Address by H.E. Dr. Sam Nujoma, President of Namibia
On the occasion of receiving the Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger, New York, 24 October 1995, from The Hunger Project.
Your Excellency Dr. Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, chairman of the international jury,
Ms. Joan Holmes, President of The Hunger Project,
Excellencies, Heads of State
Honorable Prime Ministers
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am honoured to stand here before you and the world to accept the 1995 Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger. At the outset, I would like to express my appreciation to the International Jury for having selected me as one of the recipients of the Prize this year. I regard this award as a recognition of the efforts that the people of Namibia have made and are still making in attaining national and household food security. I am accepting this prize not only on my own behalf but also on behalf of the people of Namibia.
It is deeply gratifying to me personally and to the people of Namibia that the Chairman of the International Jury is none other than Dr. Pérez de Cuéllar who, as secretary-general of the United Nations, devoted considerable amount of time and creative energies to efforts of bringing about the independence of Namibia. He presided over the birth of independent Namibia and installed me as the first President. Our people have great admiration and affection for you, Sir.
I would like to take this opportunity to warmly congratulate my fellow honoree Ms. Joyce Mungherera. I am indeed impressed by her accomplishments as leader of the Young Women Christian Association for 30 years. We need more people like Ms. Mungherera, people who are committed and dedicated to making a difference in their communities.
During the struggle for national independence, we developed the policy of self-reliance in food production. This policy was successfully implemented in our settlements in Angola and Zambia. We also trained, with the generous support, a number of agronomists, agricultural technicians and engineers, who are today making a contribution to food production in independent Namibia.
At independence, Government of the Republic of Namibia placed national and household food security on top of its agenda. During the first year of independence, we mobilised the farmers to increase food production by bringing more land under cultivation on the one hand, and by increasing the yield per unit on the other. Inputs and technical advice were provided which resulted in increased maize production by 50 per cent and millet production by 75 per cent.
The following year, the government planned to increase output further and we expected to meet national requirements in maize and millet production. Unfortunately, the 1991/1992 drought set in and we could not meet our target. Since then Namibia has been subjected to recurrent droughts.
The government introduced a drought relief programme which ensured that no single life was lost because of drought. We thanked the international community for its generous assistance to our drought relief. However, it is our belief that hunger in Namibia or any part of Africa cannot and will not be ended by food donations from the industrialised countries.
The fight against hunger is a fight in which all of humanity should and must be involved. We as leaders of our countries and communities have a duty in our respective capacities to ensure that no person especially children, should go to bed hungry. This is a responsibility that all of humanity must ace up to. We must now re-double efforts to ensure that poverty, hunger and disease no longer stalk our children and our nations. I is against this background that we are introducing drought management into the farming system.
Recognising that our environment is susceptible to the vagaries of weather, we have created an infrastructure which underpins sustainable food production. We have introduced irrigation schemes along our perennial rivers to take advantage of our scarce water resources. We are also putting emphasis on sound management of our natural resource in order to prevent the degradation of environment and protect bio-diversity for sustainable development.
While we invest in improving yields in food production, there is another aspect of social investment that cannot be neglected or relegated to the back seat. I am talking here about training. training is the best way to equip people with the necessary tools to fight against threats to existence and human survival. It is training that will, in the long run, stand us in good stead, through the acquisition of the necessary technical skills and knowledge.
Such knowledge will enable us to manage programmes aimed at improving agricultural production and the efficient management and utilization of resources. Having realized the importance of investment in human resource development, Namibia now allocates about 30 percent of our national budget to the education and health sectors. We have initiated programmes for small scale farmers and put in place extension services. These services to farmers, both commercial and communal, have also been improved. Agricultural Extension Officers have been posted to every region in the country to give much needed advice to farmers. The Ministry of Agriculture has introduced a hire-a-tractor programme whereby Government tractors are used to plough the fields of those who may not have access to such services. In addition, the Agricultural Bank provides loans and other financial services to farmers around the country.
Mr. Chairman,
We have recognized, and I think every developing nation should recognize, agriculture as the backbone of our economies. Seventy percent of our people are directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture. I am personally convinced that unless a country has the capability to feed its population, no social or economic development can take place. What the people need first and foremost is food security. Only then will they be able to focus their energies on other developmental endeavours.
In developing countries, particularly in Africa, women are the major producers of food. Hence, the Government of Namibia recognizes that without the full and equal participation of women at all levels in the decision making process, no development strategy can be successful.
Mr. Chairman,
I see in The Hunger Project and the Africa Prize, in particular, an example of dedicated and selfless people who are working hard to make our world a better place for all to live in. I would like to commend The Hunger Project organizers for their commitment to serving humanity. I wish you renewed strength to continue motivating people around the world to bring about positive changes in their lives, especially the welfare of our children.
In receiving this Prize, I cannot help but think about the thousands of children in many war-torn countries, particularly in Africa. My hope is that the day will soon come when we will no longer need to address the global agenda: Hunger as a threat to humanity.
A day when hunger will effectively be eradicated. For now, however, the fight must go on.
Mr. Chairman,
Once again, allow me to thank those eminent persons who nominated me for the 1995 Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger. I will endeavour not to disappoint them and all of you and will continue with my own efforts to fight hunger, not only in Namibia but wherever I can make a contribution.
I have the pleasure and great joy to announce to you that I have decided to donate the prize money to build a modern maternity clinic in Namibia at a location in our rural area where no such facility exists at present.
I thank you!