and Palestine. However, to our surprise, we have learned that the President of the Palestinian Authority has visited Israel to see the Minister of Defence, which in itself is a step forward to find peace between these two neighbours.
Finally, we also call upon our Moroccan brothers to allow the people of Western Sahara to have the opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination in accordance with United Security Council resolutions.
Fellow Namibians, there is much hope that lies ahead in the New Year, in which we endeavour to rebuild our lives, our homes, our communities and our nation.
We have overcome the Year of Resilience, we have stayed the course, held hands and emerged stronger. Now, it is time to start with a clean slate and enter the New Year with a positive outlook.
In this Year 2022, the Year of Reimaging, let us endeavour to think anew as a nation and move forward with renewed enthusiasm and vision. A new and different mental picture should guide the actions and processes we will undertake in the Year of Reimaging.
No matter what challenges we face, let us work together in the spirit of nationhood to overcome whatever is thrown our way. No matter how difficult the task, let us hold hands and develop solutions together in the spirit of unity.
No matter how long it takes us to overcome our problems, let us ensure that we emerge victorious. With confidence in our future, with faith in our brave people and with profound love for our country, I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous 2022. Happy New Year. May God bless you all and may God bless the Republic of Namibia. I thank you.”
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