Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has called on the public to collaborate with the government in investing in the funding of education in order for Namibia to reach its economic potential and achieve sustainable growth.

Addressing attendees at the high-level tertiary education funding budget review dinner on Thursday, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila acknowledged the government’s limitations in the level of funding required by the education sector.

To incentivize the public to come on board through public-private partnerships (PPP), the government has directed the Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) to review its funding policy to include institutions that provide quality training in areas of strategic need, the Prime Minister said.

“The government has directed the relevant stakeholders to ensure that within a defined timeframe, we operationalize modalities for implementing PPP... so that we can use the investment we are making in education to catalyse private sector investment,” Kuugongelwa-Amadhila stated.

In addition to investing in education, the prime minister emphasised the importance of technological advancement, particularly in digitising public services for efficient governance.

She further underscored the necessity of cultivating a skilled workforce capable of competing internationally.

“We are not doing the people we are sponsoring a favour, but rather ensuring that we have a productive labour force that can compete with others who will come here from abroad. Education is the cornerstone of our nation’s prosperity. Taxpayer funds should be prioritised for educational investment,” Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said.

The prime minister also cautioned that without a skilled workforce, Namibia’s natural resources, such as mines and oil fields, would be underutilized.

Reflecting on recent oil discoveries, the prime minister speculated on the significance of having the requisite expertise to exploit such resources effectively.

“I actually find it interesting that all of a sudden we have all these oil findings... I am wondering whether we are only finding them now or whether it has not always been known that they are there, but because we have no ability to discover the oil and no ability to pump it and process it, it has to be found at the right time by those that have the ability to find it, pump it and process it,” she added.

The Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation has received N$4.8 billion for the 2024/25 financial year.