Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has announced the official end of the 2024/2025 nationwide drought relief programme in all the country's 14 regions.

Dr. Ngurare says that the country continues to experience an alarming increase in the frequency and intensity of climate-induced disasters, with the 2023/2024 drought the most severe in recent years.

He says the El Niño phenomenon and extremely below-normal rainfall recorded during the 2023/2024 agricultural season have resulted in a widespread crop failure, depleted rangelands, and an acute water shortage.

The premier added that adverse conditions have significantly affected the livelihoods of many Namibians and compromised the food security of over 384,900 households, equivalent to 1.4 million people.

Dr. Ngurare acknowledged that the drought relief programme implementation faced several challenges, some of which resulted in delays and a backlog of food distribution in the regions.

However, he says, despite those challenges, he is grateful to all stakeholders, particularly the Regional Councils, Offices/Ministries and Agencies, and Development Partners, for their continued efforts and commitment throughout the implementation process.