Namibian President bans car purchases

The President of Namibia, President Hage Geingob today shocked his countrymen by announcing a ban on government officials from purchasing new cars till 2025.

This is coming on the heels of a tight economic downturn which is currently ravaging the globe.
President Geingob, announced the ban this Thursday via his Twitter handle saying the tough decision was inspired by the “difficult period of COVID-19.”

Not stopping at that, the President also put a monthly cap on all fuel purchases and consumption by all public office holders
According to the President, “Government will not order a new vehicle fleet for the Executive and Public Office Bearers for the period 2020-2025,” he wrote.
“Savings of 200 million Namibia dollars (about $10.8 million) will be directed to urgent priority areas.”
The statement also added that “constantly directing government offices, ministries and agencies to do more with less,” major savings across the government system have been achieved over the past five years since Geingob.

“Government spending has been reduced by 9%, annual travel and subsistence allowances have been cut by 62%,” it added.
During his inauguration early this year, President Hage Geingob had promised he would present a robust recovery plan that will mitigate anticipated negative impacts on the country’s economy, in the midst of the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Geingob said the new government, which was poised to take over from the last government will focus and aim on introducing major economic plans that will stimulate and boost all sectors of the Namibian economic system and generate more jobs.

He added that the government will do “whatever it takes” to safeguard the country’s economic sovereignty and human dignity of its citizens.
Geingob won a second term in a keenly contested presidential elections by garnering over 50% of the votes cast and defeating his closest rival – Panduleni Itula into second place with a 30% approval from the electorate.
A country of 2.5 million people, Namibia’s gross domestic product $14.52 billion as of 2018.
The country has so far recorded just 16 cases of the coronavirus