Finance Minister Iipumbu Shiimi has allocated N.dollars 330.9 million to the Ministry of Sports, Youth and National Service for the 2022/2023 financial year.

The budget, whose theme is ‘Reimaging, a Better Future for the Youth’, saw the ministry receive N.dollars 50 million more than in the 2021/22 budget.

The additional amount, which is 20.5 per cent higher than the preceding year, is to specifically cater for the renovation of the Independence Stadium.

Speaking in the National Assembly as he presented the National Budget on Thursday, Shiimi said the requisite funding to the tune of N.dollars 50 million has been made available in the Development Budget for the upgrading and renovations for the Independence Stadium.

“This will allow Namibia to meet the requirements for hosting international fixtures. For this, we have made an exemption to the rule of only considering ongoing projects with contractual obligations due to limited resources. We recognise that we can no longer afford a situation where our national team cannot play international matches on home ground. We need to restore the pride of our nation,” declared Shiimi.

This follows an announcement made by Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service, Agnes Tjongarero on Wednesday, when she revealed that the national stadium will undergo a major facelift.

She was contributing to the motion to debate the state of the sports fraternity in Namibia in terms of facilities, structures, budget, as well as the role of regional and local government in enhancing sport development in the regions, which was tabled by Popular Democratic Movement Member of Parliament, Johannes Martin.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency