Windhoek
Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila on Tuesday left for Nairobi, Kenya to attend a three-day annual devolution conference in Kenya on behalf of President Hage Geingob, who was invited by his counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta.
The three-day conference, being held in the Kenyan town of Meru, will discuss issues of decentralisation and devolution of power.
“The Prime Minister will deliver a speech Wednesday sharing Namibia’s experiences on its decentralisation process. The conference provides a platform for participants to learn from each others’ experiences.
“Although Namibia has decentralised some of the services to sub-national governments, the decentralisation process has not reached the stage of full devolution,” Saima Shaanika, the spokesperson for the Prime Minister, explained.
Namibia adopted a decentralisation policy in 1997, through which the following functions have so far been delegated to the regional councils on behalf of central government ministries.
Primary education, secondary education, adult education, and library services; maintenance of regional infrastructure; management and administration of resettlement farms; management and control of communal lands; land acquisition and land use planning; as well as valuation, surveying and mapping of land; and rural water supply.
The Prime Minister will express government’s commitment to advancing genuine participatory democracy and inclusive socio-economic development by the people for the people, saying it requires a firm commitment and political will to create conditions necessary for the people to prosper and live a dignified life.