Today, I sat attentively and listened as President Netumbo Nandi- Ndaitwah officially launched Namibia’s Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) in Windhoek. 

I have since gone through the document itself. 

The vision is there, the intentions are noble, and the language is as promising as ever. 

For that effort alone, I commend the President for attempting to steer this country towards inclusive economic growth and renewed national purpose. 

But as a citizen, leader and patriotic observer, I must be honest that trying is no longer enough. 

The truth is that Namibia is not suffering from a lack of ideas, but we are suffocating under the weight of unimplemented plans. 

Since independence, we have built a catalogue of National Development Plans, Vision 2030, the Harambee Prosperity Plans and sector-specific policies. 

Every plan begins with a launch. Every launch comes with speeches. Every speech promises progress. 

Yet, here we are in 2024 – 34 years into independence – and millions of Namibians are still trapped in poverty, unemployment and inequality. 

President Nandi-Ndaitwah leads every single Namibian, not just her party or the privileged class. 

Because of that, she must also lead with a listening ear. Our democracy thrives not when we all clap, but when we question, contribute and hold our leaders accountable. That is how nations grow. 

The truth is: Namibia has become a country of policy papers instead of practical ones. We launch plans and bury them the next day. 

Our graduates remain unemployed. Our public hospitals remain overcrowded. Our young entrepreneurs remain underfunded. Our food insecurity persists. 

Our economy remains at the mercy of foreign extraction companies while local industries struggle to take off. 

Our youth, especially those in rural areas, continue to feel like forgotten passengers in the bus of national development. 

So, we ask, what is it that the NDP6 will achieve that NDP1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 failed to? 

In this new plan, the themes are familiar: economic revival, skills development, job creation, improved healthcare, clean governance and sustainable resource use. 

These are the right pillars, but the real issue is not planning – it is execution, discipline, accountability and implementation. 

For example, under NDP4, the country set out to create 90 000 jobs by 2017. 

Not only was that missed, but youth unemployment rose dramatically instead. 

NDP5, launched in 2017, aimed to reduce the Gini coefficient (a measure of inequality), modernise agriculture and make small and medium enterprises the backbone of the economy. 

Yet, in 2024, we are still importing basic vegetables from South Africa and struggling to capitalise on our aquifers or green hydrogen promises. 

We must admit that our NDPs too often become public relations documents instead of public delivery documents. 

This is a dangerous cycle. It erodes public trust, feeds frustration, and pushes our young people into despair – or worse, out of the country. 

If NDP6 is to be different, it must be led discipline, backed by data, measured by results and defended by delivery. 

Madam President, this is your moment. Do not allow NDP6 to become another ceremonial plan. Let it be your defining legacy – not by design but delivery. 

To do that, the plan must create a credible implementation task force that is independent, non-partisan and technocratically strong, not composed of the same recycled bureaucrats who watch plans decay from their offices. 

Set timelines and public performance dashboards so that every Namibian can track what is being achieved, region by region, sector by sector. 

Empower governors, regional councils, and local authorities to implement locally. 

Development must not only live in Windhoek, but it must breathe in Eenhana, Opuwo, Katima, Rundu and Keetmanshoop. 

Reward those who deliver and fire those who delay. Political will must be stronger than personal ties. Implementation cannot be sacrificed at the altar of comradeship. 

Be brutally honest with the budget. NDP6 must be costed realistically. It must not be a wish list but a to-do list. 

Most importantly, the NDP6 must deliver for the have-nots, not only the haves. It must speak to the mother in Oshakati selling kapana to feed her children. 

It must matter to the teacher in Outapi whose classroom is falling apart. 

It must mean something to the unemployed engineering graduate in Swakopmund who cannot break into a closed-off economy. 

It must revive hope in the minds of young people who have lost faith in the promises of independence. 

The time for plans has passed. The time for action is now. 

The President has taken the first step by launching the NDP6. 

But from this point forward, we, the citizens, must hold her and her government to account every step of the way. 

We love our country too much to stay silent. We will not clap for broken promises. 

Instead, we will speak, question, support and criticise because that is how democracy lives and how progress begins. 

Let this be the plan that does not gather dust. Let this be the plan that turns speeches into solutions. 

Namibia is ready for more than just hope. We are ready for results. 

*Hidipo Hamata writes in his personal capacity from Omafo – Helao Nafidi Town.