Blog

Niël Terblanché Calle Schlettwein, Namibia’s Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, called for a change in priority setting for funding to address the world's water and sanitation challenges He addressed the 10th World Water Forum, highlighting Africa's commitment to water supply and sanitation amid severe drought challenges. The minister stressed the continent's alignment with continental and global agreements, such as the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), despite facing significant implementation challenges. During the High-Level Panel discussion on Water Investment for Africa, Minister Schlettwein raised concerns about Namibia's severe drought situation. He said that the current water…

Niël Terblanché Namibia's Drought Relief Programme has a shortfall of approximately N$482 million and will need help from outside the borders to bridge the funding gap. President Nangolo Mbumba, in his address to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) extraordinary summit, which was convened virtually on Monday to discuss the El Niño-induced drought and floods affecting member states, appealed for assistance from member states, bilateral, and international stakeholders to bridge the gap. According to the president, Namibia's drought relief program will cost a total of about N$1.3 billion. “So far, the government has allocated N$825 million, leaving a considerable deficit,”…

Stefanus Nashama The Office of the Prime Minister has noted a sharp increase in the number of households registered to benefit from the drought relief food programme. According to I-Ben Nashandi, the executive director at the Office of the Prime Minister, the drought relief food programme, based on the vulnerability assessment, was originally intended for 172,252 households. “The estimated number of households as per the vulnerability assessment was 172,252 households. But currently, registered beneficiaries' households are over 331,009,” he said. He stated that all 14 regions are entitled to benefit from the drought relief food programme. Nashandi explained that the…