It is evident that the government's social programmes are making an impact in the lives of many Namibians, of whom some could have otherwise been worse off without them.
In the Erongo Region, a total of 28,739 people receive government social grants monthly, and it is this number that the governor commended the government for during the State of the Region Address.
Namibia is one of a few countries in Africa with safety nets in place, such as social grants.
Stories from corners of the country indicate that many households depend on these safety nets.
The Erongo Region has its statistics, where the government spends a total of N$25 million per month on vulnerable children, old age, and disability grants to cushion their plight.
Per year, N$306,6 million is spent on these social grants, and they are not static as numbers change each month or year as new registrations are added on.
"The main objective is to reduce poverty and uplift the living standards of community members in rural and urban areas. Viable projects are selected from the 7 constituencies in the Erongo region where beneficiaries receive materials or equipment for their projects. During the period under review, materials for nine projects were procured at a value of N$68,000.00."
Andre says the delivery of urban land and housing is an urgent undertaking that involves overlapping stakeholders, markets, and legal systems for accessing land, finance, and services like water, electricity, sewerage, and eventual construction.
The dust has also settled over the Mass Housing Project dispute.
"The renovation and construction have started for the 319 houses. I am reliably informed that by the end of this month, the first 66 houses will be delivered to the new owners, while the final batch of houses will be completed by the end of May 2024. This is a significant development and will definitely ease the housing backlog experienced in Swakopmund."
A total of 54 Shack Dwellers Federation and social houses at Swakopmund and Arandis have also been completed.
The Swakopmund Municipality also started with the construction of 79 houses under the Build Together programme, while 256 affordable houses are to be constructed this year at Arandis in partnership with the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development.