The Deputy Minister of ICT, Emma Theofelus, held a consultative meeting with the Erongo Regional leadership on the Nationhood and National Pride (NNP) campaign, as part of the reactivation of the campaign.

The NNP campaign is a government-initiated programme aimed at reinforcing a sense of belonging, patriotism, and national pride among the citizens.

It also aims to educate the public to understand and see how they can contribute to its success, as well as to access the viability of the reactivation of Regional Nationhood and National Pride regional forums.

At Swakopmund, the Nationhood and National Pride campaign consultative meeting was attended by regional and local authority councillors, CEOs, mayors of municipalities and town councils.

They were introduced to the national flag and anthem campaigns that will soon be implemented in schools. 

"I want to stress a little bit about Namibian traditions. What does it mean? And that is what the NNP Program is trying to cultivate among us as Namibians. What are our shared common values and traditions? What do we say is a Namibian culture? Is it being kind to one another or being helpful? What is our Namibian culture? As we constantly develop this document that the team is going to present to you, you will see that we are trying to bring our diverse cultures and traditions together under this one umbrella called Namibia, which all of us have a relationship with," said Theofelus.

The NNP provides a framework of five strategic pillars, namely: National Identity and National Branding, Social Cohesion, Governance and Capacity Building, Research and Innovation, Communication, Education and Awareness.

"We are looking for brand ambassadors. We are looking at both Namibians and non-Namibians because we need global traction for people to know where Namibia is. We are focusing on four things. Namibia is a place to invest in, Namibia is a place to visit, a place to discover talent, and, of course, we want to export Namibian products, with that Namibian flag attached to them, that is not only found in Namibian markets but also the world over," added Theofelus.

The regional platforms are also meant to advise the national steering committee on issues related to the implementation process and strategy to ensure that Namibia remains a caring society, free from GBV, and has forward-looking, patriotic, and hardworking citizens.