Namibia is harnessing the collective strength of the global community to address shared challenges, create opportunities for its citizens, and contribute to a more sustainable and prosperous world.
This was the view of International Relations and Cooperation minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah during the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s regional bureau cluster meeting in Windhoek last week.
She said the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Namibia necessitates joint commitment, dedication, collaboration and innovation, principles which Namibia regards with utmost significance.
“The SDGs symbolise an international consensus to confront urgent challenges and promote sustainable development.
As a nation interconnected with the global community, Namibia’s success and well-being are intricately linked to the success of international cooperation,” she noted.
UNDP Assistant Secretary General and Regional Director Ahunna Eziakonwa said the UNDP, at the regional bureau meeting held in Nairobi in 2022, committed to a ‘FutureSmart Africa’ as its big push for the UNDP strategic plan for 2022-2025.
During that meeting, the UNDP agreed on five key areas in what it termed the Nairobi consensus. These included a better focus on accelerating development priorities by leveraging Africa’s resources; streamlining and optimising investment in technology and innovation; broadening and strengthening engagement in transformative governance; promoting regional integration through AfCFTA; and investing in mitigation and adaptation to climate change’s impact on the African continent.
Eziakonwa reported progress in leveraging Africa’s resources.
“UNDP Africa has become the pathfinder for how Africa’s resources can work first and foremost for Africa - leveraging them to finance development and create wealth,” she stated.
On investment in technology and innovation, she said 2022 saw a major boost for innovation in Africa as UNDP continued to birth ‘timbuktoo’, which will be Africa’s biggest innovation ecosystem builder.
The ‘timbuktoo’ initiative aims to mobilise and invest one billion dollars of public and private capital over 10 years to harness the continent’s enormous youth talent to transform Africa into a knowledge and innovation global powerhouse.
“There is such great enthusiasm across governments, universities and students alike. Through the eight hubs we are creating under timbuktoo, we will connect ideas to commercial ventures, and with the US$ 1 billion funds we are working to raise, perhaps we can bring serious financial investments to Africa’s tech and innovation-enabled entrepreneurial and industrial ventures,” the top official observed. - Nampa