Africa-Press – Namibia. MINISTER of sport, youth and national service Agnes Tjongarero says the ministry has a high number of outstanding projects.
Tjongarero said this during her recent official ministerial opening.
The minister said these programmes and projects could not be completed for various reasons.
“I am calling on the executive director and his senior management team to ensure that unfinished programmes and projects are prioritised in the annual plan of the new financial year,” Tjongarero said.
She said the unfinished projects range from drafting a new sport act, the completion of the Eenhana sport complex, and the commencement of the construction of the Nkurenkuru multipurpose youth centre and sport complex.
Other pending projects are the completion of the Berg Aukas electrification project, the development of sport and youth development indexes, the resumption of the Namibia Youth Credit Scheme, the implementation of the 121 Rural Youth Enterprise, as well as the renovation and upgrading of Independence Stadium.
“As a ministry charged with driving youth and sport development we need to focus on how well our programmes and projects are achieving the goal of maximising the youth’s potential, and adding value to sport professionalisation,” she said.
Tjongarero said there is a need for better coordination across directorates to ensure faster project implementation and to avoid unnecessary delays and uncertainty.
“Managers must drive performance in their respective directorates and develop capacity where it is lacking among their subordinates, with the aim of improving efficiency,” she said.
Tjongarero said if current business processes are hindering progress, they should be reviewed and re-engineered to achieve better results.
The minister said although her ministry is mandated to develop and empower the youth as well as to promote sport, the past years have been a challenge.
‘RESTLESS YOUTH’
Tjongarero urged all ministerial staff to measure the ministry’s effectiveness in delivering on the government’s youth empowerment and sport development mandate.
“I am sure you do not need me to tell you about the restless state of the youth and the state of our sport facilities,” she said.
Tjongarero said the ministry’s performance over the past years should be seen against the backdrop of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as inefficient budget allocation.
“We could have done better on many aspects, such as on planning for our ministerial programmes and implementing them, on our resource allocation, human resources planning as well as capital project implementation,” the minister said.
Tjongarero said the ministry, however, remains sound and ready to serve the country’s youth and sport sector.
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