Joe-Chintha Garises
MARIENTAL – Mariental Municipality councillor Landless People’s Movement’s William Minnie has described the 2026/27 National Budget as fiscally cautious but insufficiently responsive to the economic hardships facing ordinary Namibians.
Minnie is of the fervent view that the budget prioritises consolidation over structural transformation.
In an interview with Nampa following the tabling of the budget on Thursday, Minnie said, while the government’s emphasis on stabilising the fiscus and containing public debt is acknowledged, the document does not decisively address inequality, unemployment and economic exclusion at the constituency level.
“The budget reflects a government attempting to stabilise public finances, but it does not sufficiently confront the structural crises facing ordinary citizens,” he said.
Minnie noted that economic growth projections remain modest and are largely concentrated in capital-intensive sectors such as mining, which offer limited labour absorption and minimal impact on household incomes.
He said the structure of expenditure reinforces this concern, with operational spending continuing to dominate over capital investment.
“The reality in our constituencies and local authorities is rising living costs, unemployment and infrastructure backlogs. In that sense, the budget does not fully reflect the harsh economic realities experienced by ordinary citizens,” he added.
Minnie said while allocations have been made for infrastructure, youth development and sectoral programmes, they remain insufficient in scale and slow to implement.
He pointed to the development budget of approximately N$6.5 billion, describing it as low relative to total expenditure and inadequate to drive meaningful infrastructure expansion, industrialisation or job creation.
He said operational expenditure exceeding N$81 billion reflects a fiscal structure that “prioritises consumption over production”.
“The imbalance undermines the developmental role of the State. A serious infrastructure drive in roads, sanitation, water systems, housing and local economic development requires greater fiscal commitment,” he said.
He cautioned against growing reliance on State-owned enterprises and public-private partnerships to finance infrastructure.
Minnie warned that this approach may shift fiscal risk, create contingent liabilities and weaken transparency and public accountability.
Minnie further raised concern over the absence of a strong fiscal push toward manufacturing, agro-processing and value addition.
He argued that without deliberate industrial policy backed by substantial development spending, youth unemployment will remain entrenched.
He described the N$100 increase in the old-age pension grant as inadequate amid rising food, housing and utility costs.
He said social protection should be treated as a core pillar of economic justice and redistribution. -Nampa