By: David Shoombe
The founding fathers of the Namibian Constitution had a dream in mind to bring an end to Namibians’ struggles and end exploitation of all kinds, building a nation that is united, prosperous, having equal rights and equally benefitting from its natural resources.
With respect to the progress made in the sectors of education, health, and civic participation, it is important to analyse and look at where we stand as a nation economically and, most importantly, in terms of human development.
WHERE ARE WE IN 2025?
With all the dynamics in global affairs, such as war and tariffs, it is imperative to look at numbers and statistics and try to understand how we ought to move forward as a nation.
In February 2024, Namibia was greylisted by the Financial Action Task Force in order to address the aspect of illicit financial flow and strengthen regulations to combat money laundering. Parallel to that, in 2025, the European Union also listed Namibia as a High Risk Jurisdiction.
On top of that, the combined unemployment rate as per the NSA 2023 labour force census is above 50%, making it the highest in the SADC region. In 2025, the World Bank downgraded Namibia from an upper middle-income country to a lower middle-income country, a move received with different different views from analysts and politicians.
The Bank of Namibia (BoN) released a Financial Stability Report in April, which indicates that although the Namibian economy will be stable and sound in 2025, there is still going to be an increase in cybercrime. In this regard, it is noted that different institutions have put measures in place to assist Namibia in counteracting such challenges.
DEFENCE MODE
As soldiers go to war to defend their territory from their foes, Namibia’s institutions, facilitators, and policymakers ought to follow a similar approach in tackling economic challenges.
To counter the proposal of Nampower to increase electricity in bulk by 8% in 2024, the government availed N$365 million to subsidise Namibian electricity and protect citizens. In August, the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy indicated that to protect the consumer from oil increase prices, the National Energy Fund will absorb N$24.7 million.
Despite Namibia being on economic defence mode and having little room for growth, along with disgruntled youth at every street corner, Namibia continues to lead in terms of investment attraction.
The 2025 Foreign Direct Investment Intelligence Report indicates that Namibia is number one in Africa and the second in the world in terms of attracting foreign direct investments (FDI), especially in the areas of green energy and oil and gas.
With the 8th administration at the reigns, there is still hope in NDP 6, should it be implemented according to plan. In the aspect of value addition to products, the Namibian government, together with the private sector, must walk the talk.
If only the recommendations of the African Peer Review Mechanisms 2025 on Policy Coherence in Namibia are implemented, little doubt of the future would be left. What will differentiate the NDP 6 from other well-crafted plans is strong monitoring and progress evaluation.
The unpredictability in the global arena will not wait for Namibia to develop. Therefore, it is important for everyone to understand their roles in the national development project.
David Shoombe is a Political Analyst, Journalist, and Radio Host at Eagle FM. These are his own views. He can be reached at david@eaglefm.com.na.
