NNN’s executive team a shock to many, analyst says

University of Namibia lecturer and political analyst Gurvy Kavei has described president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s newly announced Cabinet as a choice that was difficult to predict for many Namibians.

Kavei said this in an interview with Nampa on Sunday, when approached for his views on the newly appointed ministers and their portfolios.

“What came out was a shocker to everyone. Prior to the inauguration of the ministers, there were many media speculations as to who would feature in Nandi-Ndaitwah’s administration, but what came out was a big shock to everybody,” he said.

He noted that Nandi-Ndaitwah during the swearing-in ceremony on Saturday highlighted that while Namibia is rich in resources, the country faces challenges in management.

Kavei said he believes the newly sworn-in president’s selection of ministers aligns with this perspective, as she appointed individuals capable of effectively managing national resources for the public benefit.

He also praised the administration’s gender and regional representation, calling it the most balanced since Namibia attained independence in 1990.

“I’m also very happy with the age balance. You cannot get rid of all long-serving ministers, you need to retain some of them for continuity purposes,” he said.

Kavei further commended Nandi-Ndaitwah for reducing public expenditure following the downsizing of 21 ministries to 14, which he said previous administrations struggled to do.

“The only challenge with the merging of some ministries is that you would have certain ministries that are overly bloated, which would give the minister and their executives some heavy lifting duties. The other challenge would be letting go of some ministries at regional level in terms of logistics, operations and infrastructure,” he said.

Kavei said it is early days and there might be initial dysfunction within the merged ministries, but he believes they will eventually adapt to the new structure.

On his part, the executive director of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Graham Hopwood, also hailed the downsizing of ministries as a positive development, saying he hopes it will produce a more effective and efficient government.

However, Hopwood raised concerns about some ministry mergers, stating that he is not convinced the trade ministry should be merged with the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation.

“The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture is now basically also incorporating two previous ministries, which will be a massive task for the incoming minister. These restructurings could slow down the pace of any legal and policy reform,” Hopwood said.

He further argued that the youth and sports portfolio should have remained separate, given the significant youth population in Namibia.

Hopwood, however, supported the incorporation of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources into the agriculture ministry, provided that corruption within the fishing sector is effectively addressed by the new administration. – Nampa