Martin Endjala
THE Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has appointed Johnson Ndokosho as its new Director of Forestry effective from 1 February 2022.
“I am humbled by this appointment and grateful to be granted this opportunity to lead the Forestry Directorate and the sector in general. I go by the personal mantra of motivating and inspiring others to be their best self and that success breeds success” said the excited Ndokosho.
In conversations with Windhoek Observer, Ndokosho reminiscences starting from the bottom and moving up the ranks to being appointed as a Director of Forestry, “this is everyone’s dream come true and I am deeply humbled and I look forward in contributing to the country and to the Ministry” he said.
He was however, quick to point out a number of issues that need attention, stating that “we need to protect the forest, especially the sudden increase in timber harvesting’” he says adamantly.
“The issue of appropriate staff also needs to be attended to, to ensure smooth office operations successfully, and the outdated current laws that need to be reviewed and also strategies to help the (MEFT) render satisfactory service to the country’’ an optimistic
Ndokosho said. He takes over from the former Director of Forestry Joseph Hailwa.
Johnson Ndokosho has been in the natural resource management sector for nearly 24 years, but started his formal employment in the public sector in 1998 as a Warden based at Swakopmund.
He was later promoted to chief warden at the Headquarters and moved to the wildlife utilisation permit office. where he gained another promotion as a Conservation Scientist, responsible for commercial plants such as Hoodia and Devil’s Claw.
The new director of forestry then ventured into project management first as a Water and Sanitation Coordinator at the Namibia Red Cross Society.
In 2008, he was a project coordinator at a Climate Change Adaptation Project that was based in the Omusati Region.
Ndokosho also held a position of a technical advisor and in 2012 where he became a project manager in the Climate Change Unit of the MEFT. Here he became the Deputy Director for Wildlife and National Parks in 2013. He was responsible for both North West and Central Regions.
Ndokosho holds two Masters Degrees, one in Leadership and Change Management from Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and the second one in Integrated Water Resources Management from the University of Zimbabwe, Harare.
He also has a B-Tech degree in Nature Conservation from the Port Elizabeth Technikon (now Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) in South Africa as well as a Diploma in Natural Resources Management from the then Polytechnic of Namibia, now NUST.
