The World Food Programme (WFP) and Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop tech-enabled solutions for food security, rural transformation and human capital development in Namibia.
The agreement is aimed at providing digital solutions for smallholder farmers, internship and capacity building for youth and women and provide mobile financial services to the farmers, among others.
In his remarks, MTC Managing Director Licky Erastus stated that the cooperation agreement will be a vehicle to initiate and scale long-term engagements to support the Namibian public sector by facilitating the provision of digital solutions, and innovation in view of supporting WFP’s ethos of ending hunger and mitigating climate change and socio-economic challenges.
“MTC is committed to being a digital enabler of change and committed to driving an inclusive Namibian digital economy,” Erastus said.
He noted that given the digital opportunities presented by the fourth Industrial Revolution, it is imperative to bridge the digital divide by formulating smart strategic partnerships that will drive inclusivity and sustainability through rural transformation.
On her part Ericah Shafudah, World Food Programme Namibia Deputy Country Director, said partners such as MTC play a substantial role as good corporate companies, by injecting funds and resources into the economy to tackle socio-economic issues, create livelihoods that generate economic return for those most in need, so they can afford the basic necessities to live a dignified life.
“Technology and digital transformation have become synonymous with our work and indeed the world we live in,” she said.
As a result, she added, WFP is constantly exploring ways to leverage technology to accelerate the drive towards food security.
Shafudah further stated that many of the challenges experienced by smallholder farmers such as access to markets, monitoring and evaluation and supply chain can be addressed efficiently and sustainably through technology.
The agreement is set to amplify MTC’s commitment to the World Food Programme and will focus on digital transformation and innovation over a period of five years.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
