Outgoing GIPF boss commended for his contributions and achievements
The Government Institutions Pensions Fund (GIPF) Board of Trustees Chairperson, Nillian Mulemi recently bid farewell to outgoing Chief Executive and Principal Officer David Nuyoma, whose last day in office was 04 August.
“Mr Nuyoma took the job and made it his mission to focus on the mission of the GIPF, which is, as of the year 2023, to safeguard and grow the Fund for the benefit of our members and their beneficiaries with the support of a young and agile team and a committed Board,” she said.
Mulemi made these remarks on the occasion of Nuyoma’s farewell dinner last Friday. Furthermore, Nuyoma, whose contract was set to expire this month to allow for a handover and the process of appointing a substantive Chief Executive, served as Chief Executive of GIPF for more than a decade.
Expressing her appreciation, Mulemi continued, “The GIPF we have today is remarkably different from the GIPF we had ten years ago. Nuyoma, who served under many Trustees, ensured that the GIPF delivered its mandate because he understood that this was a pension for those who dedicated their active working lives to serving the government. Throughout his tenure of office, Nuyoma has exemplified the true essence of exceptional leadership, embodying integrity, innovation, and unwavering dedication.”
According to Mulemi, auditing GIPF is complex and requires time and sound expert knowledge of the nature of our business. “Nuyoma oversaw the expansion of GIPF offices and satellite offices countrywide in response to the strategic need to reach our members. GIPF now has offices in the East, South, North, and West and additional offices in the centre of Namibia. However, reaching our members remains a challenge due to the size of the country and the sparseness of our population. A mobile van traverses across the country to try and mitigate these challenges,” she pointed out.
Moreover, she highlighted Nuyoma’s creation of the GIPF Incubation Asset Managers programme, whose goal is to instill inclusiveness and diversity in the local asset management industry as well as his establishment of an ethics office and enabling policies.
She added: “Nuyoma attended Board meetings with the full support of his executive team. His belief in the potential of this team encouraged them to take on their responsibilities with the same level of dedication. As an employer of choice, the GIPF, under his leadership, spearheaded cordial industrial relationships. “He has also led projects that will be unable to accomplish.” Residential housing discussions for our members started long before the current media reports. Meanwhile, administrative and the Pension Backed Home Loan Scheme’s administrative and legal clearance by all respective agencies is advanced.”
At the farewell dinner held last week, the GIPF Board of Trustees Chairperson also took the opportunity to appoint the new Acting Chief Executive, Onno Amutenya. “He assumes the full mandate of the Fund. Our call as the Board is that business should continue as usual and, therefore, there should be no interruptions.”
Mulemi further emphasized that the GIPF has an influence on the lives of many Namibians as well as the Namibian economy, adding its mission must be “exalted.”
“The GIPF has investments in a variety of sectors in the domestic market, including residential housing, energy, agriculture, education, financial services, commercial properties, pharmaceuticals, logistics and supply chain, manufacturing, and fishing,” Mulemi said, adding that some of these assets are part of their unlisted portfolio and are often risky yet high yielding.
“Nuyoma has overseen the design and implementation of integrated ICT solutions. The latest solution that the Trust Fund rolled out as recently as this year is the Biometric enrollment and Verification system, which is the Trust Fund’s smart tool to support proof of life and an enabler to authentication of those that access GIPF services,” she added.
