Justicia Shipena
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says the sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) is complete and will be launched soon.
Although she did not give an exact date, Nandi-Ndaitwah hinted that the plan will be launched this month.
“I will launch it soon because all the work is done. I expect you to be familiar with the seven priorities of our government. Similarly, I expect you to be familiar with the eight critical economic enablers to effectively champion development in your respective regions,” she said during the appointment ceremony of regional governors at State House on Tuesday.
The launch comes after repeated delays.
In 2023, then Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila had announced that NDP6 would be launched in March 2025.
The National Planning Commission later stated in January 2025 that it was finalising consultations and waiting for Cabinet approval.
In the same month, the Commission said the launch would take place in April 2025, a month later than expected.
Five months ago, government officials said the delay would not affect development planning because current projects and strategies were already captured in the medium-term expenditure frameworks.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the 2024 SWAPO Party Election Manifesto Implementation Plan has been incorporated into NDP6.
She urged regional governors to work closely with the central government to improve the socio-economic conditions of citizens.
“As part of one government, and on the basis of the principle of One Heart and One Mind, the regional governors must work tirelessly alongside the central government to transform the socio-economic conditions of our people,” she said.
She told governors on Wednesday that it is her responsibility to ensure government delivers on the commitments outlined in the national plan.
“I am, therefore, accountable to the Namibian people and you are the people to work with me in meeting the expectations of our people, which is nothing but quality service delivery, to bring about prosperity,” she said.
The National Development Plan outlines Namibia’s medium-term strategic direction, development priorities, and implementation strategies.
The successful execution of NDP6 is critical for the country to achieve Vision 2030 and its pledge to leave no one behind.
Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah questioned the reasons behind the delays and the implications for national planning.
“Well, yeah, most probably we will see it being launched. But the concern is, why is the launching milestone being postponed so many times? Therefore, I believe the answer to that question lies ahead. Is it because it is not ready? Is it because of capacity issues, incompetencies or direction losses? So I think that question of why it has been postponed and postponed must be answered,” Kamwanyah said.
He warned that the delay affects alignment with government and institutional planning frameworks.
“Well, because it is supposed to be launched already so that it can be aligned with the government planning and other institutional planning. This is concerning because the budget has already been tabled. Here you have the NDP6 not yet being launched,” he said.
Kamwanyah further noted the timing issue, pointing out that it will be difficult to implement NDP6 effectively if its rollout only begins mid-year.
“And we are almost in July. The year is almost in the middle of a year. So how are you going to align it with the budget but also the implementation? You cannot implement the programmes that are in NDP6 from July,” he said.
