The Chairperson of the National Council, Lukas Muha, says that Namibia is making progress in implementing Agenda 2026, particularly in its efforts for women's empowerment, with over 50% of women having high positions in public institutions.

This followed discussion at the annual Conference of Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments that took place at the Pan-African Parliament in South Africa.

"The issue of having a lot of women holding high positions in the land – we proudly talk about the issues of our own president holding the highest seat in the land. We are talking of the speaker of the National Assembly. We are talking of the vice president. We are talking of over 50% of the women holding ministerial positions. This is in response to the agenda 2063," stated Muha.

Muha stated that one of Namibia's responses to Agenda 2063 is its commitment to water security, with five% of the national budget put aside for water and sanitation.

The conference further reflected on the emerging challenges faced by the continent, such as terrorism, unconstitutional change of government and governance, youth unemployment, food security and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Towards the end of the conference we also reflected on the African Continental Free Trade Area, whether or not the key goals set are being met or perhaps there is still a lot to be done. We have set for ourselves key areas such as trade whereby Africans or African countries are encouraged to trade within their own continents, but whether this is what we are observing or perhaps we are observing something contrary."

Muha says the bureau has suggested that the agenda be reviewed after every ten years to fast-track the implementation of Agenda 2063 and to identify where improvements are to be made.

He says the conference was an overall success, with members also having agreed that seating should take place more often than usual.