With only four years before 2030, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said time is no longer on their side, as they are under pressure to realise Namibia’s grand development plan: Vision 2030. Nandi-Ndaitwah yesterday officially opened the 2026 Cabinet, informing ministers that time is no longer on the government’s side.
She called for urgency, discipline and results-driven leadership.
Vision 2030 is Namibia’s long-term national development blueprint, launched in June 2004 by Founding President Sam Nujoma.
Its core mission is to transform Namibia into a prosperous and industrialised nation with a high quality of life for all its citizens by the year 2030.
Opening the first Cabinet meeting, Nandi-Ndaitwah said only four years remain to fully advance Vision 2030, stressing that every decision taken by Cabinet must now count.
“There are only four years remaining after the five-year mandate entrusted to the 8th administration to advance and realise Vision 2030. Time is, therefore, not on our side,” she said.
The President also told Cabinet that the expectations of Namibians are high and justified.
The government, she noted, must move faster in implementing decisions, particularly under the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6).
“Every day, every hour and every decision must count. We must utilise time prudently and decisively in pursuit of result-based effective service delivery by implementing all our decisions,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
She said 2026 must be treated as a year of renewed focus, discipline and unity of purpose, cautioning that delays and complacency would undermine public trust.
“As I mentioned during our last Cabinet meeting of 2025, the year 2026 requires increased focus, discipline and unity of purpose. It is a year in which we must once again hit the ground running,” she said.
The President instructed ministers to speed up the implementation of NDP6 and ensure measurable progress across all four pillars of the plan.
“At the same time, we need to commit ourselves to speeding up the implementation of the NDP6 and ensure clear, measurable progress across all its four pillars. The expectation from our people placed on this government and Cabinet is high and rightly so,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said Cabinet carries the responsibility of ensuring that all Namibians live dignified lives, describing public servants as “soldiers” entrusted with the well-being of citizens.
“The responsibility rests squarely on our soldiers to ensure that every Namibian is cared for, and that each citizen is allowed to live a dignified and meaningful life,” she said.
She also placed Cabinet’s work within a difficult global context.
“We are resuming our work amid a time of increased global uncertainty and complexity. Around the world, we see shifting alliances, economic instability, conflict and selective enforcement of global standards,” the President said.
She stated that global decision-making is increasingly happening outside multilateral systems, changing the rules nations have relied on.
“Sometimes, decisions impacting sovereign nations are made outside established multilateral frameworks, ignoring international consensus. Those developments clearly indicate that geopolitics is evolving rapidly,” she said.
Despite these challenges, Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia’s position on sovereignty, equality of nations and peaceful conflict resolution remains firm, but stressed that old ways of working can no longer continue.
“Our ways of thinking, planning and acting can no longer stay the same,” she said.
She added that the Cabinet must be honest about the challenges ahead.
She continued: “We will face constraints, resistance and unforeseen developments. However, no challenge before us is insurmountable if met with unity, discipline and clear purpose”.
Nandi-Ndaitwah reminded her ministers that leadership is constantly judged by the public and must be grounded in understanding the lived realities of ordinary Namibians.
“Wherever we go, whether in our offices or in our personal capacities, we are seen and judged as leaders,” she said.
She then buttressed five principles guiding her leadership philosophy, which she expects Cabinet and public servants to embrace.
“Let me remind you of the five elements of my leadership philosophy. These are pragmatism, integrity, accountability, meritocracy and inclusivity.
It is important to highlight these elements as we begin the year to guide us in serving our people better. It’s my philosophy; it’s not your philosophy, but you are here to assist me in order to implement what we have promised the Namibian people,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
She added: “Unless we all embrace these philosophies, it will be very difficult for us to achieve our objectives. I, therefore, expect all of us to take them on board so that they can guide our activities at all times”.