On Thursday March 27, Namibia’s newly appointed Minister of Finance and Social Grants Management, Ericah Shafudah, presented the country’s 2025/26 budget of 106.3 billion Namibian dollars (approximately 5.8 billion U.S. dollars), marking a significant increase of six billion Namibian dollars from the previous year.
The budget places a strong emphasis on development, with a 22.6 percent increase in the development allocation, amounting to 12.8 billion Namibian dollars. This allocation is designed to tackle infrastructure bottlenecks that have hindered the country’s growth potential, and includes a substantial investment in sports infrastructure and stadium construction.
Shafudah highlighted that the development budget includes 3.2 billion Namibian dollars funded from sources outside the State Revenue Fund. In her speech, she detailed several key areas of focus, including a 200 million Namibian dollar allocation for the construction of new sports stadiums and another 200 million for sports infrastructure. Education received the largest share of the budget, with 24.8 billion Namibian dollars dedicated to innovation, arts, and culture. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare was also allocated 473.6 million Namibian dollars for 2025/26, with further funding set aside over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).
Shafudah also revealed that 13.7 billion Namibian dollars will be set aside to meet the government’s statutory debt servicing obligations in the coming financial year. Other ministries also saw notable allocations, with the Ministry of Transport receiving 2.7 billion Namibian dollars, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reform was granted 2.6 billion Namibian dollars for the 2025/26 period. With a 4.9 percent increase from the revised estimates of the previous year, Shafudah’s budget is a clear statement of the government’s commitment to boosting the country’s development, supporting key sectors, and addressing critical infrastructure needs.
