Africa-Press – Namibia. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says Namibia must rise beyond being a mere supplier of raw materials, to be an exporter of semi-processed and fully finished products.
She says the country’s small population should not throw doubt on its potential and that, with the right mindset and attitude, Namibia could become a centre of production of goods and materials based on the country’s natural resources.
She made these comments during the observance of International Workers’ Day at Oshakati yesterday.
“Namibia is blessed with abundant renewable and non-renewable resources, which we must seize through value-addition for the benefit of all our people. Sectors such as mining, energy, oil and gas, tourism and fisheries are key economic engines with the potential to unlock employment opportunities for many Namibians. However, this potential remains far-fetched if we continue to export raw materials without processing them,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah added that the export of finished products will present compelling opportunities for local entrepreneurs to invest in the manufacturing sector and emerging industries such as sport and the creative sectors.
“While calling for direct foreign investment in our economy, we must have deliberate programmes aimed at strengthening local businesses and entrepreneurs. We have to invest in home-grown initiatives that do not only enhance the value of our resources but also transform and grow our economy, create wealth, empower our communities, create sustainable jobs and accelerate development,” she said.
She further said that the government is ready to venture into public-private partnerships and to provide a conducive environment that promotes investment and industrialisation for the realisation of Namibia’s short-, medium- and long-term goals and objectives.
“Indeed, a hungry worker cannot be productive and an unvalued worker cannot be a proud citizen of the country. Therefore, let us build a culture where labour is honoured and celebrated, and not exploited. “We cannot speak of freedom and independence without addressing economic injustice. Workers cannot continue to live in poverty while contributing significantly to the growth of industries. As stakeholders, let us ensure that workers are paid living wages, while at the same time our labour force has to be productive,” said Nandi- Ndaitwah.
She highlighted that youth empowerment is one of the key priorities of her administration.
“We must be committed to empowering our young people to participate meaningfully in the economy. Hence the government’s decision to provide free education from primary to tertiary education.” She highlighted initiatives such as the Youth Internship Tax Incentive Programme and the National Youth Apprenticeship and Youth Internship schemes as pathways to youth inclusion.
This year’s International Workers’ Day was observed under the theme, ‘Workers Demand Justice through Natural Resource Beneficiation, Value Addition, Living Wages and Youth Employment’.
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