Govt still consulting on basic income grant

Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare acting executive director Nichlas Mbingeneeko says the ministry is still consulting on the issue of a basic income grant (BIG).

Yesterday, the BIG Coalition of Namibia staged protests highlighting the urgent need for economic support and social justice in the face of widespread poverty and unemployment.

The coalition organised nationwide marches to advocate the implementation of a universal BIG of N$500 per person per month for all Namibians under the age of 60.

The march was deliberately held on Heroes Day, which is commemorated annually on 26 August.

Mbingeneeko received the petition on behalf of minister Doreen Sioka at Zoo Park in Windhoek.

“The ministry took up the matter immediately with the head of state after receiving your first petition in June. We are hard at work already on your request,” he said.

“We will make further work of it and we will also make sure that we engage the leadership of the coalition to keep you abreast of the developments.”

While handing over the petition, social and economic justice activist Nafimane Hamukoshi said a BIG has the potential to provide immediate relief.

“Once implemented, the BIG will ensure every Namibian, regardless of their circumstances, has the means to access food, healthcare and education.”

Hamukoshi said the grant should not target specific groups or impose qualifying conditions forcing people to prove they are deserving.

“Such means-tested grants are administratively costly and often fail to reach the intended beneficiaries,” she added.

Meanwhile, spokesperson for BIG in the Oshana region Julia Heita said they couldn’t deliver the petition to the Oshana council chairperson as the offices were locked.

“It is disappointing, but we will come back again and petition after the long weekend,” she said.

Heita noted that the BIG will not merely be a financial handout, but a pathway to dignity and self-sufficiency.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges, pushing more families into poverty and unemployment. Many have lost their jobs or livelihoods and this crisis highlighted the urgent need for a safety net.” She said the action taken to support Namibians with a N$750 once-off emergency income grant at the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis helped Namibians tremendously.

Heita further urged the government to build on the emergency income grant to help better manage future crises by implementing a BIG which would act as a buffer, giving individuals the ability to weather financial storms and make investments in their health and future.

In June, president Nangolo Mbumba asked Sioka to deal with the BIG issue.

A BIG would cost the government around N$14 billion annually, which is about 3% of the country’s gross domestic product.