President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to Drive Economic Growth and Employment Creation Through Public-Private Dialogue Forum

Her Excellency Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the President of the Republic of Namibia, will chair the inaugural Namibia Public-Private Forum (NamPPF) on 23 - 24 October 2025.

The Forum will bring together key government institutions and leading private sector associations for a high-level, solution-oriented dialogue. This annual platform aims to foster practical, joint responses to Namibia's economic challenges, with a particular focus on enhancing the nation's competitiveness and ease of doing business, towards ensuring a conducive business and investment climate for employment creation. With a view to institutionalise public-private dialogue in Namibia, the NamPPF aims to unlock greater economic dynamism, foster trust between sectors, and accelerate the implementation of reforms that support job creation, business growth, global competitiveness, and broad-based prosperity.

The NamPPF intervention was approved by the Cabinet on 17 September 2024, and is strategically guided by a Coordinating Committee comprising six key public institutions and six leading private/social sector associations, ensuring balanced representation and shared ownership of outcomes. The Coordinating Committee is chaired by Dr. Nangula Nelulu Uaandja, CEO of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, with Titus Nampala, CEO of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as Vice Chairperson.

The theme of the inaugural Forum - "Public-Private Dialogue to Drive Decent and Sustainable Job Creation: Enhancing Namibia’s Competitiveness" - is strategically aligned with the 8th Administration’s transformative agenda, guided by 6th National Development Plan (NDP6). It aims to advance Namibia’s development, comprehensively address unemployment, and significantly improve the quality of life and livelihoods for all Namibians. Furthermore, this theme recognises the indispensable collaboration between the Government and the private sector to achieve these goals, reflecting the urgent need for collaborative, evidence-based policy responses to address Namibia’s high unemployment rate of 36.9% and youth unemployment rate of 44.1%.

The event programme includes high-level panel engagements and sector/issue discussions designed to produce actionable outputs. In preparation for the inaugural session, ten (10) working groups composed of public and private sector representatives, civil society organisations, unions and academia, and based on priority sectors or issues, have been created to identify and engage on the key challenges facing their respective sectors, and to develop solutions to these challenges. These will be presented to the President during the course of the 2-day Forum, alongside topical panel discussions.

The NamPPF is expected to yield several key outputs, including improved collaboration and trust between public and private sectors, enhanced ability for the private sector to raise key constraints, and the establishment of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track the implementation of identified interventions. The forum will also deliver evidence-based strategy papers with actionable recommendations aligned with Namibia’s national economic development priorities, whose implementation will be tracked by the National Planning Commission.

Private and civic social sector participation in the forum is set at association level. This is intended to promote inclusivity as associations are strategically positioned to effectively transmit information to their members due to their proximity, thereby ensuring that no stakeholders are left behind.

Photo caption: H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah with members of the NamPPF Coordinating Committee and the NamPPF Secretariat. The Coordinating Committee is chaired by Dr. Nangula Nelulu-Uaandja, CEO of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, with Mr. Titus Nampala, CEO of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry as Vice Chairperson.

Issued by: Catherine Shipushu

Senior Manager: Marketing, Branding and Communications Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board

Telephone: +264 83 333 8636

Mobile: +264 81 143 3051

Email: catherine.shipushu@nipdb.com

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