Namibia: Cabinet Approves Drought Recommendations, Allocates N$16.8 Million for Emergency Relief

The Cabinet has approved recommendations from the National Drought Platform on issues such as governance, beneficiaries, transport and logistics, funding, warehousing, urban water provision, and malnutrition.

The Cabinet has also allocated an additional N$16,800,000 from the National Emergency Disaster Fund for regional quarterly funding allocation.

This information was released by the Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Emma Theofelus, in a statement this week following the 18th 2024 Cabinet Decision-Making Meeting.

The approval of the National Drought Platform recommendations is a significant step forward in addressing the challenges posed by drought in the country.

According to Theofelus, Cabinet also supported the additional enrollment of 64,525 households to the drought relief beneficiaries which they mentioned will have a financial implication of N$256 million for the 2025/26 financial year.

In the statement, Theofelus said Cabinet further took note of the outcome of the Stockholm World Water Week, held in August, and stated that Namibia should allocate about 5% of the national budget to water and sanitation programmes to achieve the SDG 6 on access to water and sanitation.

They further pledged continued support to the importance of water supply and sanitation services, by placing it first on the agenda such as at the Summit for the Future held last month on 22 to 23.

Theofelus said Cabinet has also supported the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform and Urban and Rural Development to use the investment opportunities available at the Africa Continental initiatives such as the Africa Water Investment Programme for water supply infrastructure, and African Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative in Namibia.

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The Ministry of Agriculture Water and Land Reform informed the cabinet of the decision to continue engaging with States and cooperating partners on transboundary water management. This decision is in line with the Water Week theme “Bridging Borders: Water for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future.”

Cabinet stated, as a new party to the 1992 Water Convention, the country is expected to attend the first Meeting of the Parties in Slovenia, next week from 22 to 25, and will also be expected to host future Meetings possibly starting in the next three years, as provided by the Water Convention obligations.

Meanwhile, among other decisions highlighted, the Cabinet approved several important decisions, including setting the Total Allowable Catch for Rock Lobster at 180 metric tons for the 2024/25 fishing season, authorizing the Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises to table the NAMFISA and Road Fund Administration Annual Reports in the National Assembly, and approving the Insolvency Bill, 2024, in principle.

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