Sport funding a major headache: EkandjoSport minister Jerry Ekandjo says the funding of sport remains a headache in Namibia, as the economy cannot sustain all 48 sports codes.
Speaking at a ceremony where new members of the Namibian Professional Boxing and Wrestling Control Board were introduced, Ekandjo said his ministry is inadequately funded, a situation that is seriously affecting sport in the country.
“We requested N$2.2 billion from government for the 2016/17 financial year, but we were only allocated N$400 million.
“This is not enough to sustain sports codes. For example, we wanted to support professional boxing this year, but we can only give them the bare minimum of support like pay their rent, or provide them with transport.
“We cannot afford to support promoters to stage fights as we do not have the resources,” the minister said.
Ekandjo said the ministry’s resources are so limited that he had to approach Cabinet to try and get more funding.
He said the government’s top priorities are education and health.
Shivute Katamba, the director of sport in the ministry, said the sport budget was cut by N$9 million because the government prioritised other matters that need urgent attention, like drought relief and education.
“We are given a certain limit per month, in this case N$31 million monthly, which we have to split into three directorates, so as you can imagine, it’s really tough at the moment,” he said.
With regard to what needs to be done to improve sport funding, Katamba said the recent Sports Act Review conference made suggestions that are being considered with the hope of improving funding for sport.
MAQONDA NDLOVU