Windhoek, Namibia - During the visit of International Labour Office Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo, Namibia reaffirmed its commitment to the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions as a practical platform for advancing its employment and social protection priorities, including its ambition to create 500,000 jobs. The ILO Director General’s visit coincided with the African Union's Sixth Ordinary Session of the Specialised Technical Committee on Labour, Employment and Social Development, where expanding social protection was also high on the agenda.
Across meetings with President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Minister of International Relations and Trade Ambassador Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Minister of Justice and Labour Relations Hon Fillemon Wise Immanuel, and employers' and workers' organizations, discussions reiterated the relevance of the Global Accelerator and the expectation that the initiative will help Namibia turn national priorities into coordinated action.
Namibia expressed its continued interest in the Global Accelerator as a tool to achieve its employment and social protection goals. Workers' and employers' organizations noted the progress achieved to date, called for acceleration of implementation and reiterated the need for continued follow-up on the policy reforms that deliver tangible results for workers, enterprises and communities.
A platform for Namibia's national priorities
As a Global Accelerator pathfinder country, Namibia is aligning employment, skills, investment, digital transformation and social protection interventions with its Sixth National Development Plan, using a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to coordinate expertise, financing and partnerships around shared, measurable outcomes. Namibia is also well positioned to leverage emerging investments in green hydrogen, oil and gas, provided these are matched by employment and skills policies and the effective integration of local enterprises into new value chains.
Social dialogue at the heart of delivery
Separate exchanges with employers' and workers' organizations placed social dialogue at the centre of the next phase of implementation. Both called for faster delivery, with technical findings feeding into decisions and clear coordination and accountability as reforms move forward.
The ILO DG’s mission marked both recognition of progress and a renewed call to action. Namibia has set ambitious goals, built a cross-government platform and continues to advance employment and social protection reforms. The Global Accelerator links policy coherence, financing, partnerships and tripartite engagement to results people can see in their working lives.
Across the different engagements, the ILO reassured national actors that it will continue to support Namibia, its social partners, in collaboration with the rest of the United Nations Country Team as the country moves from ambition to delivery: expanding access to decent work, strengthening protection against life's risks and ensuring that economic transformation creates opportunity and security for every Namibian.
