EDITORIAL: Collective consensus above individual legacies
Policy consistency is the quiet engine that drives economic progress. When every incoming administration rips up the plans of its predecessor - as Namibia witnessed with mass housing under President Hage Geingob - the nation risks remaining stuck in first gear on the socioeconomic highway.
Former President Hifikepunye Pohamba cautioned against this very trap in February, at the memorial of his predecessor Sam Nujoma. He highlighted how green scheme projects, among others, faltered not because of lack of vision, but because subsequent governments failed to carry them forward.
Global examples underscore this truth. China, for instance, did not rise to its current status through flash-in-the-pan initiatives or ego-driven policy shifts. Its trajectory has been shaped by relentless continuity, even as successive leaders left their own mark. In Namibia, too, certain projects must be insulated from the politics of the moment, allowed to mature irrespective of who occupies State House.
It is therefore encouraging that, despite widespread scepticism, the new administration has not abandoned green hydrogen. With the exception of Hyphen, where the state holds a 24% stake, the bulk of operations are privately or foreign-funded. By remaining a steady, supportive presence rather than an overbearing participant, government can create the policy certainty these ventures need to flourish.
Not every idea of the past deserves preservation. But some do. And for those projects that carry national significance, collective consensus - not the whims of the incumbent - is the only path to turning vision into tangible progress. Without it, Namibia risks repeating the same costly mistakes, one administration at a time, and losing valuable opportunities to spur industrialisation, create jobs, and transform its socioeconomic landscape.
For Namibia to realise its potential, leaders must place the country above individual legacies, ensuring that visionary policies are carried forward, strengthened, and adapted - not discarded.
Former President Hifikepunye Pohamba cautioned against this very trap in February, at the memorial of his predecessor Sam Nujoma. He highlighted how green scheme projects, among others, faltered not because of lack of vision, but because subsequent governments failed to carry them forward.
Global examples underscore this truth. China, for instance, did not rise to its current status through flash-in-the-pan initiatives or ego-driven policy shifts. Its trajectory has been shaped by relentless continuity, even as successive leaders left their own mark. In Namibia, too, certain projects must be insulated from the politics of the moment, allowed to mature irrespective of who occupies State House.
It is therefore encouraging that, despite widespread scepticism, the new administration has not abandoned green hydrogen. With the exception of Hyphen, where the state holds a 24% stake, the bulk of operations are privately or foreign-funded. By remaining a steady, supportive presence rather than an overbearing participant, government can create the policy certainty these ventures need to flourish.
Not every idea of the past deserves preservation. But some do. And for those projects that carry national significance, collective consensus - not the whims of the incumbent - is the only path to turning vision into tangible progress. Without it, Namibia risks repeating the same costly mistakes, one administration at a time, and losing valuable opportunities to spur industrialisation, create jobs, and transform its socioeconomic landscape.
For Namibia to realise its potential, leaders must place the country above individual legacies, ensuring that visionary policies are carried forward, strengthened, and adapted - not discarded.
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Namibian Sun
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