“ INVESTIGATING

THE GROWTH AND

DEVELOPMENT PARADIGMS OF NAMIBIA”

Submitted by
JOVITTA JACOB
221282, 54
SILVY MATHEW
221576, 72

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 INDEX

TOPIC Pg. No.

Introduction 03

Economy's fundamental profile 04

Political economy aspects 06

Evolution of the economy 07

Governance 10

Policies, critique and recommendations 11

Overview 15

Bibliography 16

Individual analysis 18-19

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 INTRODUCTION

Namibia, a country located on the southwestern coast of Africa, offers a unique blend of rich
history, diverse culture, and promising economic potential. The nation's history is marked by a
tapestry of indigenous cultures and European colonial influence, most notably German and South
African. This complex past has shaped Namibia's identity and continues to influence its path
towards economic growth and development.

The official language of Namibia is English, reflecting its status as a member of the
Commonwealth and its commitment to international engagement. However, the country is home
to a multitude of languages and dialects, including Afrikaans, German, and various indigenous
languages such as Oshiwambo, Herero, and Nama. This linguistic diversity is a testament to
Namibia's rich cultural heritage and the coexistence of its various ethnic groups.
Namibia's culture is characterized by a blend of traditional and modern influences, with vibrant
music, dance, and art scenes that draw from both indigenous traditions and contemporary
expressions.

Economically, Namibia is known for its rich natural resources, including diamonds, uranium,
and marine fisheries. The country has made significant strides in developing its infrastructure
and diversifying its economy, focusing on sectors such as tourism, manufacturing, and renewable
energy. As Namibia continues to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century,
its commitment to sustainable development and economic diversification will play a crucial role
in shaping its future.

This project aims to explore the economic growth and development of Namibia, examining key
indicators, and highlighting successful practices and future plans. Through this exploration, we
seek to provide a comprehensive understanding of Namibia's economic landscape and the factors
driving its development.

I. ECONOMY’S FUNDAMENTAL PROFILE:

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 1. a. HDI Ranking: The HDI score of Namibia was 0.61 and ranked 142nd out of 193
countries in 2022. The higher a country's human development, the higher its HDI value.
b. GDP: In 2022 it was $12.6 bn showing a growth of 4.56% compared to the previous
year.The country is currently trying to revive from the COVID pandemic hit.
c. GDP Ranking:The country ranks 139th out of 177 countries in GDP ranking and has a
per capita income of $4911.
d. MPI Ranking: According to the surveys from 2011 to 2022 the Multidimensional
Poverty Index of Namibia was a score of 0.19 on an index ranging from 0 to 1.

2. STATISTICS
a. UNEMPLOYMENT: The unemployment rate of Namibia in 2022 was 19.75%,
decreased by 1.13% compared to the year 2021.
Participation Rate:Namibia labor force participation rate for 2022 was 27.71%.
b. POVERTY: Due to stronger GDP growth in 2022 and 2023, the poverty has decreased
and remains at 17.8%.
c. INCOME INEQUALITY: As of 2015, the Gini Index of Namibia shows 59.1 as the rate
of income inequality meaning severe inequality.
d. LABOUR FORCE: As of 2023, the Labour force in total was 988727.

3. DEMOGRAPHICS
a. POPULATION GROWTH: Population growth refers to the annual change in
population, and is based on the balance between birth and death rates, as well as
migration. The annual population growth in 2023 was 1.44 and 1.45 in 2022. The
population of Namibia in 2022 was 2,567,012, a 1.46% increase from 2021. The current
population of Namibia in 2024 is 2,645,805, a 1.6% increase from 2023.
b. CBR: Namibia crude birth rate was at level of 46.41 births per thousand population in
2020. The fertility rate for Namibia in 2022 was 3.220 births per woman.
c. IMR: The Infant Mortality Rate of Namibia decreased by 0.7 deaths per 1000 live births
(-2.39) in 2022 comparing to the previous year. Currently, 28.6 deaths per 1000 live
births.
d. CDR: 11.46 deaths per 1000 inhabitants. In Namibia, the death rate increased by 0.8
deaths per 1000 lives. It is in its peak in 2022.
e. TFR: The total fertility rate decreased to 3.25 children per woman in 2022.

4. GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY

a. LOCATION:Namibia, is located in southwestern Africa, stretching from the
Atlantic Ocean and Namib Desert to the vast expanse of the Kalahari Desert on
the eastern border. Windhoek, the capital and largest city, lies nestled within the
scenic Khomas Highlands. Namibia shares borders with Angola, Botswana,
South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Namibia is the world's 34th largest country.

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 The country got its name from Namib Desert that stretches along the coast of
the Atlatic. It receives only 14inch rainfall per year.
b. NATURAL RESOURCES: Mining accounts for 25% of country's income.
Namibia produces diamonds, uranium, copper, magnesium, zinc, silver, gold,
led, semi precious stones and industrial metals . Desert elephants, desert lions,
gemsbok, cape buffaloes, plains zebra, and giraffes are some of the crowd-
pulling attractions found in the country’s national parks. The annual average
number of foreign tourists in recent years stands at about one million tourists.
The nation's largest Uranium mine is recognised for having the largest deposits
of uranium based on igneous rocks.
5. SOCIAL STRUCTURE

a. URBAN RURAL SEGMENTATION : 53.9% of the population resides in the urban

area while the rest I.e, 46.04% of the population resides in rural areas.
b. RICH POOR DIVIDE: The poorest 20% of the population receives 2.5% of total
expenditure, while the top 20% receives 71%.
Potential support ratio 14.8%
c. POPULATION GROWTH:The population growth rate of Namibia has decreased
from 1.66% in 2021 to 1.4% in 2022.
d. AGE PYRAMID AND GENDER DISTRIBUTION:

2023:
0-14 years: 34.38% (male 482,432/female 472,474)
15-64 years: 61.68% (male 834,001/female 878,865)
65 years and over: 3.94% (2023 est.) (male 46,235/female 63,225)

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 6. FINANCIAL STATUS

a. PER CAPITA INCOME: Namibia has a per capita income of $4911.

b. CREDIT RATING: Namibia's credit ratings are as follows: Fitch rates the country at
'BB-' with a stable outlook as of June 2023, while Moody's assigns a rating of 'B1' with a
positive outlook as of April 2024. These ratings reflect concerns about fiscal challenges
and public debt levels.
c. NIGR: The gdp of the year 2022 and 2023 were strong due to which estimated poverty
has decreased. The reason behind this in the post covid years are investments in
extractive industries which have shaped Namibia's growth trajectory.
Namibia’s poverty rapidly declined from 1993/94 to 2015/16, but it remains high for the
country’s level of development. Despite recent progress, Namibia ranked 117th among 157
countries on the Human Capital Index.

II. POLITICAL ECONOMY ASPECTS

1. IMPACT OF COLONIZATION:Namibia endured over a century of colonial rule, first by
Germany and later by South Africa, which had devastating impacts on its people and society:
● The Herero and Nama peoples suffered a genocide at the hands of German colonial
forces between 1904-1908, with estimates of up to 95,000 deaths. Survivors were
dispossessed of their land and cattle.
● Colonization eroded the dignity and self-worth of several generations of Namibians,
confining them to communal reserves and denying them economic opportunities.
● The socio-economic impacts of the genocide and colonial land grabs are still felt today,
with descendants of affected communities struggling with collective trauma and
inequalities.
● Namibia's economy stagnated in the 1970s-80s due to factors like drought,
mismanagement, and the impact of the war for independence.
● Colonization also disrupted Namibia's education system, with inequities that hindered the
progression of the Namibian people.
2. POLITICAL SYSTEM:
• Politics takes place in a semi-presidential representative democratic republic. President is both
the state & the head of government.
• SWAPO, the primary force behind independence, is still the country's largest party.
Has about 40 political groups, ranging from modern political parties to traditional groups based
on tribal authority. ‘Hage Geingob’ won the presidential election and received a second term as
president
3. DEBT:GDP in Namibia is officially estimated to be $13 Billion US dollars at the end of
2023.The economy of Namibia is officially reported as having a debt-to-GDP ratio of 71.7%,
indicating Namibia's debt level is $9 Billion.

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AID:During the government negotiations in June 2023, the Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development (BMZ) made a commitment of 51.5 million euros for bilateral
development cooperation. This comprised 22 million euros in Financial Cooperation funding and
29.5 million euros in Technical Cooperation funding.
The focus of the cooperation is on the following core areas:
Sustainable economic development, training and employment | Areas of intervention: technical
and vocational education and training, private sector and financial sector development
Climate and energy, just transition | Areas of intervention: Sustainable urban development,
renewable energy and energy efficiency
Conserving nature and natural resources, protecting life on Earth | Areas of intervention:
biodiversity, water

4. IMPORTS AND EXPORTS

Exports increased by 9.4% from N$10.9 billion recorded in December 2023.. Compared to
January 2023, it increased by 53.4%.The import value increased by 16.3% when compared to the
value recorded in December 2023 and 27.6% when compared to the value of N$10.8 billion
recorded in January 2023.Uranium had the largest share of 31.7% of Namibia’s total exports
ahead of precious stones (diamonds) with 13% and non-monetary gold with a share of 10.8%.
Lastly, fish (10.6%) and petroleum oils (5.0%) came in fourth and fifth positions.
In terms of imports, copper ores and concentrates was the highest valued commodity with a share
of 21.3% of total imports, followed by petroleum oils with a share of 20.5%, while inorganic
chemical elements came third with a share of Major export partners are South Africa(20.6%),
Botswana (19.2%),China(9.8%), Zambia (8.1%),UAE(6.7%) and Canada(5.3%).
According to 2022 data by Comtrade, the country’s main exports are diamonds (27.1% of the
total), gold (6.9%), petroleum oils (6.3%), fish fillets and other fish meat (5.3%), frozen fish
(5.1%), and copper ores and concentrates (3.5%); whereas imports are led by petroleum oils
(17.3%), copper ores and concentrates (4.5%), diamonds (3.3%), motor vehicles for the transport
of goods (3.1%), and precious-metal ores and concentrates (2.2%).

III. EVOLUTION OF THE ECONOMY

1. HISTORICITY: Attaining independence in 1990, Namibia has been steadily building

its health infrastructure and lines of communication as regards infectious disease
notification. However, before independence, Namibia (called ‘South West Africa’) was
administered by South Africa and many infectious diseases studies were published within
a wider southern Africa focus. The first case of HIV was reported in 1986 and with the
guidelines of WHO, the government adopted ANC sentinel surveillance as the system
for assessing epidemic. The AIDS epidemic in Namibia aggrevated poverty and increase
levels of social inequality. This pandemic has affected them economically by the
decrease in labour supply, costs increased for medical expenses, loss of income of

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 individual particularly if s/he was the breadwinner of the family. The enrollment of
children to school decreased. The mortality rate increased at a high pace. Productivity in
the field of commercial agriculture and thus it affected the gdp of the country. The loss of
workers led to the higher wages which eventually increased the domestic production
costs. Significant drop in savings and capital accumulation. The job format changed as
some higher income earners were pushed to the lower paying jobs. The country has
suffered huge droughts during the last decade, causing the declaration of a national state
of emergency in 3 different occasions since 2013. Two years of failed rains have
devastated millet and maize plantations, dried up watering holes for livestock. This caused
more than 300.000 people being in a state of food insecurity and a 48% decrease in corn
crops.Corporations like Coca Cola, Meatco or different construction companies stopped their
production in Namibia, leaving unemployed thousands of people. Water consumption
restrictions also affected a lot of business, especially small ones, by having to reduce their
consumption up to 30%.
War - The Caprivi Conflict was an armed conflict between the Namibian government and the
Caprivi Liberation Army, a rebel group that waged a brief insurrection in 1999 for the secession
of the Caprivi Strip. A state of emergency was declared at that time. The Namibian government
won the conflict and almost 3000 people had to flee to Botswana as refugees.

2. EXTERNALITIES: Negatives - The German and South African Rule harmed Namibia in
a lot of ways including genocides which lead to the death of 95,000 people. The socio-
economic impacts of the genocide and colonial land grabs are still felt today.
3. ECONOMY PLANNING:
● In its long-term development strategy “Vision 2030 and its national development
plans, the Namibian government has set itself the target of achieving the standard
of living of an industrialized country by the year 2030.
● The current development plan focuses on structural change and modernisation,
and is based on four pillars: economic development, social transformation,
environmental sustainability and good governance.
● In March 2021, President Hage Geingob presented the Harambee Prosperity Plan
II (2021-2025) to reinvigorate the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. The
focus of the Plan is on creating new jobs, encouraging investment and
implementing strategically important projects.
● Future projects include the production of “green” hydrogen and ammonia for
export. The Plan also represents the government’s response to key social
challenges. Among other things, it aims to improve the conditions in informal
settlements and combat gender-based violence.

4. SECTORS:Namibia's economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, mining, and fishing.

The key sectors are:

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 Agriculture:Agriculture contributes around 4-6% of GDP and employs 22% of the.
workforce, although 70% of the population depends directly or indirectly on agriculture.Major
crops include maize, millet, sorghum, and some horticulture products like onions, tomatoes, and
dates under irrigation.The livestock sector is productive and export-oriented, with beef
accounting for the largest share of livestock exports.
Mining:Mining contributes significantly to GDP and is a key sector for output,
employment, and income effects.Major mining products include diamonds, uranium, lead,
copper, and arsenic. Diamonds account for almost 70% of mining exports.Namibia is the 3rd
largest uranium producer in the world and has the largest marine diamond mine.
Fishing:Fishing is an important component of the primary sector, accounting for almost
25% of all activities.Namibian waters are rich in fish.Other notable sectors include
manufacturing, transport, logistics, and government services. However, Namibia's arid climate
and geographic conditions limit the variety of crops that can be grown.
Services: Comprising 54.2% of GDP, key sub-sectors include tourism, financial services,
and public administration, employing about 62% of the workforce.
5. TRADE: NSI (Namibian Standards Institution) conducts testing, inspection, and
certification services in respect of Namibian products and services. Namibia maintains its
diplomatic relations with almost 163 countries. It has several bilateral relations. Few of
the bilateral relations are below:
1. ANGOLA-NAMIBIA : In 1999, Namibia signed a mutual defense pact with its northern
neighbor Angola. This defense pact allowed Angolan troops to use Namibian territory when
attacking UNITA (A rebel movement).
2. CANADA-NAMIBIA : This bilateral relationship began in 1977, when Canada joined the
‘Western Contact Group’, a joint diplomatic effort of France, UK, US, Canada and West
Germany to bring an internationally acceptable transition to independence for Namibia. Canada
is one of the main destinations for Namibian refugees. Canada has been granting asylum to
people fleeing from Namibia in the aftermath of the ‘Caprivi conflict’.
Canada is accredited to Namibia from its high commission in Pretoria, South Africa. Namibia is
accredited to Canada from its embassy in Washington, DC, U.S.
3. INDIA-NAMIBIA : They have been involved in training the ‘Namibian Air Force’ and
bilateral trade in 2008-09. It was US$ 278 million in 2022-23 with India's exports amounting to
US$ 240 million. Between April and November 2023, the two-way trade touched US$654
million, after registering a 178% growth. India's exports were at US$418 million and imports
from Namibia amounted to US$235 million.
The Namibian economy is mostly ‘export-driven’. Mining, fishing, tourism and agriculture are
Namibia's key industries. Imports into Namibia are dominated by South Africa (60%).
In 2022, Namibia was the 141st economy in the world in terms of GDP, 121st in total exports,
129th in total imports. In 2022, Namibia was the largest exporter of Uranium and Thorium ore.
Fastest growing export markets of Namibia are: South Africa, Botswana, France and the fastest
growing import markets are: UAE, Saudi Arabia,and Netherlands.

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Trade agreements
● African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) – this agreement was presented in
Kigali, Rwanda, in 2018. As of March 2019, only three African Union members have yet
to sign the agreement. Namibia is one of 22 countries that has ratified the agreement.
● SACU - Namibia is a member of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). SACU
ensures the free movement of goods among member states, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho,
ESwatini and South Africa.
● SACU-Mercosur Preferential Trade Agreement - This agreement was signed in
December 2004. Namibia ratified the agreement in 2012 and the agreement entered into
force in 2016 The Mercosur members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
● AGOA - Namibia qualifies for benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act
(AGOA), a unilateral and non-reciprocal program that provides African countries with
duty-free access to the U.S. market for more than 6,400 products.
● SADC - The Southern African Development Community (SADC) aspires to create an
integrated regional economic bloc among member states Namibia, Angola, Botswana, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa,
ESwatini, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. SADC has a population of over 190 million
people. The SADC FTA was launched by 12 countries out of 14 SADC members
(excluding Angola and DRC) in 2008.
● SACU-EFTA Free Trade Agreement – This agreement was concluded in 2004.
● SADC Protocol on Trade – Namibia is a member of the Southern African Development
Community (SADC). This agreement was concluded in 1999.
There are several more trade agreements of Namibia.

IV. GOVERNANCE
Namibia is a democratic republic and operates under the system of the multi- party democracy.
The President is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and at the same
time, has legislative authority; he is elected for a five years term, with the possibility of re-
election for a non-consecutive term. Namibia’s Parliament is a bicameral one comprising of the
National Assembly and secondarily the National Council thus being the legislative branch of the
government.
Jurisprudence is a combination of civil, common and customary law based on the Constitution of
1990 which provides for various citizen’s rights and freedom including freedom of speech and
assembly. The judiciary is thus autonomous and comprises the, supreme court, high court and the
subordinate courts.
Public administration occurs through ministries and agencies that are government departments in
the spheres of health, education, and finance. However, it is sad that notwithstanding measures to
enhance efficiency, problems such as bureaucratic and corrupt practices are still rampant. The
country is divided into fourteen regions, local government structures are accompanied by laws
aimed at decentralization, self-government, and participation of citizens.

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They include polls, voting, a referendum, public contributions, and any other processes the
public is engaged in. It includes goal such as sustainable development, poverty reduction; its key
players are ministries of governments, civil society and private organization.
There is also Accounthood through institutions such as ACC and ombudsman although the
challenges persist. Namibia has a stable security status which is preserved by the Namibia Police
Force and the Namibia Defence Force.
Namibia has diplomatic relations with other countries in the international level through inter alia
the United Nations and the African Union in peace, integration and development cooperation.
Emerging issues include corruption, economic imbalances, and unemployment and they are
controlled by initiatives like the Harambee Prosperity Plan.

V. POLICIES ,CRITIQUE AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENTAL POLICIES AND CRITIQUES:

● Vision 2030: A long-term strategic plan aiming to make Namibia a prosperous

and industrialized nation by 2030.
● National Development Plans (NDPs): Successive NDPs guide short to medium-
term development goals. For example, NDP5 (2017-2022), So far 6 NDPs have
been implemented focuses on economic growth, infrastructure, and social
development.
● Economic Advancement Policy: Focuses on promoting industrialization and
economic diversification.
● Namibia's industrial policy is constrained by its membership in the Southern
African Customs Union (SACU) and is heavily focused on promoting investment
in export-oriented manufacturing through its Export Processing Zones (EPZ)
program.The government prioritizes SME development through initiatives like
the Sites and Premises Programme, which provides infrastructure and facilities to
support small and medium enterprises.
● Namibia's small, open economy, high income inequality, participation in various
trade agreements, membership in SACU, and emphasis on attracting investment
make its trade policy unique compared to many other countries
CRITIQUES:
● Inequality and distribution issues - Namibia remains one of the most unequal countries in
the world, significant disparities between urban and rural areas.
● Dependence on natural resources - Namibia’s economy is heavily reliant on mining and
natural resources, particularly uranium and diamonds. This makes them vulnerable to
global commodity price fluctuations.
● Land reform challenges - Problems of slow implementation and issues with land
redistribution.

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 ● Infrastructure and Investment gaps - Inadequate infrastructure can hinder economic
growth and reduce the effectiveness of industrial and trade policies.
● High unemployment rate - Critics argue that economic policies have not sufficiently
addressed job creation and skills development. Persistent unemployment, especially
among young people, can lead to socio-economic instability and reduce overall economic
productivity
● Subdued economic growth: Despite efforts to promote economic diversification and
stability, Namibia has experienced periods of slow growth, which has hindered progress
in poverty reduction and job creation.

2. SOCIAL POLICIES AND ITS CRITIQUES:

● National Policy on Education: Aims to provide equitable and quality education to all
Namibians.
● National Health Policy: Focuses on improving health services and access, addressing
health challenges including HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases.
● National Gender Policy: Seeks to promote gender equality and women's empowerment.
● National Social Protection Policy: Includes measures like pensions, social grants, and
support for vulnerable groups.
CRITIQUES:
● Inequality in access to services - Rural areas often face challenges in accessing quality
education, healthcare, and social services.
● Education system challenges - high dropouts, the infrastructural problems of the
education institutions, disparities in educational quality.
● The National Planning Commission (NPC) of Namibia has faced several challenges in
implementing its policies since independence:
● High unemployment: Unemployment remains a persistent challenge, with the NPC
working to address skills gaps and create more job opportunities through targeted
interventions.
● Poverty and inequality: Reducing poverty and inequality has been a key priority, but
progress has been uneven, requiring continued focus on social welfare and inclusive
development policies.
● Coordination and implementation: Effectively coordinating development plans across
various sectors and ensuring timely implementation of policies has been an ongoing
challenge for the NPC.

3. GLOBAL COMPARISONS:
The Global Innovation Index (GII) ranks world economies according to their innovation
capabilities.Namibia performs better in innovation inputs than innovation outputs in 2022.

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Namibia ranks 33rd among the 36 upper-middle-income group economies.
Namibia ranks 6th among the 27 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa

● Inflation in Namibia in 2022 was around 6.08%. Within the EU, the average in
the same year was 8.83 percent. In the United States, it was most recently 8.00%.
● The average monthly income in Namibia is 418 US Dollar per capita. In the USA,
the figure is 6,398 US Dollar. However, the prices of consumer goods are also
around 56.0 percent lower than in the USA. If you compare income and price
levels, the result is a more expensive life in Namibia than in the United States.
● The government debt in the period from 1991 to 2022 was between 354.8 million
and 9.0 billion USD. The highest level of the last years at nine billion US Dollar

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 was reached in 2022. Based on the number of inhabitants, this is a debt of 3,490
USD per person. For comparison, the average debt per person in the same year in
the European Union was 29,792 USD.
● The quality of life Index of Namibia ranks 80 out of 133 countries.

4. RECOMMENDATIONS
From’ Impacts of climate change on Namibia, adaptation strategies and future
recommendations: A review’
Namibia should
1. Continue working with the international community to enhance progress in reducing
deforestation in Africa.
2. Continue to improve the environment for investment to diversify sources of income and inject
new jobs
3. Continue to integrate climate issues into economicplanning at the national level
4. Make stronger efforts in assessing new projects andprograms in their effect on the
environment
5. Continue to improve access of local communities to weather and climate-related information
and to the knowledge of best coping strategies.

From ‘Addressing informal settlement growth in Namibia’

General recommendation
All possible proactive steps should be taken to avoid establishing settlements that are
disorganized, unstructured and dense shanties of corrugated iron shacks. Conversely, steps taken
towards creating ordered settlements where low income residents own their land, can build
permanent homes and look forward to the incremental provision of services, should be
encouraged. These steps require proactive planning of informal settlements before people settle
there
Recommendation 1: Focus on the provision of land, not housing.
Recommendation 2: Gain control over informal settlement expansion
Recommendation 3: Support innovative, proactive and pragmatic approaches of local authorities
Recommendation 4: Accelerate the provision of tenure in structured or upgraded informal
settlements
Recommendation 5: Attract private sector investment .
Recommendation 6: Attract international donor funding and Corporate Sector Responsibility
(CSR) support for upgrading projects.
Recommendation 7: Turn rapid urbanization and the creation of new townships into an economic
opportunity for Namibia.

Source - Lotfy, H. R. (2011b). Impacts of climate change on Namibia, adaption strategies and
future recommendations: A review. In Academic Journals, Journal of Geography and Regional

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Planning (Vol. 4, Issue 13, pp. 672–677) [Journal-article].
https://academicjournals.org/journal/JGRP/article-full-text-pdf/C422A7340898.pdf

Weber, B. (2017, December 6). Addressing informal settlement growth in Namibia.

https://nje.org.na/index.php/nje/article/view/volume1-weber

CONCLUSION:
Namibia is a country of the African continent, which possesses a great stock of natural
resources and, in most cases, a stable political environment, so it is difficult to present a simple
image of the economic development of the country. Although the country has improved its rank
in GDP rates for growth,Human development Index etc, it still struggles with existing challenges
such as unemployment, inequality and poverty imply the need to adopt a different more
inclusive and sustainable development model.

It is important to note that particular physical characteristics, demographic conditions and

peculiarities have an impact on the economic development of the nation. However, due to some
restrictions and obstacles in governance and other aspects , it still has a tremendous resource
unexplored. The economy of Namibia like that of many other developing countries has to step
up the development planning and has to adopt more of a strategic framework

An analysis of the policies brought out by the Namibian Government has strengths and
weaknesses and has not always achieved what it was meant to Namibia requires agenda that
priorities human capital development, infrastructure investment,diversification and value addition
of exports and economy and good governance.

The threat of negative changes can be analyzed to see the global status and development of
Namibia. Namibia has a greater potential for deeper economic interdependence and knowledge
exchange. Namibia has an opportunity to learn from the experiences of other countries and
mold their country’s political and economic conditions.

Thus, Namibia has come to a crossroads. With more and careful investment, political
commitment, and strategic direction, the country can bring up its economic potential and
improve the living conditions of the citizens. An intensive and concerned effort to address the
political, economic, social, the causes of poverty, inequity, and unemployment is also necessary
to create a prosperous nation of Namibia with sustainable development.

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia

6. Green, R. H. (2024, August 1). Namibia | History, Map, Flag, Population, capital, &

Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Namibia

https://www.npc.gov.na/national-plans/programmes/special-programmes-ngsip/

7. Lotfy, H. R. (2011). Impacts of climate change on Namibia, adaption strategies and

future recommendations: A review. In Academic Journals, Journal of Geography and

Regional Planning (Vol. 4, Issue 13, pp. 672–677) [Journal-article].

https://academicjournals.org/journal/JGRP/article-full-text-pdf/C422A7340898.pdf

8. Weber, B. (2017, December 6). Addressing informal settlement growth in Namibia.

https://nje.org.na/index.php/nje/article/view/volume1-weber

9. Namibia. (n.d.). Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

https://www.bmz.de/en/countries/namibia

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 10. https://www.globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.php?

country_id=namibia#:~:text=A%2DGLANCE%20%5B%2B%5D-,Namibia%20is

%20ranked%20124%20of%20145%20out%20of%20the%20countries,the%20annual

%20Global%20Firepower%20review

11. Namibia Military Spending/Defense Budget 1960-2024. (n.d.). MacroTrends.

https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/NAM/namibia/military-spending-

defense-budget#:~:text=Namibia%20military%20spending%2Fdefense%20budget

%20for%202022%20was%20%240.37B,a%208.68%25%20increase%20from%202020

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INDIVIDUAL ANALYSIS - JOVITTA JACOB

One thing that intrigued me about Namibia was the exchange rate of this African country which
was better than India. This was the reason we chose the country and wanted to know more about
it. Diving deep into different aspects of the country, I was quite surprised about how young
independent country it is.In my opinion, Namibian people has done an extraordinary job in
reviving Namibia after years of exploitation.Namibia might not be a great country if compared
with other countries around the world but the progress it has made in less than 50 years of
freedom is quite commendable.The country has still got major issues like huge income
inequality, increasing mortality rate, corruption etc which has to be taken under control.And for
this many special programs are implemented by the government all of which were not mentioned
here.

While reading up for the project,I got the opportunity to get to know about various things like
shared history of Namibia and De Beers,how colonizers use the same technique to colonize
countries, that is by providing arms and ammunition etc piqued my interest and started reading
about those even though it was no use to the project.

The preparation for the Group Discussions and the Group Discussions itself turned out to be very
useful in pointing out information we could have missed and also to have a productive
conversation with the classmates.The Group Discussions also helped in understanding the
economical and political situations of other countries as well as how other members of different
groups perceived them.The partner I chose to work with was also very enthusiastic about the
work and motivated me to do better.

Providing concept note in the beginning and explaining the expectation was a huge help and it
helped in solving the doubts we had from time to time.The process we had to go through from
choosing the country, collecting the information to the final submission was long and had
obstacles like assigning importance, gathering relevant and recent information, but it was
exciting and enjoyable as well.

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INDIVIDUAL ANALYSIS - SILVY MATHEW

Analyzing the work we have done, I felt that this project helped me investigate more into the
economical condition of an African country ‘Namibia’. Started off with the prejudistic mind that
all the African economies are less developed or economically very backward but by the end of
the project and the FGDs conducted, came to the perception that there are countries which have
changed in several ways and there are developing and even high income countries in
Africa. The most convenient country I could compare the economy of Namibia to study its
the growth was India because I am more familiar with it.

Namibia, a country located on the southwestern coast of Africa, is a higher middle income
country and its economic performance was better than expected, the economy grew by 4.2% in
2023. Despite being an upper middle income country, Namibia is still high in its poverty and
inequality levels. Namibia's democracy is one of the stable democracy in the continent. But the
depth of democracy is questionable in Namibia as it has a dominant party SWAPO ruling since
independence. Through this we can doubt the political freedom of the country.In the post covid
period, their economy has recovered but it still lags in financial services and a few other
sectors.

I found it a bit difficult to find the latest information and data regarding the economy and that's
why we have mentioned 2022 data mostly in the project. Came to learn a few terms related to
economics. Got to read a few articles and research papers regarding our topic which helped in
setting the project and I hope this research and analysis would definitely help in my future
pursuits.
One of the most helpful experiences during the project was working with my friend and project
partner, which made me think out of the information I had and I read. Our combined contribution
of thoughts, ideas, and knowledge about the topic made this project a better one. Another citable
experience was the FGDs. Through the discussions of students from different groups, I could add
extra information about the topic and got a framework of the project. I and my partner were able
to effectively attend this project and bring it to a completion.

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