Photo: Contributed
By: Kandjengo kaMkwaanyoka
The Namibian economy is stuck and is growing statistically, with high dependence on the usual sectors (mining outputs, fish exports, and the financial sector) for statistical changes.
However, Namibians are not feeling this growth; thus, money is not changing hands as much.
We need to ponder how we can grow our economy beyond the statistical changes driven by the output of the mining sector and the billions of FDI that don’t reach Havana 4way.
The reality is that for the people to feel the growth being shown by the statistics, we need to focus on sectors with the highest multiplier effect and spillover in real time.
In other words, sectors that get to involve as many Namibians as possible.
The entertainment and chilling industries are among the sectors with a high spillover effect.
A single musical gig in Windhoek feeds multiple sectors and individuals.
Organiding a proper chilling session in Windhoek is a million-dollar event, especially if you invite musical acts and you elevate the feel and atmosphere with proper infrastructure.
To pull off these events, one has to involve multiple sectors, from sound engineers, designers, printing, manufacturers, transportation, and beverage producers to catering, waitresses, and security.
The entertainment and chilling sector can sustain the Windhoek economy because it distributes money beyond the usual recipients.
Let us consider the Balcony Mix event that took place this last weekend, which brought various DJs from SA. The event was massive in terms of investment, and its spillover effect is celebrated by all the E-rides and ordinary taxis.
Every cup raised at the Balcony Mix was new and printed. The designs, the seating infrastructure, and the number of people who served patrons; it was a whole injection in the pockets of ordinary Namibians.
These types of events have massive procurement budgets, because almost every component has a specific company that does it.
Thus, their ability to redistribute and share the spoils is quite massive for many ordinary Namibians just for a single night.
Namibia is one of the weirdest countries; despite its small population, we can chill. Our entertainment consumption is quite high; thus, we keep attracting top musical acts from around the continent.
In Namibia, music needs beer and meat, and is a golden rule that none of them taste better at home, so a gathering is required; thus, chilling is a sector on its own.
As a result, the country should reconsider its low-hanging sectors to include sectors such as entertainment and sport, because of their redistributive and spillover effect.
Namibia’s income inequality issue is that the sectors the country has been championing are not accessible to everyone in terms of participation.
Thus, as part of rebuilding and reconstructing our economy, we should look beyond agriculture and mineral value addition and support sectors such as event hosting, entertainment, and sport.
Namibia has natural open space for the chilling and entertainment sector, and its law enforcement ensures safety, our open roads and well-established accommodation facilities make the country ideal for big entertainment events.
Thus, we need to start rethinking our economic development approaches and sectors to prioritize.
Sport and entertainment can be Namibia’s everyday economic anchors if we invest in the enabling infrastructure.
All these Expos and Music Festivals happening around the country, if supported well, can generate more money for ordinary Namibians instead of forcing job opportunities from sectors that aren’t labour-intensive.
Our economic planners and facilitators need to ditch the textbook economics and start leveraging what the country has and the emerging trends.
Entertainment and sport have a high multiplier effect, and they feed many sectors, due to their easy access (low capital and limited need for high-level skill sets).
Rethinking our economic model and focusing on what is working for our people is not a crime, and it won’t take away from our emerging sectors push.
Building and supporting sectors that are easy to participate in is key to addressing income inequality.
Namibia has the meat, the beer, open spaces, safety, and talent. Let us host the world in terms of entertainment and sport.
