Malcolm Kambanzera
President Hage Geingob has declared 2023 as the Year of Revival. His two terms have been defined by planning, implementation, re-dedication, reckoning, accountability, resilience, re-imaging and now revival. With one more theme left, could this be Geingob’s last dance with the R themes and the ultimate path to prosperity?
It appears to be the only eventuality.
Over the seven years of his tenure, President Geingob has been known for his strong leadership and commitment to improving the lives of citizens. Since taking office in 2015, he has focused on implementing policies aimed at strengthening the country’s institutions, economy, and reducing poverty. This is in the pursuit of prosperity for all Namibians.
His major initiative has been the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP), a comprehensive economic programme launched in 2016 with the goal of achieving inclusive and sustainable economic growth. The HPP focuses on areas such as job creation, poverty reduction, and improving the country’s infrastructure. Under Geingob’s leadership, the Namibian economy has seen a resurgence of growth, with an increase in GDP per capita, a reduction in poverty and a rise in foreign investment.
President Geingob has also demonstrated strong leadership on the international stage. He is an active member of regional and international organisations and has been a strong advocate for regional integration in southern Africa. He has also shown a commitment to multilateralism, through Namibia’s active participation in various global forums, including the United Nations and African Union.
Furthermore, President Geingob has also been praised for his efforts to promote good governance and fight corruption. Under his leadership, Namibia has improved its ranking in international transparency and accountability indexes, and has set a positive example for other countries in the region.
However, although President Geingob has been a strong and effective leader for Namibia, having navigated successfully the challenges posed by the pandemic, we cannot ignore the fact that many efforts (as elsewhere the world-over) were brought to a standstill by Covid-19.
The pandemic had a major impact on the economy, causing a slowdown in growth and increasing, amongst others, unemployment, inequalities, poverty etc. Consequently, the dream of a prosperous nation was fading in the midst of this health and economic crisis.
Back on course
President Geingob, a man defined by unity, nation building and good governance, is set on reviving the course to a prosperous Namibian nation. The year of revival for Namibia is a time of renewal and resurgence, as it emerges from a period of challenge and adversity. As the nation recovers from the health and economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. He is instilling a growing sense of hope and optimism that a new era of prosperity and growth is on the horizon,
In his New Year’s message dated 31 December 2022. He reassured the nation of positive projections that our economy is on the rebound and that 2023 promises to bring with it better fortunes. The President has also been working to attract foreign investment to the country and has been promoting the country’s natural resources and potential for growth. Namibia has seen an uptick in business activities, and foreign investors are showing more interest in the country. President Geingob further encourages citizens to look forward with renewed optimism and a renewed sense of an improving economic situation.
Key to prosperity?
President Geingob has always made significant efforts to promote sustainable energy in the country. His recent focus on the development of green hydrogen is but one of the many efforts. For purposes of convenience, green hydrogen is a clean and renewable form of hydrogen that is produced using renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power. It is considered to be a key component of the transition to a low-carbon economy, as it can be used as fuel for transportation, industry, and power generation.