Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised that Namibia does not lack money but rather has an issue with mishandling it.

Dr. Nandi-Ndaitwah, who was addressing the Public Enterprises CEOs Forum, urged public enterprises to diligently pursue their missions to avoid past failures. 

"There is no shortage of money in this country; the problem is how we are using the money. Let us agree; the problem is how we are using it, and we must change, respect, trust, and let the people of Namibia trust us. And they can only trust us when we do our work with integrity. We must stop that." 

The Vice President also emphasised the importance of accountability and called on SOEs to reinforce existing plans rather than continuously devising new ones. 

She expressed concerns about some CEOs who appear to be blank about their duties.

Finance and Public Enterprises Minister Iipumbu Shiimi underscored the critical need for SOEs to fulfil their mandates. 

The Chairperson of the Public Enterprises CEOs Forum, Fluksman Samuehl, addressed challenges impacting public enterprises as well as negative perceptions of inefficiency and financial burden on public enterprises.

Internal conflicts among board members were highlighted as hindrances to mandate fulfilment, but there is hope, says Samuehl.

The forum discussed how public enterprises in the transportation infrastructure sector can speed up socio-economic development as well as strategies to achieve food security with the support of relevant public enterprises.