By: Hellen Andreas and Natangwe Kauluma
The Ministry of Finance on Public-Private Partnership Unit (PPP) offered a two days foundation training to the Regional and Town Councils’ Officials and Political Office-Bearers at Oshakati in the Oshana region.
Oshana Governor Elia Irimari officiated the training on Thursday, aiming to capacitate the RCs on the PPP Act and processes.
Irimari said the (PPP) foundation training, a training organized by the Ministry of Finance, through the Directorate of Public-Private Partnership, aims to enlighten policymakers and members of management in the regions on (PPP) initiatives infrastructural development.
“The Ministry of Finance created this platform for us as politicians to meet with our technocrats and discuss issues on development, effective and efficient delivery of services to our people on the grassroots. As politicians, we rarely have opportunities to interact with planners and policy implementers of government and provide them with the necessary support for government programmes, particularly this almost not so new phenomenon of (PPP),” he said.
Irimari said the government is mandated to provide core infrastructure and essential services to the public through infrastructural provisions such as roads, power, telecommunications, ports, airports, water, health, education, that economic growth and social progression can be achieved.
Irimari further said the Minister of Finance had tabled the medium-term budget review for the 2021/22 national budget. It amounted to N$69.7 billion, slightly higher than the previously tabled expenditure of N$67.9 in March 2021.
This shows a slight increase of N$1.8 billion in the total budget, of which the development budget was reduced by N$279.8 million, from N$5.5 billion to 5.2 billion for the period under review.
“This should not be perceived as less demand for development budget funding. However, it is evidence of competing priorities and limited fiscal space available to meet all these obligations and thus warrant the need for alternative funding sources for infrastructural development,” he said.
The Harambee Prosperity Plan, two (2) (HPP2) and the 2021/22 National budget have identified Public-Private Partnership as one of the strategic interventions that could usher the country into a new decade of inclusive growth and structural economic transformation.
Governor Irimari added that the (PPP) had been identified as one of the alternative sources of financing. The government has committed itself and taken a deliberate decision in exploring PPPs in the delivery of infrastructure and public services.
The ministry says the (PPP) legislative framework was initiated to create an enabling environment for implementing public and private partnerships for infrastructural development and service delivery.
“The Ministry’s ultimate goal through this (PPP) training is thus, to guide us as politicians and technocrats, on the development of PPP projects in Namibia, in line with the (PPP) legal framework and with the vision of seeing a flow of credible, well-prepared (PPP) projects to the market.”
“This training will assist us in capitalizing on Public-Private Partnership initiatives. I equally hope that once we go back to our offices, we pledge to provide the necessary support that our implementers will require to deliver services to our people.
The Governors of Omusati Inginus Endjala, Ohangwena Region Valde Ndevashiya, Councillors from all the Constituencies in Oshana, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Omusati, Kunene and Zambezi Regions.
