Namibia Embassy Berlin -
Regierungsmitteilungen
Namibian Sun, 28 November 2016 | Business
Minister of Finance Calle Schlettwein recently invited private investors to partner with government in the logistics, water and energy sectors.Partnerships in the water, energy and transportation sectors are being sought, according to finance minister Calle Schlettwein who recently shared the framework of the proposed public-private partnerships (PPP) at a recent stakeholder engagement hosted by Standard Bank and PwC.
Began Schlettwein: “Different line ministries and other public institutions in the country are working on developing a number of public-private partnership initiatives. These are in the core infrastructure sectors like energy, water and transport as well as social and economic sectors like housing, healthcare and tourism. A number of relevant and innovative projects are under consideration.”
Read more...New Era, November 22, 2016, by Alvine Kapitako
President Hage Geingob yesterday bemoaned the lack of private sector funding support for the fight against HIV, saying the current one percent contribution is a mere drop in the ocean.“I would like to take this opportunity to engage the private sector on the need to join us on the frontlines of this battle, as HIV affects each and every one of us, either directly or indirectly,” Geingob said yesterday.
He made the remarks during the official launch of the Global Annual World Aids Day report for 2016 held in Windhoek.
While Namibia is proud of the achievements it has made in collaboration with partners like Global Fund and PEPFAR, Geingob said Namibia’s HIV response is by and large funded by domestic resources.
“It is important for us to take ownership for treatment and care, while allowing partners to walk this difficult journey alongside us,” the head of state said.
President Geingob further said his declared war on poverty would be meaningless if no shots are fired in the direction of the AIDS pandemic. “Our efforts to tackle HIV are part of the multi-faceted approach to the war on poverty.”
“Our determination to eradicate poverty is closely linked to our ambition of ending AIDS as a public health threat in Namibia within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, our own Vision 2030, National Development Plan and the Harambee Prosperity Plan.”
“We must always be mindful that socio-economic issues, such as inequality and gender-based violence, manifest themselves in our HIV statistics, hence our focus on taking a holistic view when addressing HIV as it does not occur in a vacuum to societal realities.” Read more...
President Dr Hage Geingob opens Investment Conference
08/11/2016
The two day International Investment Conference officially kicked off under the theme, 'Promoting Investment for Inclusive Growth and Industrialisation'. Government wants investments in housing, tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, energy transport and logistics.
Oct 18, 2016, German Information Centre Africa
Launch of “MoveWindhoek” (© GIC Africa) But since early 2016, 26 modern city buses have been operating on a new route network across Windhoek. And for the first time, the city has a roadmap to guide its initial steps towards sustainable urban mobility.The Sustainable Urban Transport Master Plan (‘Move Windhoek’), launched in November 2015, is the outcome of a partnership between the Namibian Ministry of Works and Transport, the City of Windhoek and the German Development Agency (GIZ) GmbH, working on behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The Master Plan supports the development of a new and improved infrastructure, including provision for pedestrians and cyclists: local residents are already benefiting from around 18 km of new walkways and eight km of new cycle routes.
"Car-centred transport planning that does not adequately consider the needs of cyclists, pedestrians and local mobility is a major challenge to sustainable development in Windhoek and other cities in Namibia," says Heinrich Semar, GIZ Team Leader for the Move Windhoek project. The Master Plan therefore provides equal access for all transport users. It’s an innovative approach that has now won a major accolade – the Africa Grow with Public Transport Award for Integrated Mobility from the International Association of Public Transport (UITP). The project has also been showcased at the United Nations as a best practice roadmap for sustainable mobility in Africa.
A bus of the ''MoveWindhoek'' project (© GIC Africa) Move Windhoek has raised the general public’s awareness of integrated mobility and has inspired a rethinking of transport policy in Namibia. The country’s latest Transport White Paper defines a new framework for sustainable urban mobility throughout the country – and this is one of the project’s most significant achievements.
Further information: Habitat III
Budget review: new taxes and cuts loom large
New Era, October 28, 2016, by Desie Heita
Click here to read the Minister's full speech
Namibia has officially entered a period of belt-tightening – this time tighter than previously – while re-allocating funds and freezing a whole lot to restore stability and confidence in the economy.
The country’s projected earnings are weak, because Namibia would not be able to export and sell as many of its products as it did last year. And although the situation is not quite frightening as yet, it does require that Namibia review how the country spends what is in the kitty.
That means cutting expenditure and re-allocating funds to assist those whose purses would otherwise be hard-hit by slow and low economic growth.
Hence, the austere fiscal policy statement that Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein tabled in parliament yesterday cuts the operational budget by N$1,82 billion.
The cuts amount to N$634 million on personnel expenditure; N$528 million on travel allowances, material suppliers and transport; N$379,6 million on subsidies and current transfers, as well as N$278 million on the acquisition of capital assets.
The development budget was cut by N$2,7 billion, which weighs on future construction of office blocks and extensions.