MTC, WFP ink agreement to support the public sector
By Clifton Movirongo.
MTC and the United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday to scale long-term engagements to support the public sector, the digital enabler company said.
The five-year agreement MoU is aimed at aiding civil servants by facilitating the provision of digital solutions, and innovation has given supporting WFP’s ethos of ending hunger and improving socio-economic outcomes.
Through the MoU, MTC has committed to driving an inclusive digital economy. This was revealed by MTC’s Managing Director, Licky Erastus, adding that “noting the digital opportunities presented by the 4th Industrial Revolution, it is imperative to bridge the digital divide by formulating smart strategic partnerships that will drive inclusivity and sustainability through rural transformation.”
The five-year agreement between the parties aims to improve and support programmes targeted toward food systems infrastructure, rural transformation, human capital development and digital solutions, Erastus added.
Meanwhile, the telecommunications company said the agreement will be felt on the ground in areas such as digital solutions for smallholder farmers, internship and capacity building for youth and women, mobile financial services; and precision and smart agriculture.
Deputy Country Director of WFP Namibia, Ericah Shafudah, said that it is imperative to develop partnerships with like-minded institutions that have shared values such as MTC.
“Technology and digital transformation have become synonymous with our work and indeed the world we live in. As a result, WFP is constantly exploring ways to leverage technology to accelerate the drive towards food security,” said Shafudah.
The WFP’s mandate is to provide humanitarian and development assistance and assist nations to achieve zero hunger by 2030. The global food organisation works with partners in numerous countries in saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve food and nutrition security as well as building resilience, and the provision of technical assistance at the national level by the objectives of Governments.
According to Shafudah, many of the challenges experienced by smallholder farmers such as access to markets, monitoring and evaluation and supply chain can be addressed effectively, efficiently, and sustainably through technology.
“We, thus, see this MoU as a catalyst for developing cutting edge, tech-enabled solutions for food security, rural transformation and human capital development in Namibia,” she concluded.
