Netumbo’s late-night drive

Members of the technical committee appointed to develop the implementation strategy for the Swapo manifesto have revealed that 80% of the document’s content was personally conceptualised by incoming president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who often worked with the team late into the night, sometimes until 02:00 in the early morning hours.

Many of the meetings took place at her residence in Windhoek, sources said, where committee members often found Nandi-Ndaitwah deeply engaged in extensive research on key elements of the plan.

At times, committee members had to urge her to rest, especially when she had government duties diarised early the next morning.

However, she often declined their advice and remained with the team until the small hours.

“But if you see her at 08:00 the next morning, you wouldn’t notice that she had barely slept. She has surprised us all. Sometimes we left her house at 04:00,” a committee member told Namibian Sun.

“If she was not satisfied with what we had prepared, she would send us back to do more research and return with better proposals. She often compared our drafts with what was happening in SADC."

The member added that on the topic of sports, the president-elect "amazed us all. Everything related to sports in the implementation plan is her own idea, including cost estimates.”

Another committee member added: “She surprised us with her depth of understanding. She has impeccable knowledge and is especially passionate about grassroots communities. She has grand ideas for them.”

Her proposals are outlined in the party’s N$85.7 billion development plan, which will be integrated into national policy from 1 April.

The implementation committee is comprised of Louise Shixwameni, Adriaan Grobler, Dr John Shimaneni, Kapena Tjombonde, Shiwana Ndeunyema, Jason Kasuto and Hippy Tjivikua.

Structural reforms and legislative changes

At the structural level, Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised the need to identify and amend laws that have hindered inclusive development in the country.

The implementation plan includes enacting a mineral beneficiation law and establishing a national gold reserve to ensure that wealth from mining benefits Namibians first. A critical minerals value-chain mapping study will be conducted between April and July this year, laying the groundwork for an integrated mineral beneficiation policy by March 2026.

Regarding local mineral beneficiation, the plan stipulates that 50% of all new exclusive prospecting licenses (EPLs) will be allocated to Epangelo Mining, Namibia’s state-owned mining company. Epangelo will receive fiscal support and self-funding mechanisms to finance its exploration initiatives.

Nandi-Ndaitwah is also advocating for radical reforms in the country’s public procurement system, which has long been criticised for a lack of transparency and inclusivity.

“She doesn’t like the fact that the same people continue to benefit from government tenders repeatedly at the expense of others. She wants the Central Procurement Board of Namibia completely reformed,” a committee member said.

“One of her top priorities is also eliminating middlemen from the health supply chain. She is dissatisfied with the large sums of money going to third parties while hospitals remain understocked with essential medical and clinical supplies,” another committee member noted.

Oil and gas sector reforms

Under Nandi-Ndaitwah’s leadership, Swapo plans to increase Namibian ownership in the oil and gas sector through a Local Content Act, a logistics and supply base and a Petroleum Regulatory Agency. The Local Content Act is expected to be finalised by September and enacted by March 2026.

Starting in April 2026, government will require a 30% carried interest in all upstream oil and gas licences. A national skills development strategy will be introduced by November and the Petroleum Regulatory Agency is set to commence operations in April 2025.

Housing and land reform

Swapo aims to construct 50 000 new affordable homes and formalise 50% of informal settlements by 2029, according to the implementation plan. A special land delivery task force, backed by N$2.5 billion, will be launched next month, along with a project management office. The restructuring of the "township board" is scheduled for May, with professional staff recruitment beginning in the same month.

Nandi-Ndaitwah vs Geingob

Sources told Namibian Sun that during the development of the document, Nandi-Ndaitwah frequently referenced the ‘Four Asian Tigers’ – Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan – citing their sustained economic growth since the 1960s.

“The difference between her and President [Hage] Geingob is that she wants the state to lead development, while Geingob favoured a greater role for the private sector. Both models can work, depending on the country’s circumstances,” an expert from the committee explained.

Nandi-Ndaitwah plans to begin implementing her development agenda within the second week of her inauguration as head of state.