Geingob unveils his A-Team

Following months of speculation, President Hage Geingob yesterday finally unveiled his team of six advisors, whom he says will help him run the country. In line with media speculation, Geingob appointed Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) boss Albertus Aochamub as his government spokesperson and former Statistician-General John Steytler as his economic advisor. Etienne Maritz, who until yesterday was an official in the Office of the Prime Minister, was appointed the executive secretary in the Office of the President. He had previously served as Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Office of Prime Minister, in the Department of Public Service Management, and worked with Geingob during his last tenure as Prime Minister. Geingob said Maritz, who will be appointed at the level of permanent secretary, is a humble man who has never bothered or nagged about being promoted. Maritz wrote a paper for his Masters’ degree analysing rationalisation policies and assessing the extent to which they have an impact on the structure, shape and effectiveness of the civil service. Daisry Mathias, who recently quit as Team Namibia chief executive officer, will advise the President on youth matters. Geingob, who yesterday held a media conference to mark his first 100 days in office, also appointed Namdeb boss Inge Zaamwani-Kamwi as his public sector advisor. According to Namdeb, Zaamwani-Kamwi has given notice that she will remain in her current role until the end of next month, to ensure an appropriate transition process. Namdeb board chairperson Elijah Ngurare said Zaamwani-Kamwi has transformed the company into an iconic national company, cementing its position as the single biggest contributor to Treasury. Penny Akwenye, who was formerly with the Millennium Challenge Account-Namibia (MCA-Namibia), is Geingob’s policy advisor on implementation and monitoring. Early this year, Akwenye was appointed as Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) chairperson. She had formerly served as a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Agriculture. She was also formerly with the National Planning Commission (NPC) and had worked for the DBN previously as Special Development Fund Manager. Geingob also appointed former Defence Minister Philemon Malima as Director-General of the Namibia Central Intelligence Service (NCIS), replacing Lieutenant-General (retired) Lucas Hangula. Malima is also a former Environment and Tourism minister. The Head of State reconfirmed that former Deputy Dean of the University of Namibia (Unam) Faculty of Law, Yvonne Dausab, is the chairperson of the Law Reform and Development Commission. WINDHOEK ELVIS MURARANGANDA