The National Democratic Party (NDP) is calling on the Namibian government to invest more in the agricultural sector to address poverty and unemployment.

The party president, Martin Lukato, said that Zambezi Region can become the country's breadbasket but lacks fully fledged agricultural projects such as green schemes that can contribute to the country's development and food security.

"What happened to the Kalimbeza rice scheme? We have too much fertile land and good rainfall. We want more green schemes to improve our standards of living. We also want the youth to be trained in agriculture in order to increase food security as well as reduce unemployment, poverty, and criminal activities."

Adding to the issue of unemployment, Lukato said that the number of qualified yet jobless teachers is worrying, stressing that more schools need to be built to address the skills shortage among the youth roaming the streets.

He said this at a media briefing on Tuesday, where the party welcomed new members, including some who joined after denouncing their membership in other parties.

Some of the new members are Prince Musweu and Vincent Kalikañwi, who appealed to both young and old to actively be involved in politics by registering to vote in the upcoming elections in order to enforce the change they want.

Lukato claimed that over 4,000 new members across various regions have joined the party.