President Hage Geingob called for effective service delivery with regard to the construction of necessary infrastructure and said this should happen in a transparent and accountable manner.
He was speaking at the official inauguration of the newly constructed Walvis Bay International Airport passenger terminal on Friday.
“Effective governance is a pre-condition to socioeconomic development so it is not an exaggeration to say that the corrupt are enemies of peace, stability and development.
“Best value for government money means there is no room for the Mr and Mrs Ten Percent who solicit or accept bribes. Every cent of public funds that goes into infrastructure development needs to be well spent. This translates into optimal procurement processes, which must ensure government obtains best value for public funds. There is no room for procurement processes which lack fairness, cost sensitivity or for inexperienced or incompetent contractors who miss deadlines and deliver low-quality infrastructure.”
The president further stated that not all public procurement processes are corrupt and said that whispers and speculation pertaining to it will never stop. He labelled corruption a cancer that requires early intervention to prevent it from spreading and turning malignant.
“Transparency and accountability are the greatest weapons against allegations of corruption.”
“The only thing that stands between our aspirations is those who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the masses. We have come too far as a country to allow a few corrupt-minded individuals to undermine the economic aspirations of an entire nation.”
The president hailed the inauguration of the new passenger terminal as a milestone in the development of aviation infrastructure in Namibia.
“The new facility is a shot in the arm for the economy and will boost efficiency and speed in the movement of passengers and cargo.”
“It also enables Namibia to boast with having another facility which meets international benchmarks of functional efficiency and operational safety for airports.”
“It sets Walvis Bay Airport on course to become Namibia’s second international airport with increased cargo handling capacity to be highly beneficial for the fishing and mining industries.”
The president further pointed out that government’s commitment and prioritisation of transport infrastructure development is evident in major investments related to the expansion, upgrade and construction of aviation, rail, road and port infrastructure.
“As a city that positions itself as the gateway to the SADC region, it is only fitting that Walvis Bay is endowed with modern transport infrastructure. We witnessed the extensive expansion of the port over the past several years and today the expansion of the airport. In future, we will witness a rail line from Walvis Bay to Botswana.”
President Geingob emphasised that modern and reliable infrastructure is critical for high and sustained economic growth.
He said travelling to various African destinations enabled him to witness first-hand how countries continue to make significant investments in infrastructure, particularly the upgrade of airport terminals and runways and these countries served as pleasant reminders that Africa is indeed on the rise.
Global rating agencies and the 2015 Africa Competitiveness Report corroborate Namibia’s top-quality infrastructure. Namibia is ranked as fifth in Africa in terms of infrastructure and is globally rated ahead of BRICS powerhouses such as Brazil and India.
Otis Finck