Japan-Namibia-UNDP Trilateral Cooperation: Launch of E-Voucher System

                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                               (From left to right) Ms. Bhatia, Hon. Schlettwein, Ambassador Harada


On 7 February 2022, Ambassador Harada, together with Hon. Calle Schlettwein, Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Hon. Anna Shiweda, Deputy Minister, and Ms. Alka Bhatia, Resident Representative of the UNDP Namibia, officiated the launch of the “E-Voucher system” as part of the Japan-Namibia-UNDP tripartite cooperation project "Strengthening Namibia food systems to recover from emergencies and disease-related shocks through the Build Back Better (BBB) programme".


The E-Voucher system aims to replace paper-based vouchers in the provision of subsidies to small-scale farmers (horticulture and poultry) participating in the project in urban gardens established to strengthen urban food security and support small-scale farmers. NEC XON Systems Namibia (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of NEC Corporation, will provide the system.
Through this project, beneficiaries in Erongo, Hardap, Kavango East and Khomas Regions will receive a card with an electronic record of subsidy, which they can present at the project's participating agri-suppliers or retailors to purchase agricultural inputs. Compared to the traditional paper-based system, the E-Voucher is expected to reduce implementation costs and ensure efficiency of the support. Participants at the launching ceremony expressed hope that in the future the Namibian Government may also roll out the E -Voucher system in other development schemes, thereby increasing the efficiency of the assistance.