Namibia’s diplomats are unskilled
Africa must stop spending money on sending uninformed diplomats to international conferences where they fail to make relevant contributions.
This sentiment was expressed by speakers during a discussion on the role of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) at the foreign policy review conference under way in Windhoek.
According to Loide Lungameni, chief of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), African diplomats often see international trips as “shopping sprees”.
“In order for Namibia to participate meaningfully we need to have a cadre of people who can really hold their own and advocate for Namibia,” she urged.
Lungameni, who has been working for the UN for the last 21 years, said Namibia must deliberately invest in people who will take up future leadership positions and represent Namibia abroad as diplomats.
Paul Kalenga, the senior trade policy advisor at the SADC Secretariat in Botswana, echoed these sentiments and urged SADC countries to build capacity.
He warned that should Namibia fail to do this, it would be in a situation where it has eight delegates participating in a SADC forum, but not saying anything meaningful.
“You want active participation to be taken seriously, to develop the image of the country, but this can only be done if you develop the capacity,” he advised.
He criticised SADC member states for only subscribing to the SADC regional body for the sake of it and for failing to be proactive.
“Countries do not have specific strategies of what they want out of SADC; they think SADC must come to them. But it is us (countries) who must participate in SADC and utilise the opportunity it brings about and make SADC contribute to poverty reduction,” he said.
JEMIMA BEUKES
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