NDP5's grand plans

Approximately 7 200 new homes, 6 500 serviced erven, and 40 000 new jobs per year to the end of March 2022 from part of the fifth development plan launched by President Hage Geingob yesterday.“At the outset, the plan will entail the modernisation and upgrading of our production sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, fisheries, mining and tourism. By focusing on these sectors, we will be able to create more jobs to absorb new jobseekers into the market,” Geingob said.The Fifth National Development Plan (NDP5), which will cost N$162.5 billion to implement, targets the lives of Namibians on all levels. PovertyThe 11% of citizens classified as severely poor must be reduced to 5% by the end of March 2022, while the 18% classified as poor must be reduced to 10%. To achieve this goal, a comprehensive national programme for social welfare protection will be developed and extended.The poverty level in the rural areas, measured at 37% in 2010, must be reduced to 25% and in an attempt to reach this goal, the private sector will be motivated and incentivised to invest in these areas.Further goals of reducing poverty include increasing local food production. By the end of the NDP5, food production must increase by 30% over the 2016 production level. According to President Geingob, the Harambee Prosperity Plan neither replaces Vision 2030 nor the country's development plan. “Harambee is there to speed up certain aspects of these plans so as to improve the quality of life of all Namibians,” he said. Jobs With economic growth supposed to be set at roughly 4.6% per annum, some 200 000 jobs will be created in the five-year period of the plan. The construction sector, currently in a recession with massive job losses, is set to provide 24 000 of these new jobs. According to NDP5, the SME sector must create 45 600 jobs during the five-year period and by 2022, the sector must provide jobs for 177 600 Namibians. Access to finance remains a critical challenge for the SME sector and due to this, microloans under NDP5 will be increased from N$2.3 billion to N$3 billion. In the tourism sector, the current job provision of 29 000 (2014) must be increased to 43 000 by 2022. To ensure growth in this sector, visitors to Namibia must grow from 1.4 million (2015) to 1.8 million in 2022. Value addition also forms part of the government's plan for job creation. Currently 23% of our natural resources are processed and by 2022, 46% is targeted. The fisheries industry will have to add value to 50% of all total allowable catches before these may be exported and the export of local product, including diamonds, must increase from 34.7% in 2015 to 50% by 2022. The youth unemployment rate must decrease from 39.2% (2014) to 33%. Housing Approximately 19% of Namibian households currently reside in homes that are constructed from waste material. By 2022, this figure must be reduced to 12%. In this regard, 36 000 homes and 32 500 serviced erven must be completed in the five-year period. According to the NDP5 document, the Mass Housing Project launched in 2013 has completed only 1 023 houses and 3 181 are currently under construction. This is far below the annual target of 10 278 homes per annum. The 72% of rural Namibians without access to toilets will be reduced to 60% by 2022 and further, access to water in rural areas must increase from the current 84% to 95%. Education “Quality education is still not satisfactory, especially in schools in poor communities. In isolated rural areas, the number of children not completing their schooling is still too high. The entry level of high school graduates to tertiary institutions is currently at 19% of Grade 12 learners and this must change,” Geingob said. At the end of NDP5, 60% of all pre-primary teachers must be qualified. Currently the figure stands at 45%. Some 96% of primary school learners must complete their primary schooling compared to the current 88.6%. Where 36% of Grade 12 learners qualified for university entrance, 50% must achieve this by 2022 and students that graduate must increase from 50% to 70% Marginalised communities, such as the San, Ovatue and Ovatjimba, have 58% of their children unschooled. By 2022, this figure must drop to 20%. NDP5 will also increase life expectancy in the country, currently at 58 (2015) to 67.5 by 2022.JO-MARE DUDDY

NDP5's grand plans

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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NDP5's grand plans

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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