The Namibian PIVA Report FANRPAN Regional Stakeholder’s Dialogue, Lusaka, Zambia 3 rd -7 th September, 2007

Layout of Presentation NEPRU’s History - Establishment NEPRU’s Setup - How it is and/or was supposed to be - Financial, Human resource and Techincal challenges Optimistic Way Forward - How development partnerships and the secretariat can help

Nepru’s History NEPRU was set up as an economic think tank for government immediately after Namibia’s independence(1990), scope has since widened Is an autonomous economic policy oriented research institution, reliant on donor funding ( in the past:Nordic and ACBF donors, now diversifying income stream) Scope of research is built around 3 broad programmes- Macroeconomics and fiscal policy, Financial Economics and ICT, Regional integration, Trade and Private Sector Development Although research is focused on Namibia, NEPRU has cooperation agreements with research networks in the region such as; SEAPREN, FOPRISA, FANRPAN where some secretarial or node duties prevail More agreements are envisaged in the future with networks such as the AERC

Nepru’s Setup- Then and Now Nepru was set up as an autonomous research institute reliant on donor funding, today it relies on commissioned research, financial and technical support from int’l cooperation partners Nepru has recently been seeking to reinstitute alternative funding agreements with the Namibian Government as well as other potential donors in the region as well as internationally As a result, the institution faces financial, human resource as well as technical assistance constraints that hinder its true optimal functioning NEPRU welcomes support from development partners that would contribute to its restructuring programme that involves the following; Strengthening its research capacity under its research programmes Having a stable cash flow and, Having a strong financial and human resources management division.

Way Forward NEPRU’s PIVA report has discussed in detail areas of intervention as highlighted in this presentation and suggested recommendations for the FANRPAN secretariat. The PIVA has shown that NEPRU will be able to resume its status as a viable research institute within the next five years having gained 301 out of a possible 464 points. In line with the demand of NEPRU’s node duties, institutional capacity building programmes emerge to be the most beneficial NEPRU stands committed to regaining, maintaining and improving its high reputation as the leading economic policy research institute in the country and regionally. NEPRU would like to continue its node duties with FANRPAN and it is hoped that the Secretariat will assist in areas of significance to the network

Steering Committee, Workshop and Human Resource Database Feedback Our workshop and presentation of the steering committee will be held at a later stage before the end of the year following discussions with Dr. Lindiwe Sibanda It was rather important to have the our database of expertise and node assessment done in order to assess the challenges However, for this conference, our delegation is more representative with major stakeholders dealing in FANR issues and it is hoped that they will be enlightened about our situation and propose areas of intervention that will lead to building a fully active and viable node As we speak, the secretariat is in receipt of Namibia’s current expertise in the FANR arena and it is hoped that more institutions will register from the previous showcasing exercise by the consultant on FANRPAN

Thank You!