Patience Makwele
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called for urgent investment in agriculture, rural development and youth participation in farming.
She said the country’s long-term economic transformation will depend heavily on its ability to modernise agriculture while preserving cultural identity.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said development should never come at the expense of tradition and heritage.
“One of the greatest mistakes any nation can make is to believe that development requires abandoning its identity,” she said at the official opening of the Omaludi Agricultural Festival in Okongo on Wednesday.
“Development and culture are not contradicting each other.”
Nandi-Ndaitwah said agriculture remains central to Namibia’s economic future, particularly in rural communities where farming continues to sustain livelihoods, food security and local economies.
She said the Omaludi Agricultural Festival has evolved beyond a cultural gathering into a platform supporting agriculture, tourism, entrepreneurship and rural economic development.
“The relationship between agriculture and tourism is both strategic and mutually reinforcing. Through events such as these, we preserve our cultural identity while simultaneously creating economic opportunities for local communities,” she noted.
She said Namibia’s cultural diversity remains one of its strongest tourism assets and stressed that visitors increasingly travel to experience authentic traditions, people and local ways of life.
Nandi-Ndaitwah called for greater efforts to transition communal farmers from subsistence production to commercially sustainable agriculture.
“We must empower our farmers with the tools, infrastructure, technology, financing, veterinary support and market access necessary to transition from subsistence farming towards commercially sustainable agriculture,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Southern African Customs Union presents major opportunities for local farmers and agricultural producers.
“There is a growing continental market for quality livestock and agricultural products. Our responsibility is therefore to ensure that Namibian farmers are adequately equipped to participate competitively within this evolving African economic landscape.”
She also encouraged young people to view agriculture as a viable business sector capable of creating employment and economic growth.
Nandi-Ndaitwah urged beneficiaries of the Youth Development Fund to use the opportunity responsibly and help create opportunities for others.
Aily Shikale from Hangala Foods said agriculture continues to hold economic potential for northern Namibia despite ongoing challenges linked to unemployment and rural poverty.
“Agriculture remains one of the strongest pillars upon which sustainable economic development can be built, particularly in rural communities such as Okongo and the greater Ohangwena region,” Shikale said.
She said the private sector has a critical role to play in supporting rural farmers, agro-processing and food production while creating employment opportunities.
“When we support agriculture, we are not only producing food. We are creating opportunities, empowering families, reducing poverty and restoring dignity within communities,” she said.
Shikale encouraged young people to stop viewing agriculture as a last resort and instead recognise it as a modern and commercially viable industry.
“The future farmer should not only be found in the field with cattle. The future of agriculture also lies in agro-processing, logistics, technology and tourism.”
Minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa questioned perceptions that rural communities are poorer than urban areas. He argued that rural regions continue to sustain much of the country’s food supply.
“The rural areas are feeding the urban areas. How can the areas producing food be described as poor while urban areas depend on them for milk, eggs and maize meal?”
He called for the government to increase investment in rural infrastructure, roads, communication networks and agricultural support systems to strengthen communal farming areas.
“We concentrate more resources in urban areas and less in rural areas. If rural areas are strengthened with roads, schools, water and infrastructure, they will continue feeding the country while creating balanced national development,” he said.
Sankwasa also said agricultural subsidies should be distributed more equally between communal and commercial farmers.
“The agricultural sector currently subsidises commercial farmers more than communal farmers. That support must be equalised across the board.”
Restrictions linked to concerns over foot-and-mouth disease, following a reported buffalo sighting in the area, affected this year’s Omaludi Agricultural Festival. The restrictions resulted in cattle movement limitations and the cancellation of the festival’s traditional cattle showcase.
