Swakopmund: Member of Parliament Tobie Aupindi has called for urgent economic transformation, warning that Namibia risks squandering its vast natural wealth while unemployment, poverty, and inequality continue to deepen. Opening a capacity-building workshop in Swakopmund, Aupindi, who is the chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources, expressed concern over the country's worsening unemployment crisis and what he described as a lack of decisive implementation by government institutions.According to Namibia Press Agency, the meeting further seeks to improve knowledge of the mining and petroleum sectors, local content promotion, economic participation, environmental sustainability, and governance of natural resources. 'When you look at the unemployment statistics in Namibia, it is really appalling. We go around the country, produce reports, stakeholders come to these events, and yet we are not taking action and instead just analysing situations until we paralyse the situations,' A upindi said.He further highlighted the country's possession of extraordinary natural wealth, ranging from diamonds, uranium, lithium, gold, copper, oil, and gas, yet ordinary citizens continued to struggle economically. 'Why are so many Namibians still struggling in the midst of such wealth? What are we doing so wrong that we sit on this natural wealth while unemployment, poverty, and inequality continue to affect our people,' said Aupindi.He said Namibia could no longer depend on an economic model centred on exporting raw materials while manufacturing and value addition took place abroad. Aupindi proposed stricter beneficiation policies, including the possibility of prohibiting the export of certain raw minerals unless they are processed locally. 'Such a policy would compel investment in local industry, stimulate manufacturing, and create sustainable employment opportunities for thousands of Namibians,' he said.He further criticised the dominance of multinational corporations in the extractive industri es, saying local communities continued to receive limited benefits from resources found on their land. Erongo Region Governor Natalia |Goagoses echoed many of the concerns raised by Aupindi, questioning why ordinary Namibians continued to see little improvement in their lives despite decades of resource extraction. 'What are we waiting for if we have all the evidence and all these issues are not yet addressing the lives and livelihoods of our people, what is still standing in our way?'|Goagoses also questioned the exclusion of local communities and regional leadership structures from mining and energy developments taking place in the Erongo Region.