Africa-Press – Namibia. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah instructed Cabinet members to deliver faster and more visibly on government promises. She made the remarks when she opened a two-day Cabinet retreat in Windhoek yesterday.
She said the 8th Administration must move from planning to implementation because “good policies without action are just as good as nothing.”
The retreat, attended by ministers, deputy ministers, governors, executive directors and senior officials, is the first under her leadership and comes eight months after she took office.
She said the meeting should be used to strengthen unity in government, improve coordination, and accelerate service delivery across ministries and regions.
“Implementation requires effective execution and must be the heartbeat of the 8th Administration. Good policies without implementation are just as good as nothing, as they do not change people’s lives,” the President said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the government must show results quickly, especially after receiving overwhelming electoral support during recent regional and local elections.
Nandi-Ndaitwah warned that the people have placed trust in the new administration, and the government must protect that trust through delivery, not speeches.
“However, such a victory must not be taken for granted. It is a strong feather called by our people to all of us in positions of responsibility, both the political office bearers and civil servants, to make an extra effort to bring about quality service delivery. What we have achieved thus far is the beginning of a long journey, and the confidence that the people of Namibia have shown to us, we should not betray them,” she said.
She noted that the people’s vote is not a trophy but a responsibility that must be honoured through tangible improvements in living conditions.
The President said the retreat must produce decisions that accelerate service delivery, unlock stalled programmes, and improve coordination across ministries and regions.
“This retreat is not just a meeting for discussion. It must move us beyond planning and into action, delivering practical results that our citizens can feel and see,” she said.
She encouraged ministries to work together rather than in isolation, warning that fragmented planning leads to delays and duplication.
“I hope that from our discussions in two days at our disposal, we will appreciate the importance of inter-ministerial collaboration, and embrace joint planning where responsibilities overlap. As we may all know, a united, coordinated approach will always yield better outcomes,” she directed.
Over the next days, she said, the focus should be on measurable outcomes, not policy theories.
Corruption
The President also tied service delivery to discipline in government spending. She warned that corruption remains a major threat to development and must be fought with urgency and honesty.
“Corruption undermines public trust and diverts resources meant for development. Every public resource must be managed with care. Decisions must reflect fairness, accountability and integrity,” she said.
She said ethical leadership is non-negotiable, and that those entrusted with public money must serve with clean hands and moral clarity.
Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised that the focus must fall on people, especially the youth who make up the majority of Namibia’s population.
She reminded the Cabinet that jobs, economic opportunities, and improved services should not remain promises in documents.
“Our theme is instructive, enhancing coordination, governance and service delivery for accelerated national development. This must translate into real opportunities for our people, especially young Namibians,” she said.
Procurement
Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare reinforced the President’s message and identified procurement delays as the biggest obstacle to service delivery and infrastructure rollout.
He said the system is failing to move fast enough, resulting in projects stalling for months while communities wait for basic services.
“Procurement is a cancerous disease that knocks our development programmes off balance. If it takes six or seven months just to secure goods and services, then we have already lost the delivery year,” he said.
The prime minister said the issue must be addressed urgently and collectively.
“It is you and I who must end it. Mr or Mrs Procurement must come under our magnifying glass at this retreat,” he told Cabinet.
He added that excuses will not be accepted five years from now, reminding leaders that the people expect visible change.
“In five years, we will have no acceptable reason to explain failure. We have no room for delay,” he said.
Both the President and prime minister stressed that the retreat should produce a roadmap for implementing the 2025-2030 Swapo manifesto and NDP6.
The President said Namibians must see progress in towns, villages and settlements, not just in policy reports.
“Equally, the theme calls on us to strengthen alignment in decision-making, improve coordination across OMAs, refine governance structures, and ensure that policy development and service delivery move in unison to produce tangible outcomes for the people in informal settlements, villages, towns and municipalities across Namibia,” she said.
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