Eight years prior to 2030, and Vision 2030 is still just a dream with basically nothing achieved. Are we going to blame it all on the likes of Covid-19 too? Government should take accountability, and admit that it has failed the Namibian nation. Vision 2030 was adopted under president Sam Nujoma’s presidency, with the National Development Plans (NDPs) acting as guiding tools towards the realisation of Vision 2030. Shying away from the truth has a serious damaging impact on the attainment of national development. However, whenever you speak freely and honestly, there is always a chance for your words to contribute in bringing about a bright and prosperous future. Bothersome is that most development-oriented policies that have been adopted since independence have failed to live up to their intended purposes, which is one of the fundamental reasons the country experienced slow to no growth in terms of the economy and infrastructure development.
For a country that is blessed with natural resources, its nationals are barely enjoying the luxury of having those resources. Billions, if not trillions, of Namibia dollars have been extracted from the country in the form of raw material, employment and physical currency. It is high time for our leaders to be warned, punished and stopped against engaging in uneven business dealings. If the deal is merely benefiting us, then there is no point in signing it. After all, it is our resources to optimally and prudently sustain. For the natural resources we have and the population the country has, Namibia should not be failing to provide for its inhabitants.
Policies such as mass housing, Targeted Intervention Programme for Employment and Economic Growth (TIPEEG) and others, simply put, have failed the developmental agenda and the dream of Vision 2030 from becoming a reality. These policies failed because public leaders and greedy apparent business people felt the need to loot from the Namibian nationals. What is worrisome is that some individuals are criminals on paper, but free individuals in reality. This is evident from the fact that only a few of these people are convicted of various corruption activities. In all honesty, the Namibian government is doing little to protect and preserve its resources for another day.
Namibia is a country that is governed by processes, institutions and systems. However, for such a country, there was and there is a lack of an institution to preside over the administering and realisation of Vision 2030. If there is such an institution, probably in the name of the National Planning Commission, then its duties are misplaced as we are unable to hold anyone accountable for failing to honour the realisation of Vision 2030. We have to look back and come to terms with what went wrong. As much as the realisation of Vision 2030 is not attainable, believing in achieving the goals of Vision 2030 perhaps in 2040 might turn out to be a much-welcomed prospect, given the mistakes prior to Vision 2030 will have been corrected.
It is always progressive and ideal to use a befitting case study. Therefore, within the Chinese context, in relation with how they attained their goals in terms of national development and economic prosperity, they invested in the youth. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Chinese government sent their students to study specific fields.
Many Chinese students went to the best universities around Europe and the United States of America (USA). Upon the completion of their respective studies, they came home, where they had job opportunities reserved for them to occupy and excel in. The creation of job opportunities before sending students to go study different fields is key, and it is to a large extend something that is lacking within the African context. Cautiously, policies fail and continue to fail because those who control and preside over them are politicians, and not experts and specialists. In most cases, why we fail to achieve our goals is not because it is incomprehensible, but it is because we are reluctant in applying our minds.
An industrialised Namibian nation in eight years is unlikely, with the current unemployment rate we are experiencing today. National unemployment and youth unemployment rates have been high for some time now, and central government, in collaboration with the corporate sector, seem to have run out of plans on how to create job opportunities. Vision 2030 was initiated in June 2004, and it is sad because most policies since 2004 were unable to achieve their objectives. As it stands, Namibia is unable to manage its huge public debt, and with the amount of debt we are experiencing, it is impossible and obtuse to promise national development and economic growth.
Recent reports on the number of Namibians living in poverty are worrying. Cabinet ministers are said to be sitting on opportunities, with no sense of urgency to create opportunities through the implementation of policies. On the other hand, more than half of the Namibian population still lives in multidimensional poverty, with limited access to healthcare and education services. This is shocking, considering the fact that we had a ministry of poverty eradication created with taxpayers’ money. The ministry of poverty eradication did nothing towards combating poverty within the country as the food parcels only benefitted a few people, mostly those living in Windhoek. The current poverty statistics are not only shocking in their nature, but they further indicate the unlikeliness of reducing it to a favourable rate. The nucleus of national development is measured around the poverty rate. Perhaps, the removal of the 1896 Redline could be instrumental towards economic growth and national development, considering that in 2004, Namibia had 26 years to become an industrialised nation. We only have 8 years left now. One would wish we could backtrack the years.
Vision 2030 could have become a reality, but our leaders sold us out. Investing in the young was key in an apparent inclusive economy. However, central government has been hesitant with trusting young people with growing the economy and as a result, Vision 2030 is destined to fail. The continuous exclusion of people in national development is not a positive reflection of a democracy and an inclusive nation.
Do better Namibia; do it with a sober mind! HOPE is all we hold on to.