Linea Dishena
President Nangolo Mbumba has urged international bodies to shift their focus from merely advising governments to providing the resources people need.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative Alka Bhatia to State House yesterday, Mbumba said in current times, international organisations should identify challenges faced by countries, and solve them collectively.
“All international organisations are ready to give advice… ‘This should be done this way, this should be done this way’… It is good, but we really want all of us, as the UN system, ministries and governments, to concentrate on things people can touch and see because sometimes everything is a document,” he said.
Mbumba further indicated that sometimes international bodies advise countries on soft loans, but nobody is really giving anything but loans.
“We have to help one another, not with advice, but with work,” he emphasised.
Bhatia echoed his sentiments, noting that the UNDP aims to be hands-on in terms of the work they are doing in Namibia. She said the UNDP projects will, over the next five years, bring in approximately N$727 million. She further noted that currently, the UNDP is working with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism on six projects, including the trans-boundary water management of the Kunene and Cuvelai rivers valued at about N$145 million, while other projects include building 16 boreholes.
“Our country programme document is completely aligned with the national development plans of the country. We have been working mainly with the ministries. We also mobilise along your side. There are enough documents. But how do you move from strategies to implementation?” she queried.
Bhatia further indicated that for the past several years, UNDP has been advocating to reach out to the ministries and support them in terms of fully utilising development expenditure due to a lack of implementation or absorption capacity.
“We are not here to replace the government, but to support and work alongside the government… Those are some of the things we can help and deliver on, which will accelerate the development trajectory of the country,” she said.
-Nampa