Swapo party secretary general Sophia Shaningwa urged the party’s think tank to navigate the body into becoming the only credible option for voters.

Shaningwa was speaking during the official opening of the Swapo party think tank workshop on research and policy papers over the weekend.

She indicated that the party’s think tank has an immense responsibility to take stock of all resolutions passed by congress and important conferences such as the introspection conference, and to exhume the realities of how and why some of these resolutions have not been implemented.

Research papers produced by the think tank would constitute the backbone of discussions of the policy conference. The outcomes of the policy conference will become prominent discussion points in the congress, and will ultimately produce the congress resolutions. Swapo will hold its seventh ordinary congress later this year, and prior to that, the national policy conference.

“It is a tall order to balance all the mentioned areas, but we are very confident in the capabilities of the think tank to help us navigate and remain the only option of our people by choice and not by default,” Shaningwa added.

The party’s secretary general urged participants to critically analyse issues and provide valuable inputs that would enrich the outputs to the congress. 

“We are doing this task with a vision anchored on our responsibility to provide correct advice to our party leadership that is necessary to carve the architecture by which to cushion, nurture and govern our society. Therefore, the think tank are the eyes and ears of the party to reveal these issues to the attention of the leaders at the political bureau, the central committee and congress for solutions,” she reiterated.

Shaningwa observed that the workshop was expanded to include members of the politburo and some veterans of the party to enable them to share their inputs. 

“We have a duty to provide leadership and guidance. I, therefore, look forward to a robust engagement and articulation of the challenges facing us as leaders, and most importantly your suggestions and recommendations on how to address these challenges effectively,” she continued.

- ljason@nepc.com.na