The Swapo Party invited technocrats from various key industries in the country to engage with the public on the party's manifesto.
The party held a public discussion on its election manifesto in Windhoek.
The Swapo Party, in line with its manifesto, says it will pump N$85.7 billion into the country's economy over a five-year period to address unemployment by creating over 256,000 jobs.
These funds, according to the Managing Director of Monasa Advisory and Associates, Jason Kasuto, will be invested into six key areas that the party believes will have great returns in terms of job creation, economic growth, and the increase of household incomes.
The targeted sectors are sports with an investment of N$6.9 billion, youth empowerment with N$10 billion, housing and sanitation will receive N$17.5 billion, while N$26.3 billion will go to the education, arts, and culture sector, N$10 billion for agriculture, and N$15 billion will go towards Universal Health Care.
"Agriculture, one of the things we are saying is that we need to infuse and declare that climate change is a reality that is there. Let us not treat drought like it comes and goes, but let's look at it like a prevalent thing. So, how do we capacitate our food security? How do we reduce food import substitution, and what will the cost and the multiplier effect be?" said Kasuto.
Another senior economist at Monasa Advisory and Associates, Mwala Lubinda, added that "the largest investment that is committed is to education, so for instance, if education has about N$26 billion that has been committed over a period of five years, if we put this N$26 billion in the economy, what will be the impact of that money? If you put money into youth employment, what will be the impact of a period of five years? You see that on average we can get growth of 5% to 6%, which is the growth highlighted in Vision 2030, so there is a positive impact on youth unemployment, economic inclusive growth, and increasing household incomes."
On her part, Swapo Party Vice President Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said the manifesto is not just a list of promises but a road map for a better Namibia, broadening economic participation, and uplifting marginalised communities.
"Our vision for economic growth is deeply rooted in the principles of industrialisation and diversification. The days of relying on one key sector must be behind us. Through targeted support for SMEs and focused industrial strategies, we can create sustainable jobs and ensure that the wealth is put across our society rather than concentrated in the hands of a few."
The discussion was held under the theme Translating Vision into Reality: Unpacking Swapo's Manifesto for a Prosperous Namibia.