Yá’at’ééh! I attended a Navajo Nation Investment Committee meeting in New York City this week. I am happy to report that investments being made on the Navajo Nation’s behalf are doing well!
The Investment Committee functions as an advisory group to the Navajo Council’s Budget & Finance Committee regarding the management of the Navajo Nation’s various investments and investment programs and funds.
The Committee is made up of myself as Navajo Nation President, Controller Sean McCabe, Auditor General Helen Brown, Budget & Finance Committee’s Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson Shandiin Parrish and Carl Slater, and Attorney General Ethel Branch.
We have approximately $9 billion in Navajo funds invested. I told the committee members and some of the investors that it is not enough that we have a good portfolio if we can’t use our returns to build up Navajo and benefit our people.
We have so many dilapidated buildings, but so much maintenance is needed on them. You’ll notice this across the Navajo Nation. Many of our government buildings are not being maintained. We can take some of our returns and do more to ensure our employees have a safe place to work and to build infrastructure that will benefit our people and the Navajo economy, and still have enough to fund our government.
We need to invest in ourselves in a way we never have before.
This is exactly how the federal government, states, counties and municipalities take care of their people. Just as other governments do, we need to get comfortable with the idea of spending some of these funds, and even borrowing to invest in the Navajo Nation to create environments where housing, schools, government buildings and businesses can grow.
I call on the Navajo people and our leaders to invest in our own people and the Navajo Nation. Again, we might have a great portfolio in 100 years, but what good is that if a majority of our Navajo people have left the reservation? We must invest in ourselves now!
