N$11 million in ten minutes

In a show of unity between government and private industry, the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani, officially launched the National Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) Task Force and a dedicated support fund.

The initiative aims to safeguard the country’s highly valuable “FMD-free without vaccination” status.

The urgency of the initiative was underscored by a pledging session in Windhoek, during which the private sector committed N$11 million in just ten minutes. Key contributors included the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), which pledged N$3 million in kind through salaries, statutory costs and operational expenses, alongside Bank Windhoek, FirstRand (FNB), DAS Group, Feedmaster, Namib Mills, Agrimark and Agra.

“So thank you, thank you, thank you once again. Within 10 minutes, we were able to raise N$11 million,” said Zaamwani to private industry leaders who made pledges.

This mobilisation comes as Namibia finds itself increasingly isolated in terms of animal health, surrounded by FMD outbreaks in neighbouring countries. “We are almost like an island within the SADC region. We are the only country that still has an FMD-free status without vaccination, and we want to protect that,” said Zaamwani.

The minister explained that while Cabinet has already approved N$57.5 million for immediate FMD prevention, the total investment required to fully safeguard the sector in the long term is estimated at N$1.5 billion. The immediate need is estimated at approximately N$120 million. These resources are considered essential to protect the N$15 billion livestock industry and the livelihoods of the 70% of Namibians who depend on the broader agricultural sector.

The Task Force’s mandate

The newly formed Task Force, composed of experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, UNAM and various industry unions, is tasked with coordinating a rapid response. As the “first line of defence”, the team will focus on early detection and maintaining the integrity of the southern and eastern borders to ensure the long-term competitiveness of Namibian beef on the global market.

Beyond surveillance, the Task Force will manage biosecurity logistics, ensuring that funds are directed towards high-risk entry points. This includes:

• Intensified border patrols: Deploying additional personnel and resources to monitor animal movement across high-risk borders.
• Infrastructure reinforcement: Repairing and maintaining veterinary fences to prevent contact with infected buffalo or stray livestock from neighbouring states.
• Technical surveillance: Implementing advanced monitoring systems to provide real-time data on potential outbreaks.
• Industry coordination: Acting as a bridge between government and private sector players such as Meatco and the Meat Board to ensure a unified response to any threat.