The Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF), the largest pension fund in the country, procured land for the construction of a new N$38.3 million office complex at Ondangwa in the Oshana region. The fund held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, 30 September 2022, paving the way for the construction of the new facility. 

The GIPF offers pension and ancillary benefits to employees of government, parastatals and local authorities and has a membership base of close to 146 000 members (active and annuitants) countrywide. 

“The GIPF has adopted a member centric outreach strategy that focuses on ensuring the accessibility of GIPF services at the convenience of our members. The fund, therefore, makes efforts towards decentralising its operations with the aim to make services accessible to all members,” said Nilian Mulemi, chairperson of the GIPF Board of Trustees. 

She added that “in an attempt to ensure the fund delivers GIPF services in a conducive environment to the members in Ondangwa and surrounding areas, the fund took a strategic decision to acquire its own office complex in the town of Ondangwa to attend to the growing number of members in this area.”

In a speech read on his behalf, the governor of Oshana, Elia Irimari, welcomed the development of this new building in his region. “My people in Ondangwa, Okatjali, Uukwiyuushona, Okaku, Olukonda, Onayena, Onyaanya, Oniipa and Omulonga and I are grateful for the expected temporary employment to be created in the construction process and for the new look which the town is about to undergo since the new building is anticipated to be a state-of-of-the-art structure,” he remarked. 

The governor pledged his continuous support to the fund and implored all GIPF members to ensure their member details are in order, and that they are enrolled on the fund’s recently launched biometric system in order to ensure benefits are paid out on time. 

In addition, the mayor of Ondangwa, Paavo Amwele, remarked the GIPF has invested over N$306 million in the Oshana region, of which over N$110 million is invested in Ondangwa through land servicing and construction for the benefit of those residing in surrounding areas. Notable projects include investments in the Gwashamba Mall and the landmark Ongwediva MediPark Private Hospital as well as numerous land servicing projects. 

“The new facility will provide adequate space for our staff and GIPF members, and we anticipate that when the office is fully developed, it will also have additional offices that will be up for rental which we foresee as a further investment in the development of Ondangwa,” remarked GIPF CEO, David Nuyoma, when he thanked stakeholders in attendance. 

Nuyoma added that the groundbreaking event formed part of the GIPF`s strategy to ensure the fund responds to the plea by its members for conducive and adequate office space. 

“We believe that this intervention will immensely improve our service delivery,” Nuyoma concluded.

Photo: GIPF

Caption: Ground breaking…Nilian Mulemi, chairperson of the GIPF Board of Trustees (with shovel) breaking the ground for the fund’s new N$38 million office complex in Ondangwa. Mulemi was joined by GIPF CEO, David Nuyoma (second from left) and other officials. Photo: Contributed