President Hage Geingob opened the first Cabinet meeting for the year, reminding the Executive not to put personal interests above service delivery and to refrain from working in isolation from public needs.
"As representatives of the sovereigns of the Republic of Namibia, we should never forget that we are keepers of public trust. We have been placed here to serve the interests of the people, and therefore we must ensure that meeting the needs of the people should be our only priority. Being a member of the Cabinet should never be about advancing personal interests or those of family, friends, or associates. It is not about advancing your own personal agenda, and therefore, as I have stated before, if you disagree with a collective decision taken and agreed upon by Cabinet, you are free to resign as per the Cabinet Handbook."
Dr. Geingob says much work still needs to be done if objectives set out under national development plans, including the Harambee Prosperity Plans, are to be realized.
The pace of execution is another concern about which Dr. Geingob wants the ministers to attend and report results of a 100% implementation rate.
He also wants regular progress reports from Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila regarding the implementation of development programs.
"It has been said that we are good at planning and developing impressive plans, but when it comes to implementation, things don't move. This year, we want an accelerated pace of implementation. In this regard, Comrade Prime Minister, I equally charge you to regularly follow up with the Ministers and, through the Secretary to Cabinet, with the Executive Directors to check on progress and report any inactivity or lack of progress directly to me. So that we can call people to account and formulate whatever measures may be necessary to implement our economic revival and other policies. Notwithstanding the above, we should be encouraged by how far we have already progressed."
The Cabinet is also expected to critically review the progress of the implementation of key projects in the agriculture, housing, and education sectors as prioritized during the 2020 Cabinet retreat.
"The line Ministers responsible for these sectors would be expected to present detailed plans with timelines as to how they envisage speedy delivery of relevant projects with catalytic economic impacts. I want to see clearly articulated plans of action for these projects. We are making good progress on the Southern Corridor Development Initiative, spurred on by global interest in developing green hydrogen and its derivatives in the area," said Geingob.
The Executive is also directed to use the media to share the successes of government programs with the public.