WINDHOEK – President Hage Geingob in his quest to eradicate widespread poverty, says he is committed to food banks – to feed the urban poor – which government has been unable to implement over the past several years.
The envisioned food bank was particularly high on government’s agenda over the past few years but it failed to get off the ground to assist the needy communities.
Last year, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) revealed that the much-awaited food bank aimed at alleviating hunger among impoverished communities in the country would open its doors before 2014, which never transpired. The food bank initiative was initiated in 2012 after the exposure of hundreds of people scavenging for rotten and stale food at the Kupferburg dumpsite in Windhoek, which left government and the general public extremely embarrassed.
The media reports in 2012 indicated the magnitude of food insecurity not only in rural areas but also in urban centres such as Windhoek and other towns.
At the time, the Cabinet Committee on Overall Policy and Priorities met and instructed the OPM to co-ordinate all stakeholders to search for a tangible and substantive solution.
“In the Namibian house, no child should go hungry. I am committed to the introduction of a food bank. The willingness of several farmers to get involved in this initiative on a voluntary basis is indicative of how Namibians recognize that we will only eradicate poverty if we work together. Let us allow the spirit of Harambee to manifest itself for the good of all Namibians,” said the Head of State during his maiden State of the Nation Address on Tuesday.
He said the reason the new Ministry of Poverty Eradication was formed is primarily to co-ordinate all aspects hereto and harness the political will of government and the goodwill of Namibians as a toll in the eradication of poverty.
Geingob also said the war against poverty and the quest for economic emancipation must be a multifaceted war, which “we will fight on all fronts using a myriad of methods at our disposal”.
He further said many Namibians are poor because they do not have jobs or access to proper education nor marketable skills.
Against this, he explained that government has renamed the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare as the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Job Creation.
“This renewed focus must ensure that we target one of the root causes of poverty, which is unemployment. A house in which a few are affluent while the rest are poor is not a healthy house,” he noted.
Moreover, he said the introduction of free education at secondary level this year, will enable thousands of young Namibians to have a better shot at a brighter future, saying this will immediately arrest the high unemployment rate.
He also revealed that large subsidies to local tertiary education institutions translate into the State covering up to 80 percent of university costs.
Elaborating that the fees payable by students are significantly reduced by government subsidies and make it tantamount to free tertiary education.
He also called on the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development to ensure the Industrial Policy and accompanying Growth at Home Strategy are implemented expeditiously.
The policy is aimed at adding value locally and developing the local economy.