President Hifikepunye Pohamba has given Telecom Namibia high marks for the manner in which the State-owned entity is fulfilling its mandate and living up to expectation.
This follows a visit by a delegation from the company led by the Board Chairperson Dr Catherine Beukes-Amiss to State House on 9 June 2014. The delegation consisted of Managing Director, Mr Frans Ndoroma, as well as members of the board, executive leadership and other key personnel of the State-owned company.
During the course of the visit, the delegation briefed the Head of State on the work of Telecom Namibia to achieve the objective of the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP-4) in the area of ICT. Dr Beukus-Amiss informed the Head of State that Telecom Namibia was focused on ensuring that the country has a modern telecommunications infrastructure to facilitate improvement in the quality of life of Namibians and the country’s economic competitiveness.
“As a consequence, the Board is striving to achieve alignment of strategic intent regarding our social obligations that does not jeopordise our long-term financial health,” she said.
Mr Ndoroma and his team briefed the Head of State on projects undertaken by the company to ensure a modern infrastructure, including the rolling out of the Government’s Regional ICT hubs, the high-speed (3G/4G LTE) network, strengthening and expansion of the national transport infrastructure, regional and international connectivity for the country, as well as school Internet connectivity through the programme run by the Xnet Development Alliance Trust.
“All these reflect our sense of obligation for the future of our country,” Mr Ndoroma noted.
“Our actions are geared not to turning a quick profit but to ensuring the long-term success and sustainability of this public enterprise.”
President Pohamba expressed happiness with the achievements of Telecom Namibia, but was equally impressed to see women in the company pursuing careers in the fields of science, technology and engineering.
He said that through his extensive travelling around the country he had seen and experienced the telecommunications infrastructure development by Telecom Namibia. He also expressed delight at the regional and international footprint rollout to facilitate telecommunications at the local, regional and international levels.
“I am happy and satisfied with what Telecom Namibia is doing. I am saying happy while believing in the philosophy that Rome was not built in a day. Whatever you go, even outside of this country, you will see what Telecom Namibia has done,” the President pointed out.
President Pohamba stressed the importance of telecommunications, citing as an example a women communicating with her son or daughter in America while being in a homestead in a village in Namibia. “It is wonderful,” he said.
Dr Beukus-Amiss thanked the President for the excellent and warm reception received and the arrangement made for their comfort, adding: “We have deeply experienced and delighted in the hospitality for which this institution is rightly renowned.”
The Board Chairperson made use of the visit to invite President Pohamba to the upcoming Confederation of African Football (CAF) Women’s Championship’s draw slated for 19 July this year and also to watch some games of the event from 11 - 25 October in Windhoek. TN Mobile, the mobile business of Telecom Namibia, is a proud Title Sponsor of this continental showpiece.
