Windhoek: Students awaiting financial assistance from the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) will receive their outstanding payments by the end of July 2026.

This is according to a media statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister on Wednesday, following Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare's unannounced oversight visit to the fund.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the prime minister conducted the surprise visit to monitor the progress of student funding disbursements and assess measures being implemented to clear the backlog that has left many students without allowances for several months.

During the visit, NSFAF Chief Accountant Eveline Anghuwo informed Ngurare that the fund's finance team is processing payments at an average rate of 1,615 students per day as part of efforts to ensure all outstanding payments are finalized before the end of July. Anghuwo said eligible continuing students will receive full back-pay covering the period from April to July 2026, amounting to N.dollars 9,600 per student. She said priority is being given to the payment of non-tuition allowances to assist students with their immediate living expenses.

Anghuwo expressed confidence that the allocation requested by NSFAF would enable the institution to settle all outstanding payments to eligible continuing students within the planned timeframe. She further stated that payments for first-year and newly admitted students will only be processed after institutions of higher learning submit invoices confirming students' registration and enrollment, as required under the fund's payment procedures.

Ngurare, according to the statement, said government remains committed to ensuring that students receive the financial support they need to continue with their studies without unnecessary delays. He stressed that administrative or technical processes should not become obstacles to the timely disbursement of student funding and urged NSFAF officials to maintain the current pace of processing payments until the backlog has been cleared.

The PM's office said the oversight visit formed part of government's broader efforts to monitor service delivery and ensure public institutions respond effectively to the needs of citizens. He added that students and higher education institutions have waited long enough for the release of funds and called on NSFAF to ensure that payments are completed as promised by the end of July.