Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698145630657.pdf (Namibia)
Honourable Speaker, Honourable Members, Allow me to participate in this very important debate and equally to congratulate the Honourable Ministerof Finance for presenting a budget that is aimed at addressing one of our Nations most pressingconcerns of unemployment and equally on the proposed spending that would be available for RuralDevelopment.
Honourable Speaker, We are under immense pressure as a government to revisit our strategic priorities and we therefore should continue to be proactive in all our efforts to create employment for our people and to develop rural Namibia.

Our high unemployment rate remains one of our government's biggest challenges and it is commendable that we employ efforts to increase the room for employment creation.
It is clear that this budget amplifies that there is room for job creation in several areas of public service delivery and I agree that there are sectors of our government that show potential to create jobs.

We should however; as a government continue to ~ ensure that all our policies should focus on local value edition as well as local employment throughout the country and particularly in rural Namibia.
Honourable Speaker, One would like to see more Namibians participate and benefit through direct participation in economic projects, as SME's and employment in the possibilities that infrastructure development bring, particularly in the regions.

It is true that we will be judged by history and I am therefore happy to see that we take deliberate steps to change the legacy we will leave our children and the youth of this country.
Honourable Speaker, Honourable members, It appears from statistics and reports that clearly we are in a growth period of our economy and it therefore only make sense that we invest in employment creation and through that in employment of youth.

Equally it is very commendable to note that government's interest to ensure high value education to our Namibian youth and in the investment in their skillsthrough the budget provision of the Education sector.
It is indeed the right and a very wise decision to continuously invest in the future of the country through the youth.

I am further pleased to note that provision is made in the housing sector as well as sanitation, both in urban and rural Namibia.

This will go a long way in our continuous efforts to service the electorate of this country being those living on the edge of our urban centres and the peanuts in our most remote areas of our country.
I am further pleased, to note that the Swapo Party Government is always thinking about elderly people by increasing their allowances slowly but surely.

In our efforts to help our people, particularly those in rural areas, one would like to see that we through our efforts to address poverty should provide our people, those in livestock farming with livestock and those in agricultural production with seeds so that we can take full benefit of the good rainswe received for this year in some areas.
In conclusion Honourable Speaker and Members, 'lAGVVe We,,~p- 1\ liYfJJ- J celebrotetour 22nd Year of Independence in taking charge of our resources and destiny as Namibians.

We therefore, should continue to increase and protect revenue collection from our natural resources in the mining and agriculture sectors as these sectors show growth potential.

Therefore allow me to express my support for the budget and once more congratulate my colleague and able Minister of Finance.

I THANK YOU