There is a pressing need for Namibia to enhance stakeholder coordination to effectively achieve the targets set in the Malabo Declaration by 2025.

Namibia has managed to meet the targets outlined in the Malabo Declaration on only one occasion so far.

These points were raised during a workshop organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform and the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa.

The workshop focuses on the Malabo Declaration's commitments to accelerated agricultural growth and transformation for shared prosperity, improved livelihoods, and knowledge management.

The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for collecting data and reporting on the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Project Biennial Report for Namibia.

However, there has been slow progress in meeting the Malabo targets, as highlighted by Ndiyapuki Nghituwamata, the Executive Director in the Agriculture Ministry, in a speech read on her behalf.

She stresses the need for wider stakeholder involvement, improved information sharing at the national level, and knowledge management.

"There is a need for concerted efforts aimed at improving and strengthening coordination among the stakeholders in the country. One such way of strengthening coordination is through the implementation of knowledge management initiatives by developing a knowledge hub and establishing a community of practise for the provision of knowledge materials (data) and technical support, respectively, to our stakeholders. This will also simplify the preparation of our biennial reports."

The workshop aims to create awareness about the importance of knowledge management with regard to reporting to key stakeholders on the Malabo Commitments and the Biennial Review process.

It will further support the media in understanding how best they can help Namibia meet its targets in reporting on the Malabo commitments by disseminating such information in non-technical and user-friendly formats.

Among the commitments made was to allocate a minimum of 10% of public expenditure to agriculture and ensure its efficiency and effectiveness.

Funding, however, continues to pose a significant challenge to fulfilling this commitment.