WINDHOEK, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Thursday inaugurated the country's first Public-Private Dialogue Forum (NamPPF), saying persistent socio-economic challenges -- unemployment, poverty, and inequality -- remain Namibia's greatest test since independence.
Speaking at the opening of the two-day forum in Windhoek, Namibia's capital, held under the theme "Public-Private Dialogue to Drive Decent and Sustainable Job Creation: Enhancing Namibia's Competitiveness," Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia remains one of the most unequal societies in the world.
"We are not merely launching another dialogue; we are institutionalizing a partnership of purpose, a bridge between government and business, united by the shared dream of building a prosperous Namibia," she said.
The forum brings together key government institutions and major private sector associations for high-level, solution-driven discussions aimed at addressing economic bottlenecks, boosting growth, and creating jobs through closer collaboration.
The president emphasized that Namibia must ensure its abundant natural wealth translates into well-being and genuine economic freedom for all citizens. Citing the country's Sixth National Development Plan, she said it lays out the path toward achieving Vision 2030 -- transforming Namibia into an industrialized and prosperous nation.
"Our goal is bold yet achievable to create 500,000 jobs over the next five years. While job creation may not rest solely with government, it is our responsibility to create the environment in which businesses can grow and hire," she noted.
She stressed the need to remove barriers, cut red tape, and enable enterprise growth, while calling for national unity in tackling persistent obstacles such as high operational costs, limited market access, and infrastructure gaps.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the government is reforming key laws, including the Land Bill, the Petroleum Act, and the Namibia Investment Promotion and Facilitation Bill (NIPFB), to improve the investment climate.
"The NIPFB in particular will provide stability and confidence to both domestic and international investors," she said, adding that recent tax reforms have made Namibia more competitive in the region.
"Our progress now depends on a shared effort between government, business, civil society, and development partners," said the president.
The NamPPF is expected to produce concrete outcomes, including stronger trust and collaboration between the public and private sectors, improved mechanisms for addressing private sector concerns, and a framework to monitor the implementation of key economic interventions. ■
