Editorial: The endless green scheme story

It’s the same old story, told by new voices every few years. Committees visit the sites, ministers express concern, and reports repeat the same findings: mismanagement, neglect and poor coordination. Everyone knows what is wrong with Namibia’s green schemes. The real question is why nothing is being done.



Year after year, millions are budgeted for “revitalisation”, yet the fields remain overgrown, the pumps are broken and the canals are dry. What were once symbols of food security and rural empowerment have become monuments to government indecision. Ministries argue over control, officials pass blame, and projects that could feed communities lie idle.

The truth is simple: the problem is not knowledge but will.



Namibia does not need another enquiry or press statement. It needs action. Either the government must run these schemes as serious commercial ventures with professional management and accountability, or it must open them to genuine public-private partnerships that deliver results.



Until that happens, the so-called green schemes will remain dry reminders of lost opportunities – proof that knowing the problem means nothing if you refuse to fix it.