President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Tuesday closed off Cabinet for 2025 with a firm directive for faster, more accountable government service delivery. She told ministers that the coming year must deliver measurable results for citizens. 

Speaking at State House during the last Cabinet meeting of the year, Nandi-Ndaitwah said time is running fast and every hour in leadership must be used wisely.

She stressed that the government must work with urgency, track progress more strictly, and deliver development without delay.

“It seems just like yesterday when you stood before the nation to take your oath as Cabinet ministers. Yet nine months have already passed. This pace is a powerful reminder that in leadership, every hour must be used wisely, every action must carry purpose, and every decision must honour the people we serve,” she said. 

The most striking part of her address was the instruction that government systems must tighten monitoring of progress, fix delays early, and ensure that policies translate into real change. Monitoring and Evaluation, she stressed, must no longer be a formality but an active driver of results.

She directed institutions responsible for M&E structures to finish the task within the first quarter of 2026, making it one of the strongest policy deadlines set by the Presidency this year, saying Namibia cannot afford delays in implementing development plans.

“I direct the institutions responsible for establishing or upgrading their Monitoring and Evaluation Units to complete this work in the first quarter of 2026,” she said. 

Nandi-Ndaitwah said disciplined tracking of programmes will help Namibia meet the promises of the Swapo manifesto and the objectives of NDP6. 

She warned that the government must move with greater urgency so that development reaches households, communities, and regions across the country.  She said progress must be felt in hospitals, schools, economic programmes, youth empowerment and local development, not just written in government plans.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia has a strong mandate to deliver, pointing to the Swapo party’s victory in regional and local authority elections as proof of public confidence.

“The recent overwhelming victory of the Swapo party in the Regional and Local Authorities elections strengthens this alignment across all levels of government,” she said.

She continued,“With this unity of purpose, there is no excuse for us not to succeed. Our charge is clear. Our responsibilities are defined. The people have entrusted us with both confidence and expectation, and we must deliver accordingly and without failure.” 

She cautioned office-bearers that success will depend on discipline, teamwork, clarity and communication between political leaders and technical administrators.

“When political direction is aligned with administrative professionalism, we create a unified system capable of driving progress at the pace our people expect,” she said. 

Procurement

The President also called for procurement reform to remove delays in public projects and health services. She highlighted the recent improvement in medication supply as evidence that good coordination can fix old problems.

“We must also underscore the importance and the need to streamline procurement systems and ensure that legislation supports efficiency, transparency and timely service delivery,” she said.

“The progress made in resolving the medication procurement bottleneck shows that with proper coordination and discipline, long-standing challenges can indeed be corrected.” She said 2026 should bring stronger job creation, more investment, industrialisation and digital public services that work. “The acceleration of implementation must produce measurable results that unlock investment, drive job creation, support industrialisation, and sustain inclusive growth,” she said. 

Inspect projects 

Even during the festive break, Nandi-Ndaitwah told ministers to stay alert and engage with citizens.

“Wherever your travels may take you during this festive period, if you pass by a capital project on the ground, take a moment to stop and assess the progress. True leadership is found in presence, humility, and the willingness to engage directly with the work that shapes our people’s lives,” she said. 

The President ended by thanking the Cabinet and urging them to return stronger.

“I urge you to come back with more energy and do the same next year,” she said.