By Petronella Sibeene
WINDHOEK
Over 200 delegates are expected to meet in Windhoek for a four-day consultative conference on the long-awaited National Development Plan III (NDP3).
The document is expected to give economic direction for the country.
Government ministries, ambassadors, and governors from all the regions with their mayors, chief regional officers, town clerks and town planners, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), are expected to attend the conference that runs from October 26 to 30.
Director of Development Planning at the National Planning Commission Secretariat, Sylvia Demas, said the bulk of the NDP3 preparation process that started early this year was complete. The work involved stakeholders’ briefing sessions and the submissions by thematic working groups.
Thus the National Consultative Conference will discuss the first draft of the NDP3 compiled from the different submissions.
“The purpose of the conference is to discuss the draft NDP3 document with the stakeholders and incorporate their feedback before it is submitted to Cabinet for approval,” she said.
Work on NDP3 started mid-last year and Cabinet approved the draft guidelines for the formulation of NDP3 in December.
The launch of the document was expected to be in August this year but was delayed.
Demas attributes the delay to the introduction of new strategies on the planning approach involving linking activities and programmes to Vision 2030’s key target areas. The process demanded that thematic groups understand the new strategy.
Thematic working groups comprise representatives of the stakeholders that design the programmes and activities to achieve the NDP3 goals.
Namibia’s Vision 2030 sees the National Deve-lopment Plan as the main vehicle for achieving its objectives. The medium-term development plans enable stakeholders to monitor how the country is performing and strives to achieve the objectives stipulated in the Vision 2030 blueprint.
NDP3’s theme is “Accelerated Economic Growth through Deepening Rural Development.”
The National Planning Commission is coordinating the preparation of the Third National Development Plan (NDP3), which will cover period 2007/08 to 2011/12.
The broad thrusts and goals of NDP3 derive from Vision 2030, the 2004 Swapo Party Manifesto, directives from the November 2005 Cabinet Retreat, the Millennium Declarations (including the MDGs), and lessons learnt from implementing NDP2.