Staff Writer
Swapo President, Hage Geingob has described the just concluded 3rd Swapo Policy Conference as a resounding success for having met its objectives including Strengthening the Party for a United Congress 2022.
He said the gathering met all its goals because the leaders from all Swapo structures made tangible inputs, adding that they should go and report to the rank and file of the party.
President Geingob shared this on his Facebook Page on Sunday.
‘’No doubt – we have met our objective of building a party that strengthens capacity and sets policy direction for government,’’ he said in his closing talking points summarising the policy conference.
He said the policy debates demonstrated the quality and maturity of the party’s leadership at all levels.
The deliberations also showed the urgency and ‘’visible impatience and seriousness’’ the leadership is about improving the lives of ordinary Namibians, said the ruling party President.
Touching on policy specific issues, the President said, the conference deliberated on housing delivery to find innovative solutions such as adopting alternative policy interventions to address informal settlements.
Also under discussion were youth empowerment, employment creation, education to make the country globally competitive and to look at different forms of poverty alleviation.
Geingob said that the conference considered local content policies in the fisheries, mining, oil and hydrogen sectors to prescribe among others local ownership, as a way to alleviate poverty.
The scaling up of Vocational Education and Training for industrialisation, were also among the policy issues discussed.
At the Swapo Party level, Geingob said, the conference discussed issues about how the party should respond to internal and external threat because of the changing political landscape.
Geingob tasked the Think Tank to develop a white paper on the country’s governance architecture to see if there is a need for reform or adaptation in order to better deliver goods and services.
The conference also discussed to what extent the party’s manifesto was implemented as well and challenges and opportunities in this regard.
The president observed that the fact that there were no demands for gender inclusion shows that the party has done well to achieve gender equality.
The conference express concern over nationhood, and resolved that more be done to foster nationalism through civic education and national service.
Geingob said the conference closed with a ‘’stronger sense of unity and comradeship’’.
The Swapo president however, did not share resolutions that were taken by the policy conference.
