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19 July 2010

NEWS

The Minister of Lands and Resettlement, Honourable Alpheus !Naruseb, officially launched the Millennium Challenge Account Namibia’s Communal Land Support (CLS) Sub Activity in Oshakati on Monday 19 July 2010.  At the same time the head quarters from where the project, that covers most of the Northern Communal Areas (NCA), will operate was officially opened. 

The CLS activities of the MCA-N will strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement to implement the Communal Land Reform Act of 2002, thereby fast-tracking the process of land registration in the Kunene, Oshana, Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshikoto and Kavango regions. 

Officially launching the CLS the Lands & Resettlement Minister condemned activities leading to poor rangeland and low agricultural productivity including the fencing off of large portions of common grazing areas which leads to the marginalization of already poor people.  He labeled illegal fencing off as a problem that can no longer be ignored.

Honorouble !Naruseb emphasized that a total of 1 389 land parcels were registered between 2003 and 2008, which is less than one per cent of the estimated number of existing land parcels in the NCAs. He indicated that “there are approximately 230 000 land rights holders in the NCAs and, as such, it would take the government a long period to register all the land parcels”.

The CLS Sub-Activity will concentrate on the identification of all land parcels above 20 hectares, with or without fences, and subsequently their registration in compliance with the 2002 Communal Land Reform Act.

GTZ International Services (GTZ IS) is contracted by MCA Namibia as the CLS Facilitator and will work very closely with the Ministry of Lands & Resettlement (MLR) and the Communal Land Boards (CLBs) in the NCA.

The project office is located at the premises of the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement’s head office in Oshakati. 

The CLS implementation will run for a period of approximately 4 years, till mid 2014.

08 July 2010

Texbook Reports

The Millennium Challenge Account Namibia Textbook Baseline Study was conducted to collect  detailed information on textbooks and related indicators in the Namibian general education system to ascertain the exact level of textbooks presence for each Namibian school for English, Math and Science subjects.

"MCA-N-Textbook-Baseline-Study-Report-May2010"
"MCA-N-Textbook-Baseline-Study-10%-Sample-Survey-Report-May2010"

24 April 2010

NEWS

MCA Namibia delivers Textbooks

MCA Namibia hosted US Under-Secretary for Political Affairs William Burns today.  Burns officiated at the Textbooks handover ceremony held at NAMCOL YetuYama Centre, in Katutura.  The textbooks procured by MCA Namibia through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) represent MCC first investment in Namibia’s Education sector. 

Burns noted that he was pleased to witness such an occasion and not just reading about the great things happening in Namibia from his office in Washington.

He added that the US is committed towards helping Namibia in various projects that will contribute to Namibians' brighter futures.  “The MCC not only supports Namibia’s development but also that of ten other countries in Africa, which together accounts for 70% of the U$7.5 billion that MCC invests worldwide” said Burns.

I am looking forward to work with the Namibian government in the fields of agriculture, education as well as tourism”, Burns stated.
Receiving the textbooks, the Minister of Education Abraham Iyambo assured Burns that his Ministry will work closely with MCA Namibia to ensure that the books are received and accounted for.  “Textbooks must be put to effective use and handled with care by both learners and teachers” said Iyambo.

The MCA Namibia assistance through this activity includes, addressing existing gaps in textbooks provision by funding the acquisition of English, Mathematics and Science textbooks for grades 5 - 12 on a national level.

31 May 2010: Procurement Opportunity

MCA Namibia is announcing a new procurement opportunity:

MCAN/COM/RFP/3B01002: Design, Environmental And Social Impact Assessment and Supervision of Quarantine Camps

The Specific Procurement Notice advertising this procurement and the associated solicitation document are available on the Procurements Page.

16 April 2010: Procurement Opportunity

MCA Namibia is announcing a new procurement opportunity:

MCAN/COM/IRFP/3B01001: Design, Environmental Assessment and Supervision of the Construction of State Veterinary Offices

The Specific Procurement Notice advertising this procurement and the associated solicitation document are available on the Procurements Page.

27 January 2010: Procurement Opportunity

MCA Namibia is announcing a new procurement opportunity:

MCAN/COM/RCQ/2A01004: Development of a GIS-based Equipment and Infrastructure Database and a Maintenance Plan for Etosha National Park

The Specific Procurement Notices advertising this procurement and the associated solicitation document are available on the Procurements Page.

11 January 2010: Procurement Opportunity

MCA Namibia is announcing a new procurement opportunity:

MCAN/COM/RFP/3C01001: Consulting Services for the Implementation of the Indigenous Natural Products Primary Producer and Processor Organisations Sub-Activity

The Specific Procurement Notices advertising this procurement and the associated solicitation document are available on the Procurements Page.

20 November 2009: Procurement Opportunities

MCA Namibia is announcing new procurement opportunities:

MCAN/COM/EOI 2B01001: Consulting Services to Implement a North American Tourism Marketing Campaign for Namibia
MCAN/COM/IFB 2A04002: Manufacture, Supply and Delivery of a Giraffe Trailer and Three Game Transport Crates
MCAN/COM/RFP 2A02001: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for Construction Projects in the Etosha National Park

The Specific Procurement Notices advertising these procurements and the associated solicitation documents are available on the Procurements Page.

10 November 2009

MCA Namibia is announcing a new Procurement Opportunity:
To Develop North American Tourism Marketing Campaign for Namibia

MCA Namibia hereby wishes to alert all prospective bidders that it intends to in the near future publish a Special Procurement Notice (SPN) to call for Expressions of Interest (EoI) from eligible marketing consultants for the development and implementation of a North American Tourism Marketing Campaign for Namibia.

The activities of the consulting services shall include, but may not be limited to:

• Build on and expand the existing “brand” promotion work already underway through the development of a “Positioning Strategy” designed specifically for the North American market;

• Develop and implement a “PR / Media Relations Strategy,” consistent with the positioning work; 

• Develop a portfolio of “Destination Marketing Tools,” primarily online, to better enable those in “the tourism trade” already selling Namibia to be more successful;

• Develop and present an extensive “Online Marketing Training Program” for the Namibian private sector to improve their ability to sell to the North American market online;

• Develop a North American “Trade Show Strategy” that builds synergy among all of the above components; and

• Develop a “Festival and Event Strategy” that creates connectivity between Namibia and North America.

The SPN for the EoI will also be advertised on the www.dgmarket.com and the www.undbonline.com 
 

21 September 2009: Procurement Opportunities

MCA Namibia is announcing several new procurement opportunities:

MCAN/CIF/RCQ/P3.3.4-001: Training of Devil's Claw Traders, Exporters and MET Officials
MCAN/CIF/RFP/P4.5.3: Data Quality Review
MCAN/CIF/RFP/P3.2.1: Communal Land Support
MCAN/CIF/RCQ/P6.2.3b: Phase 2 of the MCA-N Website

The Specific Procurement Notices advertising these procurements and the associated solicitation documents were published on the Procurements Page on 21 September 2009.

16 September 2009:  MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT COMPACT OFFICIALY LAUNCHED

Millennium Challenge Account Namibia Compact officially entered Into Force on the 16 September 2009.   Prime Minister Nahas Angula, officially launched the programme and unveiled a plaque commemorating the launch of the MCA Namibia Compact on behalf of President Hifikepunye Pohamba.

In a speech read on his behalf by Angula, President Pohamba said the Millennium Challenge Compact was signed between Namibia and the United States of America (USA) in July 2008, followed by intense preparatory work in order to meet the legal requirements and administrative conditions for the programme to enter into force.    Pohamba noted that these conditions have now been met.    “As a result, we are here today to officially commence the implementation of the Compact in the areas of education, tourism and agriculture,” he said.

The Head of State added that the thrust of this agreement is to reduce poverty in Namibia by leveraging and improving the competencies of the Namibian workforce, increasing the productivity of agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, as well as through growing the tourism industry.   Pohamba stressed that this will be done by creating an environment that allows communities to generate income through value addition to indigenous natural resources.

MCA Namibia anticipate that by September 2014, the programme would have been completed with the implementation.
On behalf of the Namibian government, President Pohamba then expressed gratitude to the USA government for their generosity and support to the country over the years.
He said the MCA Namibia Compact is just one of many support programmes from which Namibia has benefited.

Speaking at the same occasion, US Ambassador to Namibia Dennise Mathieu, reminded MCA Namibia staff that Five years is a relatively short period of time, so it’s important that the country use the time following compact signing, and before Entry into Force -- to fully prepare for program implementation. 

The two governments also exchanged letters as a confirmation that all Conditions Precedent to enter into force of MCA Namibia Compact have been complied with. This also signifies that both governments are satisfied and the Namibian Government can go ahead with the implementation.

Speeches link available for downloading:
Welcoming note by Hon. Prof. Peter Katjavivi
USA Ambassador HE Dennise Mathieu
Keynote Address by His Excellency President Hifikepunye Pohamba

15 July 2009: Workshop on Procurement Procedures

MCA Namibia hosted a Workshop on Procurement Procedures at the Windhoek Country Club today.

Guests of Honour at the workshop were Prof. Peter Katjavivi, Director General of the National Planning Commission and Chairman of the MCA-N Board and Hon. John Mutorwa, Minister of Agriculture and Member of the MCA-N Board. Other notable participants were Ms. Penny Akwenye, CEO of MCA Namibia,  Dr. John Wingle, MCC Resident Country Director, Mr. Tara Shaanika, CEO of the Namibian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Justin Ellis, Member of the MCA-N Board and Ms. Jackie Asheeke, CEO of the Federation of Namibian Tourism Associations and also a Member of the MCA-N Board. 

The workshop was attended by over 180 members of the business community, sectoral, government, civil society and media representatives. 

The main topics discussed during the workshop were the MCA-N Programme and upcoming procurement opportunities, and the Procurement Rules governing MCA-N operations.

After a Welcoming Note by Mrs. Akwenye and the Opening Remarks by Prof. Katjavivi, the audience was offered several presentations by the MCA-N programme implementation and procurement teams.  The presentations were followed by Q&A sessions, during which the audience took the opportunity to ask questions, request clarifications and make comments. 

The workshop concluded with the Private Sector Perspective address by Mr. Shaanika and a Vote of Thanks by Mrs. Asheeke.

Presentations and speeches available for downloading:
•  Welcoming Note by Ms. Akwenye
•  Opening Remarks by Prof. Katjavivi
•  MCA-N Programme Presentation by Drs. Eline van der Linden, Deputy CEO Programme Implementation, Ms. Tuli Mevava Ngiyoonanye, Director Education, Dr. Fanuel Demas, Director Tourism, and Dr. Helmke Sartorius von Bach, Director Agriculture.
•  MCA-N Procurement Rules Presentation by Mr. Johann Botha, Director Procurement
•  MCA-N Infrastructure Packaging Presentation by Mr. Nicolas Hibbert, Director Infrastructure

MCA-N handed over Road Maintenance Equipment to MET on 01 September 2010

Minister of Education Hon Dr Abraham Iyambo chatting with students from Kosmos High School who were present at the textbooks handover ceremony.

National Planning Commission Director General and MCA-N Board Chairperson Mr. Tom Alweendo.

Student from Hage Geingob High School Lydia Iita giving a vote of thanks on behalf of all learners who will receive textbooks from MCA Namibia.

28 July 2008: Namibia and the United States Sign US$304.5 Million Compact for Poverty Reduction and Economic Growth

At a signing ceremony today in the Office of the Prime Minister, Prof. Peter Katjavivi, Director General of the National Planning Commission (NPC) and Mr. Rodney Bent, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, signed a US$304.5 million (over N$2.3 billion) grant agreement - the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Namibia Compact. The signing was witnessed by the Right Hon. Nahas Angula, Prime Minister of Namibia, H.E. Dennise Mathieu, United States Ambassador to Namibia, and a number of Namibian and US officials and stakeholders.

In his keynote address to the participants at the signing ceremony, Prof. Peter Katjavivi stated: “We are delighted to join the league of Millennium Challenge Account Compact countries. Namibia is a young democracy, this year 18 years of age. And today, Namibia will be the 18th country in the developing world to sign a Compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation.”

Mr. Bent stated, “The program, focused on supporting education and training, demonstrates Namibia’s will to improve the lives of its citizens and create a foundation for sustainable growth, economic opportunities and the success for its own people.”

Read the full texts of the the MCA-Namibia Compact, joint MCA Namibia – MCC Press Release, Compact Factsheet, and Prof. Katjavivi's keynote address in the Downloads section of this website.