LPM says between N$25 billion and N$30 billion needed for development

Landless People’s Movement leader Bernadus Swartbooi has questioned the allocation of N$12.8 billion to Namibia’s development budget.

Swartbooi raised this at the party’s fourth national convention in Windhoek on Saturday.

He said Namibia needs between N$25 billion and N$30 billion for development.

“If we are to create jobs and development, the narrative must be that the development budget must be N$30 billion, compared to the N$106-billion national budget,” he said.

Minister of finance and social grants management Ericah Shafudah recently tabled the national budget of N$106.3 billion in the National Assembly, addressing infrastructural challenges.

Some of the significant development projects highlighted was the envisaged two stadiums valued at N$200 million and basic infrastructure worth N$200 million.

Swartbooi said the national budget has failed to address unemployment in the country by relying on police and military recruitment – a trend, he says, would not solve the unemployment crisis.

He suggested that the government inject more into the development budget as it has a better pool to create more jobs, such as in construction and vocational training jobs.