Shaping up sport service delivery

The education ministry has started a week-long restructuring workshop at Ongwediva to align the youth and sport department with its expanded national service mandate.

The workshop, running from 6 to 11 July, brings together officials from the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture’s head office and all 14 regions to collaboratively shape the future organisational structure of the Department of Youth, Sport and National Service.

Officially opening the workshop yesterday, executive director Gerard Vries described the exercise as an important step towards building an effective and responsive department capable of implementing the government’s priorities on youth empowerment and sport development.

Vries thanked participants for their attendance, adding: “The workshop comes at a crucial time following the integration of the ministry and the expansion of its mandate. Its main purpose is to review the current organisational structure of the Department of Youth, Sport and National Service to ensure it is aligned with its evolving responsibilities.”

He said Swapo’s manifesto identifies sport as the second national priority and youth as the third, highlighting the government’s commitment to both sectors as key drivers of socio-economic development.

Vries said with about 71% of Namibia’s population being young people, the ministry must establish an organisational structure that effectively supports youth empowerment programmes and advances sport development nationwide.

He said the introduction of new programmes under the Swapo Manifesto Implementation Plan has expanded the ministry’s responsibilities, making it necessary to put in place structures responding to both current and future needs.

Vries encouraged participants to actively contribute to the discussions and develop practical, sustainable and forward-looking solutions.

He also urged officials to remain mindful of the government’s fiscal environment, stressing that any proposals for additional positions should be realistic, evidence-based and financially sustainable.

The executive director expressed confidence that the workshop would culminate in the development of a draft organisational structure, accompanied by a comprehensive motivation, for submission to the Public Service Management Division within the next two weeks.

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