Ministries given August deadline to report progress on reforms

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has given government ministries until the end of August to report on the implementation of recommendations from three presidential task forces established to accelerate health, economic and land and housing reforms.

The economic growth and job creation task force was mandated to identify measures to stimulate investment, accelerate industrialisation, remove bureaucratic bottlenecks, support small and medium enterprises and create employment opportunities.

The health task force examined weaknesses in Namibia's public healthcare system, including service delivery, hospital management, human resources, medicine procurement, infrastructure and governance.

The land delivery and housing task force focused on accelerating urban land servicing, increasing housing supply, improving coordination between central and local government, and addressing regulatory and administrative constraints that have slowed land development.

Speaking during the official opening of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia's Mining Expo and Conference in Windhoek on Wednesday, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the three task forces, established in December 2025 following the launch of the Namibia Public-Private Forum, had completed their work and submitted their reports to government.

"I am happy to inform you that they have submitted their reports, and the line ministries are hard at work to implement the proposed recommendations," she said.

The president said she had directed every ministry responsible for implementing the recommendations to report back to her office, creating the first formal implementation deadline since the task forces were established.

"I have given all the ministries the end of August for them to report back on the implementation, and I am happy that yesterday I received one of the reports," she said.

She said the reports would allow the Presidency to assess progress on reforms that emerged from consultations between government and the private sector. She stressed that implementation, rather than further consultation, is the priority.

Work, not money

Nandi-Ndaitwah also indicated that the recommendations are expected to be implemented largely through improvements in government operations rather than additional spending.

"I hope to receive good reports. Nothing needed money, but all needed operational changes in order for us to meet the recommendations which came from that forum," she said.

"The time has come for us to move from discussions to implementation while taking stock of the outcomes achieved since the launch of Namibia's Public-Private Forum in 2025," she said.

Her remarks indicate that the Presidency will now monitor whether ministries translate the task force recommendations into measurable action, with the end-of-August reporting deadline serving as the first formal accountability milestone for the eighth administration's reform agenda.