Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, Utoni Nujoma has implored Namibians to increase their productivity levels at workplaces in an effort to attain productiveness in all sectors of the Namibian economy.
Launching the productivity awareness-raising week aimed to encourage and activate an infectious productive mindset in Namibians here Monday, Nujoma said improving the country’s level of productivity can be the engine to economic growth which is currently crippled by the high unemployment, inflation, poverty and inequality rate, as well as a spout of high crime rate.
Productivity, he said, means increasing investment in the essential knowledge, skills and abilities, or by better combining inputs and embracing advanced technological innovations, noting that greater productivity leads to a better quality of goods and services for customers and ultimately to a better quality of life for all citizens.
“The ministry has dedicated this week to the general public under the theme ‘Let’s Make Productivity Contagious’. The theme is intentionally deliberating on how contagious productivity should become and how we must all, in our various sectors, play a part towards productivity growth, sustainability and innovation,” he said.
He said stakeholders should engage in dialogue on the subject of productivity to ensure that employees understand their roles within organisations and what is expected of them and to effectively fulfil their roles and perform at a high level.
Nujoma also called on trade unions to start instilling a notion of a productive mindset in their members, stressing that as representatives of workers their responsibility is not only to ensure the protection of the rights of workers but also to sensitise them on their responsibilities and on the importance of productivity to the economy and the country at large.
Namibia adopted productivity awareness week in 2007 following the declaration signed by the Southern African Community Development (SADC) in Mozambique in 1999 and productivity promotion within the ministry was created in 2010 to stimulate and raise productivity consciousness for the attainment of high levels of productivity in all sectors of the Namibian economy.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
