President beats vaccine drum in New Year’s message

JANA-MARI SMITH

WINDHOEK

President Hage Geingob’s New Year’s address highlighted the devastation brought about by Namibia’s third Covid-19 wave, which marked the most troubling year since Namibia’s independence, and urged more Namibians to line up for the jab.

“The havoc inflicted by this merciless pandemic of the 21st century has been unlike anything we have experienced since our independence in 1990. Covid-19 is indiscriminate; it knows no borders, no nationality, no race, no tribe, no gender, no age and no social class,” Geingob said in his New Year’s message shared on Friday.

The president stressed that the difficulties faced during 2021 also brought out the best in some Namibians.

“In the midst of great loss, we saw faith; in the midst of untold suffering, we saw courage; in the midst of endless despair, we saw love. In times of death and bereavement, we saw a deep sense of connection and empathy.”

He added that 2021’s challenges “reminded us that through unity and collective resilience, we can bend, but we will never break and by holding hands, we can overcome that which may seem unsurmountable.”

Frontline defence

Geingob emphasised that the government had learned valuable lessons in 2021, and was working to become “more resilient and better prepared to deal with pandemics.”

The president acknowledged the widespread negative economic consequences unleashed by measures to control the pandemic, but underlined that vaccine hesitancy in Namibia was thwarting efforts to improve Namibia’s economic stability.

“As a nation, we cannot continue to lag behind others in terms of vaccination rates. Namibia is not an island. We belong to a global village and for us to survive, we must do business with the rest of the world.”

The president warned that unless Namibia reaches “acceptable levels of vaccination and achieves herd immunity, we are effectively cutting ourselves off from the world and severely limiting our economy’s ability to generate the prosperity we so desperately long for.”

He urged Namibians to get the jab, and to avoid spreading false information about vaccination.

Opportunity

President Geingob said while the economy is expected to see growth this year, Namibia has to be proactive and “think out of the box and pursue innovative ideas and ventures that can generate economic growth.”

He highlighted that green hydrogen offers great potential for Namibia, and that the government is focused on harnessing Namibia’s green energy market to the rest of the world.

“This new industry will strengthen our renewable energy footprint, which will result in competitive electricity tariffs.”

The president said this year, government will secure the first N$100 million in concession fees from the preferred bidder, “bringing immediate relief to the fiscus and translating the vision of a synthetic fuels industry into immediate Foreign Direct Investment flows.”

The president further noted that while state spending has been curbed, Namibia remains “endowed with a stable governance architecture, a strong macroeconomic framework and excellent infrastructure, which are all built on democratic institutions and the rule of law.”

The president added that in order to clear a pathway towards maximising Namibia’s investment potential, the government is committed to provide an enabling environment for the private sector to unlock opportunities.

The president highlighted that Namibia has taken the unique step of issuing identity documents to refugees, who will be referred to as guests from now on.

“We are now the first country to affirm a Pan-African vision of refugees as guests of Namibia. These steps will among others enable Namibia to do business with the rest of the continent seamlessly and with reduced stumbling blocks.”