... Shiimi says government takes note of re-energised interest in sports activities
... Independence Stadium renovation plans boosted
... Region 5 Games covered
... Sports get N$100 million more
Maqonda Ndlovu
Maurice Kambukwe
The Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises, Iipumbu Shiimi, has increased the budget vote of the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service by 45.3%, from N$473.2 million to N$679.4 million in the financial year 2024/25.
He revealed this yesterday when he tabled a whopping N$100.1 billion budget for the 2024/25 financial year in the National Assembly.
The budget is under the theme “Continuing the legacy of His Excellency Dr. Hage G. Geingob by caring for the Namibian child”.
The Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) budget now stands at N$2.2 billion over the next three years.
“Allocations have been made to various youth programmes to support skills development and capacity- building. The allocation caters for, amongst others, skills development courses for out-of-school youth (N$20 million), youth training through the charcoal and mushroom production programmes (N$12 million), funding for the youth credit scheme (N$10 million), financing for 121 youth enterprises across all constituencies (N$9.8 million), and youth skills development through the National Youth Service (N$20 million),” Shiimi said.
He observed that the government is aware of the re-energised interest in sports activities, and has accordingly increased the operational budget for sports promotion programmes by an additional N$100 million.
“This includes N$29.5 million for preparatory activities to enable us to host the Region 5 Youth Games in May 2025,” he stated.
Furthermore, N$124 million has been allocated in the development budget for upgrading the Independence Stadium, as well as various sports facilities and multipurpose youth centres across the country.
Reactions
The executive director (ED) in the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service, Erastus Haitengela, said they are happy with their allocation, as they have gotten what they asked for.
“I urge the sports codes to give us proper motivation to convince the ministry of finance to give us more money. Federations must give us reasonable figures,” he said.
Haitengela expressed his gratitude to the government for allocating money to his ministry for the hosting of the Region 5 Games, saying Namibia had stepped in after the withdrawal of Mozambique.
The ED stated that progress is being made with the renovation of Independence Stadium, with the opening of financial bids scheduled for next week, and the immediate appointment of the lead consultant to follow.
This will then see the drawing up of the actual budget needed to renovate the facility, and the awarding of tenders for the various jobs required to fix it.
The Namibia Sports Commission’s chief administrator Freddy Mwiya said he was satisfied with the allocation to the ministry.
“I am impressed with this year’s allocation. Exceeding half-a-billion is historic, indicating progress in the right direction. We must thank the late head of state; he likely played a significant role in the increase,” he added.
Meanwhile, Isack Hamata, acting Secretary General at Netball Namibia (NN), acknowledged the increase, but reserved a comprehensive comment until a breakdown of the N$679 million is available.
“At this moment, it’s difficult to comment properly without knowing how the funds will be divided. Nonetheless, it’s a substantial improvement, compared to last year’s allocations,” he stated.
He added that the allocation is not only for sport, but for youth and national service, noting that only when the federations ‘feel the money’ and use it for their development will the person on the ground (athletes) benefit from the budget.
Hamata said budgeting money for hosting the Region 5 Games next year and providing funds for the renovation of the Independence Stadium are welcome developments.
He called on the 52 sports federations to continue working hard to make an impression on the central government and receive an improved budget.
Erwin Naimhwaka, president of Athletics Namibia, commended the government for the increase, emphasising its importance in addressing sports-related challenges.
“It’s good news for the entire sports fraternity, with a 45% increase indicating notable progress. This funding will help alleviate ongoing issues in sports. The allocation for preparing facilities for the 2025 Region 5 Games and Independence Stadium is commendable. Kudos to the government for this increase,” he remarked.
Namibia Football Association president Robert Shimooshili expressed satisfaction with the allocated funds for the financial year, but stressed the importance of their appropriate utilisation.
“I appreciate the allocated funds, but we must use them for their intended purpose. The stadium must meet FIFA standards, and although I’m uncertain about the exact cost of upgrades, I believe the allocation should suffice. If not, I trust the government will provide additional funding. My hope is for the stadium to be completed by year-end, as relying on playing abroad hampers talent development,” he reasoned.
– jrnmarko@gmail.com/mkambukwe@nepc.com.na