The Harambee Prosperity Plan II, which was launched by President Hage Geingob yesterday, covers 2021 to 2025 and builds on the solid foundation of the inaugural HPP 2016-2020. HPPII continues to prioritise the implementation of targeted policy programmes to enhance service delivery, contribute to economic recovery and engender inclusive growth.
HPPII aims to ensure Namibia is poised to respond to domestic socio-economic challenges and global opportunities during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Just as with the first Harambee Prosperity Plan, HPPII remains a targeted impact plan that prioritises short to medium-term goals and strategic actions to accelerate Namibia’s development towards Vision 2030 and Prosperity for All. HPPII activities are going to be implemented under more challenging conditions, with Covid-19 threatening to reverse gains made over the past five years under HPP. For this reason, HPPII retains the five pillars in the original plan, namely: Effective Governance, Economic Advancement, Social Progression, Infrastructure Development as well as International Relations and Cooperation.
Pillar One: Effective Governance
Effective governance, responsive institutions and an engaged citizenry are the bedrock of democracy and sustainable development.
For this reason, Pillar One is geared towards entrenching governance measures aimed at improving accountability and transparency; strengthening national anti-corruption mechanisms; improving performance and service delivery; enhancing citizen participation and engagement, as well as security and the rule of law. This Pillar is comprised of five goals and 23 activities.
Pillar Two: Economic Advancement
As a small open economy, Namibia needs a targeted and deliberate approach to facilitate inclusive and sustainable levels of economic growth to redress inequality, alleviate poverty and unemployment.
In this regard, the Economic Advancement Pillar comprises three goals and 16 activities that aim to strengthen the stewardship of natural resources, enhance the productivity of key sectors and develop complementary engines of growth – and ultimately, new employment opportunities and macro-economic
sustainability.
Under this Pillar, the country’s impressive portfolio of natural resources, which have attracted investments into a competitive and dynamic mining sector that has long been the engine of growth, should continue alongside the ongoing economic diversification strategy.
Pillar Three: Social Progression
With a focus on improved quality of life for all Namibians and particularly vulnerable members of society, the Social Progression Pillar is the cornerstone of HPP. This Pillar aims to alleviate poverty by arresting hunger and poverty; delivering urban land, housing and sanitation; improving access to public healthcare; improving the quality of the public education system and arresting the scourge of gender-based violence and violence against children. This Pillar comprises five goals and 19 activities. Implementation of Social Progression programmes during HPPI reached a 90% target compliance, with nine out of ten desired outcomes achieved.
Pillar Four: Infrastructure Development
Infrastructure Development is a catalyst for economic growth and social progression, contributing to employment creation, investment attraction, and facilitating trade and global competitiveness. HPPI delivered on significant goals, including zero load shedding; increased electricity generation capacity by more than 50%; established the Cabinet Committee on Water Supply Security, which secured uninterrupted water supply to consumers; completed the construction of the Neckartal dam; upgraded the national road network by 819 Km of bitumen standard; expanded gravel roads with an additional 373 Km and provided 100% broadband connectivity for public sector agencies. Under HPPII, this Pillar is comprised of four goals and 10 activities.
Pillar Five: International Relations and Cooperation
Namibia operates under the policy of non-alignment as a “Friend to all and enemy to none”. As such, the country maintains an international profile as a respected, cooperative and trusted member of the global community by executing a foreign policy that advances the goals of peace and development. This Pillar comprises one goal and six activities.
Bolder and disciplined execution of economic diplomacy is expected to drive the implementation of this Pillar so as to harness Namibia’s foreign policy by doing more with less in favour of economic recovery and the development of the Namibian
people.