President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s launch of the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) marked a historic moment – not only as Namibia’s first female Head of State, taking the reins of long-term national planning, but also as a leader seeking to chart a new direction in the face of stagnating growth. Her leadership carries the promise of renewal. NDP6 presents an ambitious blueprint that speaks to the country’s most pressing concerns—economic diversification, youth empowerment, climate resilience, and national cohesion.
Namibia is not short of plans. From Vision 2030 to Harambee Prosperity plan and five previous NDP’s, the country has demonstrated an admirable knack of for strategic design. What we contnue to lack, painfully so, is implementation muscle. As the fanfare of the launch event starts to settled down a familiar anxiety creeps in: is this yet another plan full of promise, but devoid of delivery?
Let’s begin with one of the most urgent priorities—food security. The plan identifies irrigable land as a key asset, and rightly so. But it leans heavily on Namibia’s Green Scheme Projects, which have consistently underperformed since inception. Initially designed to unlock vast tracts of fertile land and transform them into engines of agricultural output, most Green Schemes have failed to meet their production targets. Poor governance, inadequate support to farmers, logistical bottlenecks, and bureaucratic inertia have turned what should be Namibia’s breadbasket into a cautionary tale.
Without addressing the systemic issues crippling Green Schemes—land tenure uncertainty, corruption in lease allocations, lack of financing, and outdated equipment—any mention of “irrigable land” as a pillar for food security in NDP6 amounts to wishful thinking. We’ve tried this. It didn’t work. Let’s fix it before we repackage it.
Another example: the inclusion of a National Music Day as a tool for performance artists. While we commend the recognition of the creative sector, let us be frank—one day of symbolic celebration does not build an industry. Artists need year-round funding, copyright enforcement, music distribution platforms, national studios, touring circuits, and export opportunities. The music sector, like other parts of the cultural economy, has been treated as an afterthought. If this pillar is to carry weight, it must come with real structural interventions, not ribbon-cutting events.
Elsewhere, the plan speaks glowingly of digital transformation and green hydrogen-led industrialisation. These are noble ambitions, but they remain hollow without answers to basic implementation questions: How will rural communities be digitally included when many still lack electricity and mobile coverage? How will Namibia retain ownership and derive lasting benefit from its green hydrogen wealth? Where are the skills development pathways to prepare Namibians—not just foreign experts—for this transition?
The same applies to the oft-repeated theme of youth empowerment. Every plan, politician, and party manifesto in the last 20 years has pledged to empower the youth. Yet unemployment among the young remains staggeringly high. If this plan is serious, it must disrupt the status quo—by challenging rigid hiring practices, reforming the outdated education system, opening access to affordable financing, and aggressively supporting youth-led enterprises.
What NDP6 lacks is not vision—it lacks muscle. The pillars are not supported by detailed timelines, budgets, performance indicators, or accountability frameworks. There is no clear sense of who leads what. Without this, the plan risks becoming a grand narrative without a plot.
And yet, despite these concerns, we must remain hopeful. President Nandi-Ndaitwah deserves a fair chance to prove herself—not just as a historic figure, but as a capable leader with a results-driven ethos. Her administration can still pivot from platitudes to performance. But that will require a break from business-as-usual. We need ministers who deliver, not decorate. We need public servants who act, not obstruct. And we need a presidency that doesn’t just inspire—but insists.
Namibia cannot afford another beautifully bound plan that lives and dies in boardrooms and press briefings. This time, we must see change. Tangible, measurable, undeniable change.
