Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698747325115.pdf (Namibia)
CONTRUBUTION ON THE APPROPRTIATION BILL BY HONORABLE LUCIA IIPUMBU ON THE 28 MARCH 2018 Honorable Speaker, Honorable Members of the National Assembly; I take up this opportunity to sincerely thank the Hon.

Minister of Finance and his entire team for the successful tabling of the National Budget for 2018/2019 FY, under the theme "Shared Prosperity" with vast focus on fiscal consolidation and support of pro-growth activities.
I rise before this August house to contribute to the tabled National budget for 2018/2019- 2020/2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) with focus on the following aspects.

Namibia is not immune to regional challenges.

Sub-Saharan Africa economies have been hit by low prices for raw materials and multiple domestic challenges in the past years.
According to 2018 African Economic Outlook, growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to pick up to 3.2 percent this year from an estimated 2.4 percent in 2017 and in 2016, and strengthen gradually.

Growth in South Africa is projected to 1.3 percent remain unchanged between 2017 and 2019 at 0.9 percent.

Considering the Bank of Namibia on our Economic Outlook, growth is projected to improve steadily to 1.4 percent and 2.1 percent in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
I should applaud the budget on fiscal consolidation and support pro-growth activities, it is with this interventions that we are hopeful that we can perform towards and beyond the estimates of Bank of Namibia.

It is evident that our wage bill as a country is not favorable for a small population vis-a-vis the revenue gained from our natural resources endowment.
We welcome the efforts to downsize to the wage bill by reducing the size of the civil services and making sure there are less expenditure spillage experienced in I recall the Hon Minister Calle, saying "The risk is now emerging as a real government.

threat to the provision of quality and timely services to the citizens of Namibia," and this call on us to take drastic measures to tackle this challenge.

Some of the steps we need to take are such as: Efficient utilization of existing structures.
Honorable speaker, Honorable members; with the current slow economic growth and there is a call on us to restrained financial conditions that the country is experiencing, adopt new alternative ways to implement some activities using the existing human resources to relieve budget pressure.
I therefore propose the following strategy; Fully utilization of the Vocational Training Students We take note of the budgetary allocation N$136.9 Million under the program Vocational Education & Training, the call is upon all of us once again as stakeholders to fully utilize the funds.
I therefore propose that the Vocational Training students such as those training in the area of Joinery and cabinetmaking should take up the responsibility such as; fixing the broken schools' chairs and tables, as well as manufacturing of those items to supply to the schools as this will save government a lot of money compare to the current practice I call upon the responsible of calling for tenders to supply the stated goods/services.
institutions to research on the methodology for possible outsourcing various needs requirement of the Social Sector to our VTC as a starting point of full efficiencies utilization of existing structures to cut costs.
I was impressed after utilizing the Zambezi VTC the Zambezi Vocational Training Centers furniture's are all learned that recently, I 2 manufactured by their students, very impressive and are in good quality and I have no doubt that the same efforts could be duplicated at our Correctional Facilities.
Comprehensive Implementation of Growth at Home Strategy Honorable speaker, Honorable members; Manufacturing/industrialization is a priority area in Vision 2030, NDP5 & HPP, and it is as well given a priority in terms of resource allocation during this economic difficulties.
I would like to thank the Ministry of Finance and the National Planning Commission for providing budgetary means to this crucial area of the economy, such as Special Industrialization Programme under the focal area of Manufacturing, with a desired outcome of increasing the manufacturing constant from N$17 to N$20 billion.
As a ministry we are dedicated to continue with the implementation of the activities as outlined in the Growth at Home Strategy and aspire to improve on our operation at all time in collaboration with our stakeholders.

The Namibia's Growth at Home strategy reinforces the importance of accelerating economic growth, reducing income inequality and increasing employment.
From the budgetary allocation we can also see how the government is urging all of us to continue to embracing this strategic policy document, whose main focus is in three strategic intervention areas, these are: • Supporting value addition, upgrading and diversification for sustained this strategy aim to achieve an industrial development and structural the Namibian economy towards more productive economic growth, transformation of activities.
• • Securing market access at home and abroad; which aims to stimulate the industries, and create conditions that will boost Namibian development of local exports on international markets and the final or third strategy is Improving the investment climate and conditions which focuses on industrial infrastructure, the review of the Small and Medium Enterprise Policy, legislative amendments to the Foreign Investment Act and the Export Processing Zones Act, the re-design of registration processes for businesses and intellectual property rights, and the establishment of a regular public-private dialogue platform.
I am happy to report that some of these strategies are implemented already and have started bearing fruits.

Before I conclude, allow me therefore to make a specially call on all of us to redouble our efforts as government to develop our country while consolidating our scarce resources.
We thank the captain and I support the bill His Excellency the President who is leading by example by opting to travel on commercial flights as a cost cutting measure with a goal to focus on Namibia-China to national development.

Let me close by the quote of Former President of America Barak Obama "It's now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next twelve years, and for the decades to come".

Our dream destination is to be an Industrialized Nation come 2030, together we can make it happen.
in sectors critical cooperation bilateral I thank you 3