Sports commission gets N$9.6m for 2021/22
…ministry prioritises repair of facilities
TPlanned…Under the current financial year, the ministry plans to repair and upgrade the Independence stadium as well as the Eenhana and Nkurenkuru sport stadiums. he Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service has allocated N$9.6 million to the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) for all its activities for the 2021/22 financial year, which signifies a N$1 million reduction from the N$10.6 million the NSC got in the last fiscal year.
From the N$67.9 billion national budget tabled by finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi in the National Assembly last month, the sport ministry was apportioned a total of N$279 million for the 2021/22 financial year, which officially commenced last month. The N$279 million will be distributed between the ministry’s three directorates; namely the sport directorate, youth directorate and directorate of general and support services.
Motivating the ministry’s budget in the National Assembly on Wednesday, minister Agnes Tjongarero explained how the N$279 million will be dispersed between the three directorates, saying the youth directorate will receive the biggest chunk of the budget to the tune of about N$159 million, followed by the general and support services directorate which has been allocated more than N$74, 9 million and then the sport directorate which got an allocation of about N$44.7 million.
From the N$44.7 million allotted to the sport directorate, the NSC will be getting about N$9.6 million, while the remaining funds from the budget will go towards supporting national sports federations through annual administrative grants, which have not been paid to federations over the years.
Tjongarero also briefed the August House that her ministry has started rolling out the Mass Sport Participation project, where each region will be expected to host sports activities as part of the ministry’s objectives of making sport accessible to all Namibians.
“Funds will be needed to make sure the project is successful, and we are working hard to ensure such funds are secured.”
She also shared that the ministry is in the process of establishing what will be known as the Namibia Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO), saying the establishmentofsuchaninstitution is of paramount importance as it will place Namibia at the forefront in the fight against doping among athletes.
“Doping has become an integral part of sport competition and all countries have been instructed to establish their respective NADOs. This is quite a cumbersome task that requires crafting of legislation and creation of a new institution. To establish this institution, the ministry needs more or less
N$20 to 35 million in order to be in compliance with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s mandate,” she explained.
For the current financial year, the minister said the construction and continued upgrading of national sport facilities such as the Eenhana sport stadium and the Independence stadium will continue, with the ministry planning to embark on finalising phase five of the Eenhana stadium and also to repair the damaged tartan track of the Independence stadium. Work at the Nkurenkuru sport stadium will also continue.
Tjongarero, however, expressed concern with the N$279 million allocated to the ministry, saying it will be insufficient to complete and maintain all planned projects.