BIG Coalition disappointed with Geingob

The Basic Income Grant (BIG) Coalition of Namibia has expressed disappointment in President Hage Geingob for his stance on the universal BIG, which the President has said does not make sense.

During a recent media briefing in Windhoek, Geingob said he is yet to be convinced as to why government should implement a universal basic income grant as the rationale around it makes no sense to him.

In a media statement released on Friday, the coalition noted that for the past 18 years, they have been tirelessly and widely explaining the concept and rationale of a universal grant.

“It is alarming that Geingob still does not seem to understand universal BIG and its positive impact on the reduction of poverty and inequality, which indicates a denial of the large-scale poverty and inequality rates that continues to plague Namibia,” it said.

The coalition argues that there are many good reasons for a universal BIG programme as classic welfare programmes that use means-test to target beneficiaries have been proven to be more expensive, wasteful and ineffective at reaching indented beneficiaries.

According to the coalition, it will be administratively impossible for the government to identify vulnerable intended recipients of BIG as people constantly move in and out of poverty due to the highly precarious labour market.

The coalition said accurately tracking those in temporary and seasonal employment or those engaging in subsistence activities will be almost impossible as cost to determine beneficiaries is significant.

“The identification of unemployed beneficiaries might lead to the unintended exclusion of some who might not be able to access the grant due to remote locations or lack of information which goes against President Geingob’s promise that nobody in the Namibian house should be left out,” it said.