United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator Sen Pang has said Namibia should increase its self-dependency in food production in order to reduce its dependency on imports, saying the country has a rich resources to sustain its people.
In an interview with the media shortly after he bid President Hage Geingob farewell at State House on Tuesday, Pang said Namibia is rich in natural resources and has a productive labour force, and it should capitalise on reducing imports to ensure self-dependence, especially now with global conflicts causing food prices to spike.
He noted that there is a need for mineral resources to be exported as semi-finished or finished products, noting that the UN has been supporting the ‘Buy Local Grow Namibia’ campaign aimed at encouraging the public to buy local, support Namibian entrepreneurs and appreciate the rich local culture by doing their part in uplifting the local economy.
“Namibia has been facing chronicle challenges like droughts, the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine brought additional difficulties to the lives and economic development of the country. Food and fuel prices are increasing, therefore the government and UN are working hard to overcome the challenges,” he noted.
Pang indicated that since independence, Namibia has demonstrated great progress in economic and social developments, noting that the gap between the rich and poor is however huge and those living in poverty require urgent interventions.
Meanwhile, President Geingob said the country has a long way to go with regards to poverty, lack of housing and youth unemployment, amongst others. He noted that Namibia’s success story of making formal education free to ensure that every child receives an education, as well as providing tertiary funding, has now led to high unemployment.
“We don’t have jobs for graduates, though we are trying to merge their skills with the labour market… which is a mismatch because a person can have a degree but no employment,” he noted.
Geingob equally said Namibia welcomes UN employees who wish to retire in the country, as their money and knowledge will be ploughed back into the local economy.
Pang, who is heading into retirement in his home country China, was appointed in February 2020 as UN Resident Coordinator for Namibia.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
