Charles Ndeumane
ONGWEDIVA – The coalition advocating a basic income grant, which would provide a monthly payment to every Namibian from birth to 59 years, is ramping up pressure on the government to address poverty and its consequences.
The Basic Income Grant Coalition, which consists of more than 30 organisations including the Legal Assistance Centre, Council of Churches in Namibia, National Youth Council of Namibia, and Namibia Institute for Development, plan a march in Windhoek on 15 June 2024.
The “march to end poverty”, planned to start from the Katutura Youth Complex to Zoo Park in the central business district, will demand government’s action on the grant.
Social justice activists like Claudius Riruako argue that the grant would improve lives and stimulate the country’s economy. He emphasised that poverty often leads to crime, and implementing the grant would help reduce criminal activities.
Nafimane Hamukoshi, an activist from the Social and Economic Justice Trust, points out that the grant should be available to all Namibians under 59, not just the unemployed. She stresses that people have basic needs beyond food, and cash assistance is essential.
However, last year the government turned its food bank programme a conditional basic income grant (CBIG). Over 8 000 food bank beneficiaries receive a cash transfer of N$600 per household.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Poverty Eradication spends more than N$500 million per month on grants in the fight towards poverty eradication. Government has budgeted over N$5 billion on social safety nets.
The BIG concept was first proposed in 2002, with strong support from then Prime Minister Hage Geingob. Later, the country’s first Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, Bishop Zephania Kameeta, also agitated for the BIG. However, despite initial enthusiasm, the idea never came to full fruition. A pilot project in Oshivero in 2008 showed promising results, with residents receiving a N$100 social grant. However, the project was not expanded nationally.