Post on 13-Oct-2020
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Namibia’s National Employment Policy 2013-2017
Final Draft, 22February 2013
Prepared by the Task Team with assistance from the ILO and Herbert Jauch
for the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare
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Table of contents
Preface 3
Introduction 3
Abbreviations 4
PART 1: Situational Analysis 7 1. Employment and economic growth 7
1.1 Macroeconomic indicators and challenges 7
1.2. (Un) employment, informal employment and employability in Namibia 8
1.2.1 Employment profile 8
1.2.2 Unemployment rates and trends 11
1.2.3 Formal and informal employment in Namibia 13
1.2.4 Social protection
1.2.5 Skills shortages and mismatch between skills supply and demand 15
1.3 Past efforts to address unemployment 16
1.4 Reaching the objectives of NDP4: The role of the NEP 18
PART 2: Policy Framework 20
2.1 Goals and objectives 20
2.2 Overall approach 20
2.2.1 Pro-employment macro-economic policies 20
2.2.2 Decent work 21
2.2.3 Focus on the youth 22
2.3 Priority areas and strategies 23
2.3.1 Agriculture-led industrialisation 23
2.3.2 Value addition 25
2.3.3 Public works: housing and sanitation 27
2.3.4 Job creation in the informal economy 28
2.3.5 Green jobs 31
2.3.6 Tourism 32
2.3.7 Skills development 34
2.3.8 Improved social protection 36
2.3.9 Enabling business environment 36
2.3.10 Strengthened social dialogue 37
PART 3: Policy Implementation Plan 38
3.1 Monitoring and evaluation 45
Bibliography 46
ANNEX: 1 National Employment Policy Logical Framework
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Preface to be added (Minister of Labour and Social Welfare?)
Introduction
Employment creation has been generally acknowledged as one of the key challenges in Namibia
today. Successive labour force surveys have shown that despite fairly stable but moderate
economic growth rates, the unemployment problem has increase over time, affecting about half
of our economically active population in 2008. Thus there is a need for decisive intervention if
we are to reach the goals set by Vision 2030.
The fourth National Development Plan NDP4 has placed employment creation and the reduction
of inequalities at the centre of all government efforts in the coming years. This new employment
policy is thus a further contribution to that process. It builds on various existing initiatives and
highlights the key priority areas in the years to come. Past initiatives like the National
Employment Policies of 1997 needed to be updated and refocused while the targeted
Intervention Programme for Employment and Economic Growth (TIPEEG) was of a short-term
nature and could not address the unemployment problem holistically. This gap is meant to be
filled by this new employment policy which outlines agriculture-based industrialisation,
systematic and targeted value addition, renewable energy generation and green jobs, public
works programmes to create housing and sanitation facilities, tourism, SMEs and transforming
the informal economy as key areas for job creation in the years to come. A special emphasis will
be placed on the employment of women and youth who are worst affected by the current levels
of unemployment and informal employment.
The new employment policy will present an analysis of unemployment and employment trends
and a brief review of previous employment creation initiatives. The document also outlines the
priority areas for employment creation between 2013 and 2017. This is followed by an
implementation plan outlining the role players whose contributions are required to successfully
implement this policy. Finally, the monitoring and evaluation plan is meant to ensure that this
policy will practically contribute to create thousands of additional, sustainable and decent jobs in
Namibia.
The National Employment Policy was developed in a participatory manner drawing not only on
various government Ministries and agencies but also on social partners like employers, trade
unions and informal economy organisations. Thus this document has drawn on and incorporated
the views and proposals of a broad range of stakeholders. The process was supported since its
inception by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and formed part of Namibia’s Decent
Work Country Programme.
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Abbreviations
AEA Agricultural Employers Association
AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
AU African Union
BIG Basic Income Grant
BIPA Business and Industrial Property Agency
BTP Build Together Programme
CAADP Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme
CBNRM Community Based Natural Resource Management
CYB Credit for Youth in Business
DBTP Decentralised Build Together Programme
DWCP Decent Work Country Programme
EPAs Economic Partnership Agreements
EPZ Export Processing Zone
EU European Union
FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation
GDP Gross Domestic Product
HDI Human Development Index
HIV Human Imunodeficiency Virus
ILO International Labour Organisation
IPBC Indigenous People’s Business Council
IPP Independent Power Producer
JCC Joint Consultative Council
LFS Labour Force Survey
MET Ministry of Environment and Tourism
MHSS Ministry of Health and Social Services
MLR Ministry of Lands and Resettlement
MLSW Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare
MME Ministry of Mines and Energy
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MoE Ministry of Education
MoF Ministry of Finance
MRLGHRD Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing and Rural Development
MSS Ministry of Safety and Security
MWT Ministry of Works and Transport
MYNSSC Ministry of Youth National Service, Sport and Culture
MTEF Medium Term Expenditure Framework
MTI Ministry of Trade and Industry
NAB Namibia Agronomic Board
NACOBTA Namibia Community Based Tourism Association
NAFWU Namibia Farmworkers Union
NCCI Namibian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
NEF Namibian Employers’ Federation
NEP National Employment Policies
NAU Namibia Agricultural Union
NDP National Development Plan
NEF Namibian Employers’ Federation
NEP National Employment Policy
NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development
NHE National Housing Enterprise
NHRP National Human Resources Plan
NLFS Namibia Labour Force Survey
NMA Namibia Manufacturers’ Association
NNFU Namibia National Farmers Union
NPC National Planning Commission
NSA Namibia Statistics Agency
NTB Namibia Tourism Board
NUNW National Union of Namibian Workers
NQA Namibia Qualifications Authority
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NSS National Sanitation Strategy
NTA Namibia Training Authority
NUNW National Union of Namibian Workers
NYC National Youth Council
NYCS Namibia Youth Credit Scheme
NYS National Youth Service
ODSOM Occupational Demand and Supply Outlook Model
RNF Recycle Namibia Forum
RPL Recognition of Prior Learning
SMEs Small and Medium-size Enterprises
SSC Social Security Commission
TIPEC Targeted Intervention Programme for Employment Creation
TIPEEG Targeted Intervention Programme for Employment and Economic Growth
TNC Transnational Corporation
TUCNA Trade Union Congress of Namibia
UN United Nations
VET Vocational Education and Training
WSASP Water Supply and Sanitation Policy
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PART 1: Situational Analysis
1. Employment and Economic Growth
1.1 Macroeconomic indicators and challenges
Namibia is classified as an upper middle income developing country with a population of 2.2
million people in 2010. Under the Second National Development Plan (NDP2) (2001-2006),
GDP was targeted to grow at an average of 4.3 per cent per annum but Namibia experienced a
higher annual average growth of 5.3 per cent during this period. NDP3 (2007-2012) was
launched in a very different context marked by the global financial crisis and the emergence of a
sovereign debt crisis in the Euro Area, which is Namibia’s most important trading partner. As a
small, open economy, the downturn in Namibia’s trade partners caused a knock-on effect on
domestic performance, with the economy witnessing a contraction of 0.4% in 2009. As a result
economic growth fluctuated over the NDP3 period and estimates for domestic growth have been
revised downwards; at the end of the period, growth averaged 3.6% against the target of 5.0%.
However, except for 2009, Namibia’s GDP achieved positive growth rates during the period
2001-2012.
The overall economic outlook over the NDP4 period (2012-2017) is characterised by a level of
uncertainty concerning the external environment with the Euro Area projected to fall into
recession in 2012 and to experience low growth over the medium term. Namibia’s domestic
growth is expected to be sluggish in 2012/13, due to low growth in mining but it is expected to
increase towards the end of the NDP4 period as global prospects improve and new domestic
investment and production activity increases. Table 1 presents the projected economic growth
over the NDP4 period.
Table 1: Projected Economic Growth, 2012-2017
On the whole, annual growth is targeted to average 6.0% over the NDP4 period (see Table 1). In
real terms, i.e. taking inflation into account, GDP per capita is targeted to increase from
N$26,445 in 2012/13, to around N$31,212 by 2016/17 – a rise of 17%. This is an ambitious
target, and represents an annual growth rate well above the 3.6% achieved during the NDP3.
Furthermore, this level of growth will position Namibia as one of the fastest-growing upper-
middle-income countries in the world. The Vision 2030 target is to become a high-income
country by 2030. Considering NDP3 performance, projected NDP4 performance, and a constant
level of growth, real per capita income over NDP5, NDP6 and NDP7, would have to increase by
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9.7% per year to reach the target, which is a big challenge. This shows that more needs to be
done to reach the targets set out in Vision 2030.
The challenge of NDP 4 and following NDPs is to combine the objective of high and sustained
economic growth with the objectives of employment creation and increased income equality.
Economic growth is not an end in itself, but rather a means to achieve other goals such as
poverty reduction and full and productive employment. To achieve those goals, the growth
strategy in NDP4 is based on key targeted sectors which have been identified as having potential
for both growth and job creation, namely tourism, manufacturing and transport/logistics. These
sectors also demonstrate significant multiplier effects on the economy, and therefore will
stimulate a job-rich growth.
However, achieving the three objectives of NDP 4 requires specific interventions as growth by
itself cannot solve structural problems of the labour market and the resultant social and economic
inequalities. For example, despite economic growth between 1997 and 2008, formal sector
employment declined by nearly 70,000 jobs while an estimated 240,000-300,000 new job
seekers entered the labour market. A closer analysis of sector-specific performances reveals that
employment growth occurred mostly in trade and repairs, private household employment, hotels
and restaurants which accounted for 58% of employment growth between 1997 and 2008. Other
sectors that made a significant contribution to employment were education, public administration
and defence, construction, health and social work. However, the primary sectors such as
agriculture, mining and fishing hardly contributed to employment growth despite their significant
contribution to the GDP.
The missing link between past economic growth performances and employment outcomes calls
for the formulation of a National Employment Policy which should be seen as a core tool for
achieving the objectives of NDP4 in terms of reducing poverty and unemployment. The NEP
therefore aims to present an integrated policy framework to enhance a labour-intensive growth
path as well as the quality of employment and access to job for vulnerable groups. Experience in
many countries has shown the potential of policy interventions for restructuring the pattern of
growth towards sustainable job-rich growth.
1.2 (Un) employment, informal employment and employability in Namibia
1.2.1 Employment Profile
The Labour Force Survey of 2008 indicated that 64.9 percent of the population lives in rural
areas. Females account for 52.6 percent of the population, with a sex ratio of 90.2 males for
every 100 females. Namibia has a relatively young population, with slightly over half of the
population (50.7 percent) below the age of 20 years. With such a young population, it is
therefore not surprising that the age dependency ratio, the ratio of children aged 0-14 and persons
aged 65 years and above per 100 persons in the age group 15-64, is high at 81.8 in 2008 (83.5 in
2004). This therefore implies that there are 81.8 dependents for every 100 persons with
productive abilities (economically active population). The dependency ratio is higher in rural
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areas at 102.5 compared to urban areas at 53.3 (see Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare,
2010a).
The 2008, Namibia’s working age population stood at 959,187, of which 511,051 (53.3 percent)
were females and 448,135 (46.7 percent) were males.1 Of the total working age population, only
331,444 (34.6 percent) were employed which is a very low employment ratio compared to other
Sub-Saharan countries (about 75% in average according to ILO KILM indicators). One of the
main characteristic of the labour market in Namibia is the weak labour force participation as only
55.4% of the working age population were part of the labour force while 44.6% were
economically inactive. Although females outnumbered males in the working age population,
more males (186,093 or 56.1 percent) were employed than females (145,351 or 43.9 percent of
the employed).
Figure 1: Labour force participation rate (%)
Source: Namibia Labour Force Survey 2008
In 2008, agriculture was the largest provider of employment contributing 15.9 percent, followed
by wholesale and retail trade with 15.1 percent, private households at 10.9 percent, education
(8.6 percent), public administration, defence and social security (8.4 percent), construction (7
percent), manufacturing (6.3 percent). In rural areas, agriculture accounted for 38.3 percent of
all employed persons, followed by education at 14 percent, wholesale and retail trade (11.7
percent), private households (8.4 percent), and construction (5.6 percent). In urban areas
wholesale and retail trade provide 17.2 percent of all employment, followed by private
households (12.3 percent), public administration, defence and social security (10.4 percent),
manufacturing (8.7 percent), construction (7.9 percent), transport, storage and communication
(6.8 percent), real estate, renting and business activities (6.1 percent), and education (5.4
percent).
At the national level, most employed persons are in elementary occupations (23.4 percent),
followed by services, shops and market sales workers (18.4 percent), craft and trade workers
(15.9 percent), skilled agricultural and fishery workers (8.8 percent), professionals (8.7 percent),
1 The Labour Force Survey covered only the population residing in private households, thus excluded people living
in institutional households (the army and police barracks, nurses and prisons).
55.4
74.4
41.549.9
72
35.5
61.6
76.9
49.1
0
20
40
60
80
100
Namibia Urban Rural
Total
Female
Male
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clerks (6.9 percent), technicians and associated professionals (6.5 percent), plant and machine
operators and assemblers (5.4 percent) and legislators, senior officials and managers (5.1
percent).
Of all employed persons, 81.3 percent are employees, followed by own account workers (without
paid employees - 10.4 percent). The remaining 8.3 percent are made up of communal
subsistence farmers, unpaid family worker and others). Just over half of all employees (50.8
percent) worked for private enterprises, 21.1 percent worked for government and 13.9 percent for
private households. The vast majority of the employees (65.5 percent) were in urban areas
compared to the 34.5 percent in rural areas.
Employers and own-account workers were classified as informal if the enterprise was not
registered as a company and did not keep detailed formal accounts. Employees were classified as
informal if they indicated that their employer did not pay social contributions, such as for
pension, on their behalf. All contributing family workers were classified as informal. Figure 2
shows the formal/informal distribution for each of the detailed statuses in employment. By
definition, all unpaid family workers are informal workers. The overwhelming majority of
employers and own account workers without permanent employees are informal, especially
among those working in subsistence or communal agriculture. In contrast, around 70% of
employers with permanent employees are formal. Among employees, less than three fifths have
formal jobs.
Table 1: Labour force characteristics, 2008
Total Women Men Rural Urban
Economically active 678,680 349,345 329,336 351,505 327,175
Unemployed 347,237 203,994 143,243 228,136 119,100
Employed 331,444 145,351 186,093 123,369 208,075
Employed in agriculture 54,106 11,903 42,203 48,016 6,090
Formal employment – agriculture 18,677 3,461 15,216 15,857 2,820
Informal employment - agriculture 35,429 8,442 26,987 32,158 3,271
Employed in non-agriculture 277,338 133,447 143,890 75,353 201,985
Formal employment – non-
agriculture
155,994 71,045 84,949 34,917 121,077
Informal employment – non-
agriculture
121,344 62,402 58,941 40,436 80,908
Source: Namibian Labour Force Survey 2008
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1.2.2 Unemployment Rates and Trends
The unemployment situation in Namibia has deteriorated markedly over the years. Using the
strict definition of unemployment (being without work, available for work and seeking work) in
accordance with the international statistical standards, joblessness increased from 20.2 percent in
2000 to 21.9 percent in 2004 and 37.6 percent in 2008, compared to an average unemployment
rate of 7.6 percent for Sub-Saharan Africa for 2008. Based on the broad definition where the
requirement to actively seek work is relaxed, unemployment in Namibia stood at 51.2 percent in
2008, up from 36.7 percent in 2004 and 33.8 percent in 2000.
Figure 2: Unemployment rates according to the strict and broad definitions (%)
Source: Namibia Labour Force Survey 2008
It should be noted that this very high figure of unemployment probably includes a large part of
underemployment in rural areas. In view of the standard definition of employment which
includes any work for pay, profit, or family gain for at least an hour during the reference period
of seven days preceding the interview, these rates of unemployment are very high indeed. In the
context of developing countries, unemployment is considered to be an extreme situation of total
lack of work since either none or a very limited number of workers are covered by
unemployment insurance or other public relief schemes. Under such conditions, very few people
can afford to be unemployed for any period of time. Most people would be engaged in some
economic activity and coping strategies even though they may be characterized by decent work
deficits. Thus the Namibian labour market is characterised by deep structural problems which
should be targeted as a top policy priority.
Unemployment is higher in rural areas (64.9 percent) than in urban areas (36.4 percent - broad
definition), and it higher amongst females (58.4 percent) than males (43.5 percent). In addition,
young people and those with lower levels of education are far more affected by unemployment
20.221.9
37.633.8
36.7
51.2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2000 2004 2008
Strict definition
Broad definition
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than those who are older and with higher levels of education. For example, in 2008
unemployment (broad definition) amongst those with a post-graduate degree was 4.4 percent
compared to 14.3 percent for first degree holders, 41.5 percent for those with senior secondary
school education and 59.9 percent for those with primary education.
Namibians aged 15-19 experienced the highest unemployment rate of 83.6 percent, followed by
the 20-24 age group (67.4 percent), the 25-29 age group (53.3 percent), the 30-34 age group etc.
Unemployment decreased with age which shows the need to target the youth in employment
policies.
The structural nature of unemployment in Namibia is reflected in its long-term nature, with 72.2
percent of the unemployed having been without a job for at least two years. This directly affects
household welfare as a large proportion of households (41.8 percent) depends on wages and
salaries as their main source of income, followed by subsistence farming (crops and animals)
with 22.4 percent and cash remittances at 11 percent. The importance of wages and salaries for
household survival is greater amongst urban households where almost 69 percent rely primarily
on wages and salaries while in rural areas subsistence farming is the main source of income for
37.3 percent of households.
1.2.3 Formal and informal employment in Namibia
Informal employment is a complex and heterogeneous reality as it comprises: i) own-account
workers and employers employed in their own informal sector enterprises, ii) contributing family
workers, irrespective of whether they work in formal or informal sector enterprises and iii)
employees holding informal jobs, whether employed by formal sector enterprises, informal
sector enterprises, or as paid domestic workers by households.
The dual structure of the Namibian economy resulted in a formal sector that accounts for only 26
percent of the economically active population, while the unemployed account for 51 percent and
those with informal employment account for 23 percent (see figure 3). In other words only one
in four economically active Namibians enjoys formal employment. Improving the non-formal
economy (subsistence and informal) is therefore an important building plank of a pro-poor,
decent work rich growth strategy.
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Figure 3: Distribution of the economically active population
Source: Namibia Labour Force Survey 2008
The share of informal employment is significantly higher in agriculture (65%) than in the non-
agricultural sectors (44%). Overall, formal employees accounted for close to half (47 percent) of
all the employed, with the informal employees representing just over a third (34 percent). The
sector-specific distribution is reflected in table 2.
Table 2: Employment by economic activity and formality (%)
Industry Total Formal Informal
Agriculture 16 11 23
Mining 3 4 1
Manufacturing 6 8 5
Utilities 2 2 1
Construction 7 4 10
Trade 19 15 23
Transport 5 6 4
Finance 7 9 5
Services 35 41 29
Total 100 100 100
Source: Namibia Labour Force Survey 2008
Small workplaces characterise informal employment while formal workers account for 72
percent of all those who work in factories, offices or shops. Most Namibian workers (82 percent)
work full-time, and this proportion is even higher amongst formal workers (93 percent) for
formal workers compared to 69 percent for informal workers.
Formal employment26%
Informal employment23%
Unemployed51%
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Earnings are higher amongst formal employees of whom only 7 percent earned below N$ 600
per month, compared to 43 percent of informal employees in that income category. While 39
percent of formal employees earned at least N$3,500 per month, only 6 percent of informal
employees did so. This trend is confirmed by the mean monthly salaries which stood at N$2,798
compared to N$724 for informal workers. The highest informal wage earning was recorded at
N$1,809 (see Namibia, 2010b). Women have lower mean monthly earnings at N$4,140 for those
in formal employment (compared to N$4,504 for males) and N$963 for those in informal
employment (compared to N$1,613 for males).
Of the 50,000 employers and own account workers in Namibia in 2008, 70 percent were
informal. Smaller enterprises dominate in both the formal and informal sectors, even though they
are more pronounced in the informal economy where 53 percent of the operators have no
employees besides the business partners and unpaid family workers. An additional 44 percent
work in enterprises with 1-4 employees. This suggests the potential employment creation impact
of integrating the informal economy into the mainstream economy.
1.2.4 Social protection
Namibia has a compulsory, contributory social security system for all employed persons which is
run by the Social Security Commission (SSC) and covers maternity, sick, and death benefits as
well as accidents at work. Although the legal provisions are applicable to every employee in
formal or informal employment and in all sectors of the economy, less than half of all employed
persons (154 665 out of 331 444) were registered with the SSC by 2008.
In addition to the SSC schemes, Namibia has various other social protection programmes which
are not employment-related. These include the following:
1. A universal and non-contributory old age social pension is paid to all citizens or
permanent residents who reached 60 years of age, irrespective of sex, past and current
employment status and income.
2. A disability pension is paid to those of 16 years and above who have been diagnosed by a
state doctor as being temporarily or permanently disabled. This may include blind
persons or those who are medically diagnosed with AIDS.
3. War veterans subventions are paid to those who took part in the long struggle against
South African colonial rule, irrespective of age, assets or employment status provided
that she/he has an annual income of less than N$ 36 000.
4. A child maintenance grants are paid to a biological parent of a child under 18 years and
to those parents whose spouse is receiving an old age or disability grant, has died or is
serving a prison sentence of 3 months or longer. Payment is based on means testing and
some conditions have to be met, for example, the restriction to applicants with monthly
incomes of less than N$ 1 000 and providing school attendance records, if the child is
older than 7 years. The aim is to create a monetary incentive for keeping the child in
school.
5. Other programmes include food distribution in times of humanitarian crises, such as
those caused by the frequent droughts or floods, and a school–feeding programme.
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1.2.5 Skills shortages and mismatch between skills supply and demand
The link between education and training, skills development and economic progress has long
been acknowledged. Education and training therefore determine the quality of human resources
which are a crucial component of socio-economic development. Apart from its economic aspect,
education is also contributing to the development of people’s potentials and enables them to play
a more effective role in the democratic life of society. The LFS of 2008 shows that Namibia’s
human resource development is still lagging behind with 13 percent of the population six years
and above having no education at all, while 45.3 percent completed primary education and only a
mere 1.2 percent completed university education. This to some extent explains why the majority
of the employed persons are in elementary occupations. There are no significant differences in
educational attainment by gender.
Most of the employed persons with no education (52.1 percent) or with primary school education
(27 percent) are working in agriculture, while those with junior secondary education (20.5
percent) are dominant in wholesale and retail trade, and the repair of motor vehicles. Employed
persons with university education (23.5 percent) are mainly in education, while those with post-
graduate training (23.5 percent) are concentrated in health and social work. Those with low
levels of education tend to be employed in elementary occupations while those with post
standard 10 education occupy mostly occupations such as technicians, professionals, legislators
and senior managers. As stated earlier, unemployment rates fall with educational attainment.
A skills survey by the Namibian Employers’ Federation (NEF) found that:“…it is clear that the
issue of skills is a clear and present strategic concern across various sectors” . Over 90 percent of
respondents experienced Namibia’s skills shortage as either severe or very severe. Seventy
percent indicated that there were critical vacancies requiring specialist skills and expertise
existed in their organization, company or sector. Asked whether the tertiary education and
training sector was performing, 75 percent of the responses were in the range of partially
satisfied to mostly dissatisfied, while 11 percent indicated complete dissatisfaction. Regarding
the relevance of the curricular offered by tertiary institutions, 55 percent of the responses were in
the range of partially relevant to mostly irrelevant, while nine percent assessed the skills training
as completely irrelevant.
1.3 Efforts to address unemployment after independence
Since Namibia attained political independence, the Namibian Government tried to implement
various strategies simultaneously to address the problem of unemployment. These included the
establishment of medium and large export-oriented manufacturing industries to increase and
diversify exports and to overcome the limitations of a small domestic market. The National
Employment Policies (NEP) of 1997 stated that growth rates of about 6% per annum would be
required to reduce the levels of unemployment. It suggested that the existing productive,
primary sectors of the economy should be maintained and promoted while developing those
sectors which were neglected in the past such as subsistence farming, small enterprises and the
informal economy. The NEP also envisaged the promotion of tourism, labour-based works in all
sectors of the economy and the development of human resources.
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The major focus of economic policy has been the promotion of export production within a
market-oriented economic framework. The passing of a Foreign Investment Act, shortly after
Independence, and the Export Processing Zones Act of 1995 bear testimony to Namibia’s efforts
to encourage foreign investments. The NEP of 1997 stated that “since Namibia has a small
population and a limited domestic market, export-led growth will be the only viable strategy for
sustainable economic development and massive job creation”. The policy document called for
“explicit, well-defined and targeted” interventions to achieve job creation: “Economic growth is
a necessary prerequisite, but not sufficient by itself for job creation. There could be economic
growth with stagnant and/or declining job opportunities. What Namibia wants is a high rate of
economic growth, job creation and equity. For this to happen, job creation should be the explicit
objective of all macro- and sectoral economic policies and should be the concern of all
ministries, employers and workers”. The document identified the high levels of un- and under-
employment as a major threat: “They will create class, racial, regional and social tensions; and
ultimately political instability. They are a social time bomb ticking away”.
The objectives of the Namibian Government’s employment policies were thus twofold, namely,
“to create adequate jobs to absorb the annual entrants to the labour market in order to reduce
the current high levels of unemployment and underemployment; and to promote the protection of
the working population”. These objectives are still relevant today but the experiences over the
past 22 years have provided Namibia with the opportunity to learn from past practices. The aim
to achieve export-led industrialisation and employment, in particular has not been achieved in the
face of cut-throat competition of a ruthless global economy and the particular conditions in
Namibia. Thus the expected 25,000 jobs in the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) never
materialised despite the generous incentives offered to EPZ investors.
On the other hand, the potential for job creation through systematic SME development and local
value-addition as well as targeted interventions in the informal economy has not been realised
and thus needs to become a key focus in the years to come. It is encouraging to note that the
introduction of quotas for local agricultural goods in retail shops has shown very positive results
in terms of encouraging local production and employment opportunities.
1.3.1 Sectoral Interventions
In August 2010, the National Planning Commission presented the “Targeted Intervention
Programme for Employment Creation” (TIPEC) to address unemployment in the short to
medium-term. The document acknowledged the need for faster economic growth and for another
type of economic growth that will result in job creation and stated that: “Some of the actions we
will be required to take may not be something we have tried before. However, the problem we
are facing demand (sic) from us that we take calculated risks in finding solutions”. The
document proposes to pay “more attention to economic sectors with high potential for growth
and job creation”. These are identified as tourism, transport and livestock production.
Furthermore, the NPC proposes “broad reforms enhancing Namibia’s long-term
competitiveness”.
The NPC advocated for a strategy of “unbalanced growth” for rapid job creation by targeting
specific regions or sectors. It suggests that this “approach is advisable where resources are
limited and where there are strong back and forward linkages for the identified economic
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sectors” It also argues that economies of scale are important to become internationally
competitive and that an unbalanced growth strategy will be helpful to achieve economies of
scale. In order to finance TIPEC, the NPC proposed to increase the budget deficit from 3% to 7%
over a five-year period.
The document pointed out that in the past, many government policies and programmes did not
yield the desired results due to poor implementation. The NPC, therefore, calls for consistency in
the implementation of TIPEC with Ministerial action plans approved by Cabinet and monitored
by the NPC. The document concludes that “it is of utmost importance that if we agree to an
increased Government targeted economic intervention; we must also agree to commit ourselves
to implement our plans in the most judicious manner, lest we waste scarce public financial
resources”.
TIPEEG
Based on the NPC proposal, the Namibian government announced a Targeted Intervention
Programme for Employment and Economic Growth (TIPEEG) in 2011. Its stated target is to
create 104 000 direct and indirect jobs between 2011 and 2014. The budget allocation amounts
to N$ 9,1 billion but will rise to N$ 14, 7 billion if the expenditure on public works programmes
is added. SOE investments during that period are envisaged to amount to another N$ 4 billion.
TIPEEG’s priority sectors are agriculture (N$ 3.6 billion to be invested and 26 171 jobs to be
created); transport (N$ 3,1 billion for 33 276 jobs); housing and sanitation (N$ 1,8 billion for 35
076 jobs), tourism (N$ 649 million for 10 000 jobs) and public works (N$ 5,5 billion for 82 000
jobs). The agricultural projects target crop production, enhanced livestock productivity, forest
management and water resources infrastructure. Transport investments target road construction
and rehabilitation as well as rail network development and port development in Walvis Bay. The
tourism investments aim to increase the number of tourists by 10% through tourism development
and wildlife management programmes while the housing and sanitation programmes target the
servicing of land, the construction of low cost houses and the creation of urban and rural
sanitation.
The TIPEEG document itself acknowledges that TIPEEG will not provide the solution to
unemployment and points out that reducing the unemployment rate “to a more acceptable level
will require more strategic and long-term thinking and efforts”. The document admits that since
many TIPEEG jobs will be temporary, “we might not see a rapid decline in the unemployment
rate over the next 3 years”.
The first TIPEEG results confirm that the implementation during 2011 was rather slow and only
about 7000 new jobs were created. Although, an improvement was recorded in 2012, TIPEEG is
unlikely to lead to 104 000 new jobs by 2013 and thus the task of addressing unemployment
holistically remains daunting. Systematic structural interventions are required to create
sustainable jobs as proposed in this policy.
1.4 Reaching the objectives of NDP4: The role of the NEP
One of the key goals of Vision 2030 is to reduce the unemployment rate to under 5%. Reducing
unemployment has been a target for the country since Independence but the unemployment rate
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has actually increased to 51.2% under the broad definition, according to the latest Labour Force
Survey (2008). This is almost 20 percentage points higher than the 33.3% NDP3 target. Whilst
there have been questions over the accuracy of the unemployment estimates, the unemployment
rate is certainly far too high. Moreover, in 2011, Namibia's Human Development Index (HDI) of
0.625 was below the world's HDI average of 0.682. Namibia ranked 120 out of 187, while the
country is classified as an upper middle income country. Also, despite some very moderate
improvements in the distribution of income, the Gini coefficient of 0.58 still depicts an
unacceptable level of income inequality in Namibia.
While the economy needs to expand at a rapid and sustainable pace, supportive, redistributive
and job-oriented Government policies are needed to address these challenges. As stated by H.E.
President of the Republic of Namibia Hifikepunye Pohamba, in the foreword to NDP4: “Our
biggest challenge as of 2012 is the inadequate and volatile economic growth we have
experienced so far, and the lack of employment opportunities available in the country. The
Government is keenly aware that most of the unemployed are young people and women. This
status quo cannot be allowed to continue: too many of our young people’s dreams are not being
realised. It is our resolve to do all that is necessary to transform our economy into one that is
more robust, one that is able to generate these essential employment opportunities.”
Given the vital need for Namibia to foster inclusive and job-enhancing economic growth, the
NEP aims to present several strategies to promote employment and decent work. The hard-core
of the NEP comprises priority measures, employment targets, instruments and mechanisms that
should be implemented in the years to come. The NEP is not limited to conventional labour
market policies but aims at providing an integrated policy framework which covers
macroeconomic and sectoral aspects as well as the institutional aspects.
The objectives of the NEP are aligned with those of the NDP4. Thus the specific desired
outcomes with regard to reduction of extreme poverty is that, by 2017, the proportion of severely
poor individuals has decreased significantly from 15.8% in 2009/10 to below 10%, based on the
Namibian poverty line. Meanwhile, the number of employed persons is projected to increase
from 409,353 at the end of the NDP3 phase to 499,968 by the end of NDP4, which implies the
creation of an additional 90,615 jobs. It is important to note that NDP4 figures are targeting
permanent jobs.
The NEP is a policy tool aiming at reaching the objective of NDP4 in terms of extreme poverty
reduction and employment creation. It is also linked to Namibia’s industrial policy and thus
provides a policy and institutional framework to strengthen and mainstream the employment
dimension of the identified sectoral priorities as well as the industrialisation strategy. Its entry
points are:
1. Institutional environment: Promote a sustainable environment for formal SMEs
development, capacity building for social dialogue;
2. Education and skills: Increase youth employability through a relevant and effective
TVET system accessible in all regions;
3. Reducing extreme poverty: Introduce a basic income grant and increase access to
employment for marginalized groups;
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4. Public infrastructure: Increase the labour intensity of public investment with a special
focus on rural areas, and
5. Implement an appropriate fiscal and financial policies facilitating productive investment
and job creation and develop rural and agriculture development programmes.
The following sections will present the priority policy areas for employment creation as well as
the strategies to be pursued, the institutional setting for an effective implementation of the NEP
and the monitoring and evaluation systems to track progress.
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Part 2: Policy Framework
2.1 Goals and objectives
The overall goal of the National Employment Policy is to promote full, productive, decent and
freely chosen employment which will eradicate poverty and reduce income inequality.
The related, specific objectives of the policy are:
Policy harmonisation and coherence in order create conducive environment for
employment creation
Promoting skills development and employability
Ensuring gender equality in all areas of employment
Improving working conditions
Creating at least 90 000 additional permanent jobs as set out in NDP 4 by 2017
Facilitating the transition to decent work and formality
Improving and widening social protection
Strengthening labour market information systems (encompassing national employment
services) by 2014
Strengthening social dialogue institutions.
2.2 Overall approach
2.2.1 Pro-employment macroeconomic policies
Namibia’s macroeconomic policies since independence were shaped by the desire to create
favourable investment conditions for business and to orient production towards exports.
Achieving economic growth was and still is seen as a necessary condition for employment
creation. While the conventional macro-economic framework that Namibia implemented over
the years achieved a degree of macroeconomic stability and growth, it has not delivered on the
social front as indicated by the high and worsening levels of unemployment, poverty and
inequality which have the most severe impact on young people and women.
This national employment policy therefore wants to ensure that economic growth in Namibia is
translated into job creation through the following strategies:
Mainstreaming employment in macroeconomic and sectoral policy frameworks/industrial
policy
Creating fiscal strategies to put in place systematic, well-resourced, multi-dimensional
programmes to create decent work opportunities and sustainable enterprises as important
tools for creating jobs and stimulating sustained economic activity
Increasing investment in labour intensive sectors including rural industrialization,
investment in infrastructure, investment in green production and in other priority sectors
such as manufacturing and tourism.
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Well targeted public investments should be the driving force of economic growth and job
creation in Namibia today. Insufficient investments in the past hampered some sectors of the
economy. In the immediate future, public infrastructure assets should therefore be maintained
and upgraded while neglected sectors such as agriculture should be prioritised and import sectors
should be substituted by local investments and production. The immediate key investment
priorities should be:
1. Agriculture (crops, livestock and agri-based industries)
2. Electricity (moving towards self-sufficiency and renewable energy sources)
3. Housing and water (including sanitation)
4. Mineral beneficiation
5. Tourism infrastructure
6. Transport and logistics
In addition, government will continue with budgetary allocations to those sectors which are
already contributing to employment growth. Temporary, widening budget deficits will not
become a long-term phenomenon as government will maintain moderate deficits to ensure
macro-economic stability. However, increased public expenditure is expected to lead to
increased private investments and production in the short and medium term and thus is an
important macro-economic tool to be used.
Overall, the reduction of poverty and income inequality will be a key focus of Namibia’s
economic growth strategy. The key elements are:
The utilisation of labour of the poor and unemployed, with particular emphasis on women
and the youth;
The utilisation of apporpriate technologies to enhance productivity and employment;
The production of goods and services that Namibians consume;
The production of goods and services in rural areas where most people reside; and
The development and expansion of markets in rural areas.
2.2.2 Decent work
Namibia has committed itself to the decent work agenda, spearheaded by the International
Labour Organisation (ILO). The country’s 2010-2014 Decent Work Country Programme was
developed through a participatory planning process involving all tripartite constituents, namely
the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MOLSW) on behalf of Government, the Namibian
Employers’ Federation (NEF) on behalf of employers, and the National Union of Namibian
Workers (NUNW) as well as the Trade Union Congress of Namibia (TUCNA) on behalf of
workers. In addition, other relevant government ministries, the UN system, bilateral and
multilateral cooperating partners and civil society were consulted.
The Namibian DWCP was signed in June 2010 and implementation started in July 2010. A
Decent Work Steering committee was established and the programme focuses on three priority
areas which relate to his employment policy, namely:
Priority 1: Employment promotion to create productive and decent employment in sustainable
enterprises with skilled workers
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Priority 2: Enhanced social protection, including effective response to HIV/AIDS in the
workplace, improved safety and health conditions and better and more gender equitable social
security benefits. This has to include the informal economy which currently operates outside the
social security framework. Thus appropriate strategies have to be devised to incorporate informal
operators and employees.
Priority 3: Strengthened social dialogue and tripartism to apply labour legislation and have
strong workers and employers organisations.
The implementation of the decent work country programme thus supports and enhances the aims
of employment creation and reducing income inequalities. It recognises the creation of decent
jobs not only as a moral and social imperative but also as an economic necessity to create local
demands for consumer goods and sustainable economic cycles of consumption and production.
2.2.3 Focus on the youth
Persistent high levels of youth unemployment carry very high social and economic costs and
threaten the fabric of our society and thus investing in and focusing on youth in particular is an
investment in the presence and future of Namibia. Youth unemployment has become a global
phenomenon and the ILO’s international labour conference of 2012 noted the need for targeted
interventions for young people such as countercyclical policies and demand-side interventions,
public employment programmes, employment guarantee schemes, labour-intensive infrastructure
projects, training subsidies and other youth-specific employment interventions. In this context,
internships, apprenticeships and other work-experience schemes are possible ways to bridge the
gap between school and work as experienced by many young people.
As discussed further in section 2.3.7 on skills development below, education and training should
be responsive to the world of work which can be achieved through strong social partnerships
including social dialogue and collective bargaining on the terms and conditions of education,
internships and apprenticeships. It is essential to develop skills strategies in support of sectoral
policies that harness technologies and know-how and result in higher skills and productivity
levels and better paying jobs. The range and types of apprenticeships can be improved by
complementing learning at the workplace with more structured institutional learning, by
upgrading the training skills of trainers and by including general livelihood skills. Regulating
and monitoring apprenticeships, internships and other work-experience schemes will be crucial
to ensure that these schemes allow for a real learning experience and are not used to replace
regular workers.
A national consultative conference on youth development in Namibia in 2010 recommended
inter alia to introduce free access to tertiary education for all eligible Namibians, to enhance
internship programmes for young people and to introduce incentives for employers willing to
offer such programmes and thus providing young people with work experiences. The conference
also called for the introduction of relevant career guidance and technical skills to youth in rural
areas and appealed to the private sector to show social responsibility by invest at least 10% of its
profits to educational and social development programmes targeting the youth. The
implementation of these recommendations should form part of the national employment policy.
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As a result of the skills mismatch and unmet aspirations of job seekers, many unemployed youth
have stopped actively looking for a job. Thus there is a need for effective job search assistance
to match the skills of unemployed young people with the vacancies available in the labour
market. Such as service can include activities like writing job applications and curriculum vitae,
advice about skills upgrading possibilities and preparing young people for job interviews. Thus,
facilitating the entry of young people into decent jobs has to be the central function of the labour
market information system in Namibia.
Youth education and skills development intervention as well as youth business support
programmes must be simple to implement and cost-effective. Targeted programmes on youth
who are the most disadvantaged hold most promises and a combination of subsidised work
experience (apprenticeships and internships) and vocational training could assist to create the
link between the labour market and training. Thus a combination of education, skills and on-the-
job training with direct support services for young people is a required intervention. Monitoring
and evaluation of such interventions is essential to ensure their effectiveness.
In terms of promoting youth self-employment, the Namibia Youth Credit Scheme (NYCS) and
the Credit for Youth in Business (CYB) programmes will be expanded in terms of reach and
amounts being made available to establish meaningful businesses. Over the past 5 years, the
NYCS has assisted in the creation of over 2500 youth-owned companies as well as over 5000
new jobs. The provision of affordable credit should be accompanied by training, mentorship
support and support when establishing networks. An integrated youth enterprise development
strategy has to be developed as a key instrument for youth employment and economic
empowerment. Also, as pointed out by the ILO, any development of business opportunities for
young people must be carried out in conjunction with improvements in the quality of
employment to create decent work.
2.3 Priority areas and strategies
The proposals in this section draw from applicable national and international experiences and
make employment creation as well as the reduction of inequality a central, deliberate focus,
rather than merely an anticipated outcome of market-oriented macro-economic policies. A
particular focus on women and the youth as those worst affected by poverty and unemployment
has to be maintained in all areas of intervention. The following sections outline the key
economic sectors in which thousands of new jobs will have to be created in the next few years.
It is important to note that although the sectors listed are those with the greatest potential for job
creation, they are by no means the only ones.
2.3.1 Agriculture-led industrialisation
Despite government efforts, the industrialisation and job creation potential of the agricultural
sector has not been realised and it is still characterised by low productivity, poor working
conditions and gender disparities. Communal, subsistence farmers have limited access to
services and social protection and overall the agricultural sector lacks value addition and
investments. Agriculture received an average of only 1.9% of public investments over the past
10 years and its share of GDP and employment declined dramatically. However, as far back as
July 2003 Namibia endorsed the African Union’s (AU) Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and
Food Security in Africa. Through this Declaration African Heads of State and Government
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committed themselves to allocate at least 10% of their annual national budgets to the agricultural
sector within five years (meaning by 2008). The vehicle to achieve this objective of the Maputo
Declaration is the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP),
which was established in 2003 under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
The CAADP focuses on the primary agricultural sector and consists of four pillars, namely:
1. Land and water management (to ensure an increase in production);
2. Market access (for primary agricultural products);
3. Food supply and hunger (to ensure food security); and
4. Agricultural research (to enhance on-farm production).
A formal CAADP Working Group was only established in Namibia in June 2010 but Namibia
has not yet met its obligation arising from the signing of the CAADP Compact.
The continuous import of agricultural products such as noodles, pastas, vegetables and fruits
undermines the employment potential of the sector. Maize and omahangu flower based
processed goods such as biscuits, pasta, cakes etc provide entry points for manufacturing which
have not yet been effectively utilised. A precondition for sustainable manufacturing is the
creation of effective consumer demand for such goods and thus production activities have to be
linked to markets. In Asia, for example, there are about 30 labour intensive rice flour based
products which utilise locally fabricated, appropriate technology in production.
Thus far, agriculture performed poorly in terms of economic and employment growth and the
dependency on imported food discouraged local food production. About 60% of Namibians still
live in rural areas and depend on agriculture. A deliberate focus on this area can significantly
reduce poverty and unemployment. Agriculture should therefore focus on food security as well
as on agro-based industries for economic diversification and the creation of a large number of
permanent jobs. According to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO),“food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to
sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active
and healthy life”. Namibia’s adverse climatic conditions limit the agricultural production
potential of the country in terms of what can be produced, as well as the quantities that can be
produced. This in itself limits Namibia’s potential to be food self-sufficient but food security is
an achievable goal.
In the coming year, Namibia needs to move towards agriculture-driven industrialisation with
forward and backward linkages to other economic sectors. Public sector investments in this area
will be needed to overcome possible reluctance of the private sector to undertake the required
investments. Rural centres have to become the growth poles as part of a sustainable growth and
poverty-reduction strategy. Urban areas cannot provide the required large number of jobs as
Namibia has not yet initiated its transition to industrialisation.
Agriculture-led industrialisation requires the necessary enabling environment, research and
development, technology dissemination and adaptation and well as the development of agro-
industrial clusters. This has to become the anchor for Namibia’s economic transformation and
diversification. Public investments in agriculture have to be enhanced substantially to reach the
targets set out in the Maputo declaration.
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A very effective intervention of increasing agricultural produce in Namibian shops was the
introduction of quotas by the Namibian Agricultural Board. At the time the first quota was
introduced in 2004, about 95% of horticultural products on sale by retailers were imported while
today this figure dropped to about 60%. Thus about 40% of horticultural produce sold in
Namibian shops is now locally produced, creating new jobs in the agricultural sector. This quota
could be increased to about 60% in the years to come to fully utilise Namibia’s productive
potential.
The quotas are reviewed regularly in negotiations with retail traders and agricultural producers
and have been a very effective stimulus for local production. Maize self-sufficiency has now
reached about 60% compared to only 25% a few years ago and potatoe imports were
significantly reduced. Likewise, the ban on imports of flower has successfully protected local
millers (currently 28) from potentially destructive international competition. Thus the Agriboard
model of intervention which is based on reaching consensus as well as systematic checks and
balances has shown how local production and employment creation can be enhanced.
Other interventions that will be considered for job creation in the agricultural sector are:
The restoration of national rangelands through labour-intensive de-bushing programmes.
The use of the harvested bush as biomass for renewable energy generation
The proposed apprenticeship programme for young, unemployed people on farms to train
them in basic farming skills.
Creating greater access for rural youth to microfiance to support micro and small
enterprises and productive investment;
Implementation of the agricultural projects identified in NDP4.
the selective subsidisation of subsistence farmers to boost their production and
contribution to the national food basket;
the continued promotion and expansion of the Green Scheme with special emphasis on
including small farmers ;
the establishment of agricultural fresh produce markets as well as other supportive
infrastructure such as silos; and
the establishment of linkages between agricultural producers and local consumer
institutions such as school hostels and hospitals.
During March 2010 Namibia endorsed the AU’s Abuja Declaration on Development of
Agribusiness and Agro-industries in Africa, which supports the African Agribusiness and Agro-
industries Development Initiative.
2.3.2 Value-addition
A more forceful and deliberate approach will be adopted to channel investments into the
conversions of local raw materials into final products. An export levy was already introduced to
discourage the export of raw materials and Namibia’s export incentives are currently being
reviewed. During the past 17 years, export-oriented production through the country’s Export
Processing Zones (EPZs) has been a key focus but by 2010, EPZs had only created 2 145 jobs
and thus fell far short of the initial expectations despite the generous incentives offered. Thus,
public investments and in particular government’s infrastructure investments will now be geared
26
towards achieving local value-addition, coupled with substantial protection of infant industries
and support for emerging industries. Industrialisation remains an essential government objective
as a basis to achieve sustainable wealth and job creation. By 2030, Namibia is envisaged to
export value-added and service-oriented products while most of the country’s GDP is made up of
manufacturing and services. This will require a change of Namibia’s narrow economic structure
which still relies on the export of raw materials and thus is vulnerable to external shocks.
The processing of those raw materials with the greatest potential for employment creation should
be given first priority, namely agricultural processing (as outlined above); diamond cutting and
polishing (already undertaken by 13 companies in 2010) as well as jewellery manufacturing,
fish processing, copper and gold smelter; zinc processing etc. Investments in raw materials that
offer little employment potential and rely on the import of technology and expertise from abroad
(such as uranium processing) will be de-emphasised. Instead a deliberate focus will be placed on
those sectors which either already contribute substantially to economic and employment growth
or have the potential to do so in the years to come, like agriculture.
The Draft National Human Resources Plan identifies the beneficiation of local raw materials as a
key strategy: “ A way of doing this is by investing in the beneficiation of resources. Based on the
fact that the production of raw materials, and particularly of diamonds, will continue to expand
and contribute to the Namibian economy, it is important to foresee value addition strategies
especially through local beneficiation. A 2010 research makes the case for local diamond
beneficiation as a feasible proposition within a structured framework. Based on the analysis of
supply and demand patterns in the world diamond market, it appears that a balance between
rough exports and local beneficiation is essential in order to secure a bigger stake in the global
market. The feasibility of a balanced strategy relies on incentive strategies for investors and the
removal of barriers for local manufacturers to create a sustainable downstream industry. Also,
the Draft Manufacturing Strategy Framework considers beneficiation of local raw materials
through public/private partnership one of the key priority sectors along with the development of
the mariculture industry and the transversal SME sector.
Namibia has one of the most productive fishing grounds, based on the Benguela Current System,
one of the four eastern boundary upwelling systems in the world. Namibia‘s 200 nautical mile
Exclusive Economic Zone’s (EEZs) commercial biomass contains about 20 different species.
The country exports 90 percent of its production and since domestic consumption is limited,
growth in the industry relies in opening new markets to facilitate the diversification and value
addition policies in the fisheries processing sector. Aquaculture and Mariculture are considered
key areas to enhance food security, generate income, improve rural livelihood and incentivize
self-sustaining businesses”.
Namibia’s industrial policy of 2012 points to the need to proactively intervene if the private
sector is reluctant to invest in transformative economic ventures. Private investments might focus
too narrowly on immediate profits and thus medium to long-term public investments might be
required to initiate new manufacturing industries and a large number of manufacturing jobs.
As outlined in section 2.3.1 above, agriculture-based industries will form the starting point of
industrialisation, for example maroela oils and beauty products, leather and meat products,
omahangu-based pastas and biscuits; tomato-based products for the fishing canning industry etc.
This will be complemented by the further processing of Namibia’s minerals. Such industrial
27
development is envisaged as a shared responsibility between the private sector and the Namibian
government with special emphasis on supporting SMEs to enter the new industries.
2.3.3 Public works: housing and sanitation
Public works programmes are one of the most immediate intervention strategies to create a
significant number of jobs and Namibia has gained important and encouraging experiences with
the construction of rural roads through labour-based works and with the construction of other
public infrastructure. Public works programmes to create housing and sanitation facilities were
identified as a key component of TIPEEG. As about 500 000 Namibians are currently living in
shacks, unable to afford decent housing, there is a massive potential for public works
programmes in this area. The are two Government housing programmes, namely, the Build
Together Programme (BTP) and initiatives taken under the aegis of the state-owned housing
organisation, the National Housing Enterprise (NHE). The BTP started in 1992 and was
decentralised to the Regional Councils and Local Authorities in 1998. The BTP targets urban and
rural low income groups. By July 2011, a total of 9,609 houses were completed under the
Decentralised Build Together Programme (DBTP) in all 13 regions and a total of 17, 329 people
have benefitted from this scheme since its inception. The effectiveness of the scheme is
hampered by the non- availability of affordable serviced plots, lack of technical staff, high cost
of building material, cumbersome and outdated planning and proclamation processes. Thus the
DBTP has not been able to address the backlog of about 80 000 houses in Namibia.
The delivery rate of affordable housing by the NHE to low and medium-income groups of the
Namibian population, according to its statutory mandate, similarly fell short of expectations. In
line with Vision 2030 and the NDP3 it was tasked to construct 7 000 houses by the year 2012
which translates to a delivery of 1,200 houses per annum. However, the average number of
houses delivered per annum by the NHE since 1990 stands at only 457. Thus the current
delivery rate falls considerably short of the annual housing target and thus a systematic
intervention in the form of public works programmes will not only assist to speed up housing
delivery for low income households but will also create ongoing employment opportunities. In
order to curtail the costs and to ensure sustainability, the use of local building materials,
preferably cost-cutting inventions like “K Bricks” or locally produced housing panels will be
critical. The use of recycled materials as exhibited by the Habitat Centre is another intervention
with great potential. Using local labour, for example the direct beneficiaries of low-cost housing,
is another aspect of sustainable housing delivery. Thus the delivery of housing as a public works
strategy will provide various social and economic benefits, with a target of 300 000 houses by
2030 as stated in Namibia’s second MDG Progress Report.
Until recently, the issue of sanitation received little attention or resources in Namibia. However,
the 2008 Water Supply and Sanitation Policy (WSASP), and the 2009 National Sanitation
Strategy (NSS) 2010-2015 recognise the critical importance of acceptability, availability and
affordability of water. It provides for water supply and sanitation to become available to all
Namibians, at acceptable quality and affordable costs. The policy also emphasizes “equity” as
an overarching principle, and specifically provides for community participation. It further
explicitly prioritizes water for personal and domestic uses over all other uses.
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The Sanitation Strategy identified 20 strategic objectives with accompanying performance
indicators, and 186 initiatives to transform the country’s hitherto under-performing sanitation
subsector. This includes the allocation of responsibilities to key Government Ministries and the
costing of each of the initiatives to be undertaken to ensure that the requisite funds are raised,
allocated and spent to realize the right to sanitation in Namibia. The Minister of Finance, during
her tabling of the 2012/13 budget, already announced the creation of a new budget line/vote
called Housing and Sanitation, as a strategic sector under the current Medium Term Expenditure
Framework ( MTEF). Has to continue for years to come with a targeted focus on the servicing of
land, construction of low-cost houses, and urban and rural sanitation. This will undoubtedly
create significant number of medium-term jobs across the country.
2.3.4 Job creation in the informal economy
A number of factors have contributed to a growth in Namibia’s informal economy and this sector
faces a host of challenges such as lack of recognition, lack of inclusion in decision making, lack
of skills and capital to move beyond “survivalism”, low wages, lack of access to finance, lack of
social protection, poor health and occupational safety etc. However, the informal economy
presents opportunities for employment creation and will thus be systematically supported.
As a first step, the lack of recent and accurate information about the size and structure of the
informal economy in Namibia and its contribution to livelihoods needs to be addressed. A
detailed study to measure the size and activities of the sector and can assist in putting
programmes in place to create jobs and improve skills.
Furthermore, there must be a recognition of the informal sector by government, town councils
and municipalities. Informality should be recognised as a legitimate option to do business and to
get out of poverty while an appropriate policy framework must be implemented to facilitate the
transition to decent work and formality. In this regard, it will be important to establish “informal
sector bargaining forums” at regional and local levels to allow informal economy organisations
to negotiate a conducive environment with the relevant authorities. Furthermore, the extension of
social security protection and adherence to occupational safety and health (OSH) standards and
the provisions of the Labour Act should be discussed at such forums.
Protection against unfair competition
Support for the informal economy will depend on the macro-economic framework in which
informal businesses have to operate. Open free market economies and fierce competition may
undermine the development and growth of SMEs as was shown in many countries. The “South-
East Asian Tigers”, for example, advanced their economic growth on the basis of state
interventions in the economy, coupled with systematic support and protection for local
companies. This only changed gradually once local companies had grown and were firmly
established, able to survive international competition.
Such experiences hold relevant lessons for Namibia since our markets are dominated by imports
in virtually all sectors. Retail, banking, mining and fishing, for example, are almost completely
dominated by transnational corporations (TNCs). Namibia’s manufacturing sector remained
very small despite the various attempts to kick-start local processing through Export Processing
Zones (EPZs) and other incentives for (mostly foreign) investors. The potentially damaging
29
impact of free trade agreements was highlighted during the negotiations regarding the proposed
Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the European Union (EU). For Namibia to
succeed with employment creation through SMEs in both the formal and informal sector, it is
crucial to protect them against unfair competition from mass produced goods of industrialised
countries.
Direct support for informal businesses
A systematic support strategy for the informal economy needs to be based on a comprehensive
needs assessment, for example amending bylaws and regulations to support informal businesses
instead of undermining them. Planning and zone decisions, access to public facilities like market
stalls and industrial areas with easy lease agreements and affordable electricity, water and
sanitation facilities are important steps.
Systematic support for informal businesses will help them to grow into formal business over
time. Such support should include not only technical and legal support for informal businesses
but also the extension of social security protection to informal economy workers. Informal
businesses must be assisted to reduce their vulnerability, to improve the job quality, and access
to markets and services. Informal businesses need “peer support” though business membership
organisations and informal worker organisations. Informal enterprises should also be considered
in all development policies, strategies and programmes. Informal businesses also need finance in
the form of small loans at low interest rates that are affordable to the sector. A possible model
could be the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh which lifted millions of poor people out of poverty
through the promotion of self-employment, utilising micro credit without collateral but with
community commitment. Those who received loans are producing goods and services for local
consumption and are thus sustainable. To date, about 36 countries have replicated the Grameen
Bank model.
The new SME bank will have to play a similar role in supporting informal businesses which
needs loans at low interest rates and without collateral. Such loans should cover the core
business expenses and the SME bank should have centres in all regions. In addition, advisory
services for informal businesses should be provided at SME markets and the idea of commission-
based advice when dealing with banks or tenders could be explored. Informal businesses also
need a one-stop-shop to assist them with developing a business plan and to monitor and evaluate
progress.
“Formalising” the informal economy
The lack of accessible support currently forces many SMEs into informality. The “formalisation”
of informal businesses should include an easy way of registering businesses, coupled with an
incentive such as basic business training. Registration should be a cheap and simple
administrative process that is separate from licensing. Possibilities for registration need to be
made easily accessible for informal businesses which are likely to be willing to register if there
are benefits to be gained. Incentives for voluntary SME registration could include inter alia,
access to free management and technical courses. On the other hand, informal businesses must
be encouraged and convinced to comply with decent work requirements, including the provisions
of the Labour Act, social security schemes and OSH standards.
30
Namibia’s current tax system could be reviewed to make it easier to understand and implement
as complex administrative requirement can be more of a hurdle to businesses than the tax rates
themselves. Other important steps towards formalisation are:
Land ownership and the capacity to raise capital through land based collateral;
Increase of access for informal operators to the full range of financial services through
microfinance institutions that target informal businesses;
Creating concrete incentives for formalisation
There is also a need for systematic skills development (of both business operators and their
employees) and recognition of skills through the Namibia Training Authority (NTA), the
Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) and SME service providers. Such skills development
should be targeted to cater for the specific needs of informal businesses and include pricing and
costing, bookkeeping, labour legislation and employment contracts. In addition leadership
training and mentorship programmes could enhance the low skills levels in the informal
economy. Recognised vocational and business skills training is an important step in the process
of formalisation.
Linkages between producers and retailers
The introduction of quotas for horticulture products at retailers in Namibia (as implemented by
the Namibia Agronomic Board in recent years) to source about 30% of horticulture produce
locally may hold great benefits for Namibian producers. Such a strategy should also be used to
uplift the informal economy, for example to create access for their goods to the shelves of larger
retail businesses. Linkages between producers in the informal economy to retailers through the
creation of local supply chains could well be achieved through such interventions which target
the supply and demand side at the same time. Systematic mentorship programmes should
support such linkages which must aim deliberately at informal businesses with the will and
potential to become formal. Likewise, government procurement like army and school uniforms,
school furniture etc. could be deliberately sourced from local (informal) SMEs as a deliberate
developmental intervention.
Creating local demand
Nurturing informal businesses is desirable because they tend to be labour-intensive and thus may
create and sustain more jobs than the larger business sector. However, small businesses tend to
focus on local markets and thus the creation of a local demand for basic consumer goods is
crucial for small businesses. Cash transfers like social pensions and a national Basic Income
Grant (BIG) will therefore have a positive effect on the development of informal businesses.
The BIG pilot project in Otjivero has shown how the small cash injection into a local economy
created a local market and consequently resulted in the emergence of a variety of new, small
businesses such as bakeries, dress-makers, shoe repairs, barber shops, brick makers etc.
2.3.5 Green jobs
Green jobs are defined as decent jobs that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring
environmental quality, including jobs that help to protect ecosystems and biodiversity, reduce
energy, material and water consumption through high-efficiency strategies, de-carbonize the
31
economy and minimize or altogether avoid generation of all forms of waste and pollution. In
practical terms, green jobs reduce the consumption of energy and raw materials, limit the green
house gas emission, minimise waste and pollution, protect and restore ecosystems and adapt to
climate change. Thus a green economy in the Namibian context is seen as an economy that
“improves and balances human well being for all Namibians through the efficient and
sustainable use of all resources”.
Namibia’s green economy process started in 2009 with the aim of identifying green opportunities
including biotrade, eco-tourism, biochar (converting bush encroachment into carbon offsets) and
green labelling. A national green economy process was initiated in 2011 and working groups
were established to look into different aspects. Although no coherent green economy policy
framework is in place yet, there are various existing policies and opportunities that should be
harnessed immediately for the creation of green jobs across various sectors. These include:
Accelerated development of waterless sanitation systems, particularly in rural areas;
Use of alternative building materials, technologies and housing types for mass housing
projects;
Promotion and provision of renewable energy, particularly solar, with production of solar
panels and maintenance taking place in Namibia. This is especially relevant for rural
communities without electricity from the national grid;
Recycling and waste management;
Debushing for employment creation though Independent Power Producers (IPP) and for
use as alterantive fuel, charcoal, and source for building school furniture;
Promotion of water-use efficient technologies such as drip irrigation;
Low carbon transport initiatives such as hybrid and electric transport (private and public).
A shift towards renewable energy will also lessen Namibia’s dependency on energy imports
(most from South Africa and generated by environmentally damaging fossil-fired power plants)
and thus contribute towards greater energy self- sufficiency. Thus provision for renewable
energy sources in all new buildings should be legislated and financial incentives for conversion
of existing buildings should be created.
There is no doubt that renewable energy technologies that convert the country’s abundant solar,
wind and biomass resources into electrical energy will not only address Namibia’s short-term
energy needs but will also provide opportunities for the country’s long-term development.
Investments in renewable energy and energy efficient technologies will result in long-term
energy price stability, lessen Namibia’s import dependencies and the creation of new local jobs
through the establishment of innovative local value chains. Namibia’s excellent solar regime can
be harnessed by solar heaters, solar photovoltaic technologies and solar power plants. Invader
bush represents a significant and sustainable biomass energy source as the systematic use of
invader bush can generate thousands of long-term jobs in rural areas. Power plants fuelled by
invader bush can operate similar to the tradition coal-fired power plants, generating electricity
and jobs in the process.
The deliberate setting up of value chains focusing on the processing of biomass in rural areas
will create new jobs and business opportunities in rural areas and at the same time help to clear
rangeland. Using this local biomass resource for the generation of electricity will thus create
32
new developmental economic opportunities. Private and public investments in this area to create
new value addition will create sustainable energy supply as well as long-term jobs. Therefore
targeted investments in renewable energy and energy efficient technologies will be supported by
targeted tax and investment incentives. These will help to develop labour-intensive, sustainable
renewable energy enterprises.
In terms of waste management, biogas should be produced from landfill sites and such gas could
be used for cooking purposes in rural areas. Increased emphasis on recycling by local authorities
and private companies will create additional jobs and so will the construction of dry toilets and
closed wet sanitation systems whereby biodigesters are installed to generate gas from toilets. The
launch of the Recycle Namibia Forum (RNF) in 2011 was a step in this direction.
Such deliberate interventions are elements of a green job creation strategy which recognises the
need for employment intensive growth paths that focus on adversely affected groups like women
and youth and at the same time contribute to long-term sustainability.
There are many opportunities for “greening” other jobs too, for example by equipping workers
and employers with the knowledge and skills to improve resource efficiency (especially energy),
to introduce cleaner and safer working methods, reducing waste while maximising the recycling
and re-use of waste products. Also, the harvesting of rainwater and the recycling of water can be
improved and expanded. Thus capacity building for green innovation and co-operation can play a
significant role in creating new businesses and jobs. Such green jobs need to be decent which can
be challenging in areas such as waste management, agriculture and precarious forms of
employment. The improvement of the quality of jobs has to go hand-in-hand with
environmentally sustainable economic activities.
2.3.6 Tourism
Namibia is the 4th fastest growing tourism economy in the world and the Community Based
Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) is the centrepiece of the country’s sustainable tourism
activities. In 2009, tourism provided 22 000 direct jobs and another 59 000 indirect jobs and thus
both TIPEEG and NDP4 identified tourism as one of the priority sectors. Namibia’s tourism
sector is currently nature-based and dominated by private operators. However, the income
generated through community involvement in tourism activities has increased from about N$ 600
000 in 1998 to N$ 45,8 million in 2010.This trend needs to be encouraged and supported as
community-based tourism holds the most social benefits. Cultural tourism will be increasingly
promoted alongside nature tourism and 11 pilot sites were identified to offer 5 different types of
cultural tourism experiences in the near future.
Tourism offers opportunities in areas where few other economic opportunities exist and tourism
jobs are geographically widespread and can be created with lower capital investments than in
other sectors. According the National Human Resource Plan, growth in the travel and tourism
economy is forecasted to increase by 7.7 percent annually over the next 10 years. Travel and
tourism is expected to create 66 000 direct jobs by 2021, rising by 7.6 percent per year. With
such prospects for Namibia, adequate planning offers vast opportunities for development,
particularly in rural areas, which are hardest hit by unemployment. Rural economic development
33
through the promotion of tourism has been singled out as a policy priority by Governments
across Southern Africa, for a number of reasons:
The sector has grown fast in recent years, and projections for the sub-region
predict further double-digit growth in the coming decade particularly for
niche tourism products like wildlife tourism, eco-tourism, and community
based tourism that are often by default linked to land use in rural areas
Tourism services are human resource-intensive; for example, in the hotel
segment of the sector, each hotel bed on average translates into one
employment opportunity. Also, there are up to three workers indirectly
dependent on each person working in hotels, such as travel agency staff,
guides, taxi and bus drivers, food and beverage suppliers, laundry workers,
textile workers, gardeners, shop staff for souvenirs and others, as well as
airport employees.
Tourism offers entry-level employment opportunities also for unskilled and
semi-skilled labour, an important consideration in rural areas where people
often hold lower-level educational attainments.
On average half of the sector workforce is 25 years or younger, partly
explained by attractiveness of the nature of the service transaction
particularly for younger people, and indicative of the link between tourism
development and youth employment promotion
Overall, 60-70% of the workforce in the sector is female - tourism thus is potentially an
avenue for the empowerment of women in the world of work. However, the world of
work in the tourism sector (as in most other sectors of the economy) is still largely
characterised by gender stereotypes with regards to the role of women. Women tend to
be concentrated in selected professions like catering services and perform lower-level
roles like cleaning services. Women are under-represented among owner-managers of
community based businesses linked into the value chain for tourism services. Thus
employment in tourism will have to be complemented by a gender strategy to address
the imbalance and to facilitate creation of opportunities for participation by women.
Despite the potential for employment creation in the tourism sector it is important to note that
tourism is extremely susceptible to external shocks as could be seen during the global economic
crisis that had a direct effect on the industry since 2008. Economic downturns in countries from
which tourists are sourced tend to result in lower number of tourists and thus Namibia has to
diversify its tourism market to not cater only for overseas’ tourists but increasingly also for local
and regional tourists.
Furthermore, given Namibia’s fragile eco-system and its marketing as a destination for nature
tourism, great care has to be taken not to destroy this attraction. Therefore, an increase in tourist
arrivals which will create additional jobs has to be balanced with efforts to conserve the
country’s natural environment. Such “green tourism” has a large potential to create new jobs and
reduce poverty, especially if it is community-based. It is labour intensive, can easily target
women and young people, has low entry levels regarding skills and can be based on the local
supply of goods and services, including the construction of tourist accommodation with local
materials.
34
2.3.7 Skills development
There is remarkable consensus in Namibia that skill shortages abound. The issue of skills
shortages is a clear strategic concern across most economic sectors. The link between education
and training, skills (human capital) and economic progress has long been acknowledged. The
disparity between skills imparted by the training institutions and the skills demanded by industry
and commerce, and the economy at large is also articulated in key government policy documents.
Vision 2030 envisages an integrated, unified, flexible and high quality education and training
system to balance supply and demand in the labour market to achieve full employment.
It is now widely acknowledged that despite the extensive investments in education since
independence, learning outcomes and preparedness of graduates as well as the absorption
capacity of higher education and vocational training institutions have remained major
challenges. A survey of the Namibian Employers’ Federation (NEF) conducted in 2010 revealed
that 96% of employers across industrial sectors experienced the challenge of skills deficits with
51% describing the deficit as severe. Similarly, the Global Competitiveness report 2011-2012
found that an inadequately educated workforce was the most problematic factor for doing
business in Namibia.
The newly developed National Human Resources Plan (NHRP) will be the key instrument to
address unemployment and skills shortages. It targets sectors with potential for substantial
employment growth such as tourism, agriculture, fishing and manufacturing. Special emphasis
will also be placed on the needs of small businesses which can play a significant role in job
creation.
The NHRP has four central objectives:
1. To identify sectors with high potential for employment creation and economic growth;
2. To identify and develop the skills and qualifications required in the labour-market by
sector and subsector of the economy and by timeframes.
3. To develop the technical skills, managerial skills and technological know-how required to
start SMEs in those sectors where there is clear opportunities to participate in value
chains and channels.
4. To develop the knowledge required to achieve the country’s long-term vision of
developing a knowledge-based society.
By differentiating supply and demand mismatches from technology, research and innovation
gaps the NHRP will address the skills deficit alongside the need to diversify the economy. This
is a very important distinction as it places education and training at the centre of human capital
development. Lifelong learning strategies deserve special attention as they include the
development of general and applied skills and knowledge, social values and interpersonal skills
and personal qualities. Adult learning strategies will target employability for people with low
education attainment; vocational education would target full employment for people with
secondary schooling or relevant experience; higher education would aim at professional
education and applied research to create a knowledge base that would contribute to employment
generation; and continuing learning would allow for bringing peoples’ skills up to the level
required in a changing environment.
35
The NHRP will address gaps and mismatches between supply and demand in the labour market
by taking up the challenge of eliminating barriers to opportunity, employment and productivity.
It will be geared towards specific objectives that are linked to developmental goals. For example,
in a staged approach, the first stage (5 year strategic framework) will focus on meeting the urgent
skill gaps and address non-structural barriers to employment, mostly referring to information
gaps and mismatches. Moreover, this stage will strategize around capacity building for the
knowledge base economy. A second stage (10 year strategic framework) will focus on
developing skills in active knowledge economy sectors, while strategizing on SMEs as sources
of sustainable productivity at a smaller scale. A third stage (15 year strategic framework) will
build on the previous two, aiming at a diversified labour force responding to an economy where
employment is distributed along the lines of productivity and competitiveness in the primary,
secondary and tertiary sectors of the economy.
In all three stages the NHRP aligns to key result areas leading to Vision 2030. Namibia will use
the Occupational Demand and Supply Outlook Model (ODSOM) to achieve forecasting that
underpins the country’s human resources planning. the starting point is always the analysis of
current and future human resources supply and demand tied in with economic trends. The
anticipated benefits of this approach are:
1. Achieving labour market balance.
2. Reducing adjustment costs.
3. Increasing productivity and efficiency.
4. Reducing social and economic problems arising from labour market imbalances (e.g. a
shortage of doctors, social problems associated with high unemployment.
5. Ensuring that workers are employed in occupations that correspond to their skill level
resulting in significant productivity and efficiency gains.
6. Improving personal and public investment decisions, particularly pertaining to
investments in education and training.
The draft policy on recognition of prior learning (RPL) within the vocational education and
training (VET) system focuses on actual skills, i.e. what people can practically do. RPL will
be applied more consistently and systematically and is expected to lead to improved work
opportunities, job security as well as opportunities for further education and training. RPL is
consistent with the competency-based education and training approach and will be developed
in line with the needs of the labour market. Likewise, the various industry skills committees
will play a critical role to ensure that the education and training programmes on offer in
Namibia produce the skills required by the economy in terms of quality and quantity.
2.3.8 Improved social protection
In addition to the various social protection programmes mentioned earlier, the Social Security
Commission in co-operation with the ILO is currently working on the establishment of a
National Pension Fund and a National Medical Benefit. These new funds will be contributory
funds, targeting employed people. The SSC also envisages an expansion of its reach, for
example by including and targeting the informal sector. It also plans to introduce a “return to
work programme’ for people affected by accidents or sickness. The aim is to enable employees
36
to return to work in a timely manner and to encourage modifications at the workplace to enable
such returns. Furthermore, the SSC is exploring an unemployment benefit fund to offer certain
short-term benefits plus training and job placement services. The SSC envisages and expansion
of its current coverage and also wants to develop a scheme that is appropriate for the informal
economy.
However, the current social protection measures as well as the envisaged new funds will not
reach all Namibians affected by poverty and thus Namibia will consider the introduction of a
national Basic Income Grant (BIG) as had been proposed by the Namibia Tax Commission in
2002. The social and economic effectiveness of such a universal grant was shown during a pilot
project in Omitara in the Omaheke region in 2008-2009. Besides the poverty-reducing effects
and the improvements in the health and education status of Omitara residents, the BIG has also
shown that it is an important enabler of economic activities as several small businesses emerged
after the introduction of the grant. This is a critical aspect when it comes to employment creation
through small businesses at local level. The BIG as a component of a comprehensive social
protection strategy creates a local cash flow which created the necessary conditions to sustain the
emerging small businesses such as a bakery, brick production, shoe repair, hairdresser, and
manufacture of traditional dresses.
Cash transfers like the BIG will create effective local demand for the goods and services
produced by the small businesses. This is an important aspect of any sustainable employment
creation initiative in Namibia as interventions on the supply side such as SME loans need to be
complemented by creating local demand for the goods produced. The 2012 Business and
Investment Climate Survey found that the low demand for goods and services was the most
important factor hampering businesses in Namibia, with micro-enterprises, informal businesses
and women-owned businesses being particularly affected.
2.3.9 Enabling business environment
The private sector is a key player in the economic sphere and has a crucial role to play in
creating jobs. While Namibia’s business environment is fairly conducive there are still
bureaucratic hindrances relating to starting a business, registering property, trading across
borders, complex tax systems etc. Furthermore access to finance for SMEs (formal or informal)
is restricted and they operate outside the mainstream of the economy. Thus an important
supportive step for private sector employment creation is to improve and streamline the process
of starting a business, registering property, paying taxes and trading across borders. Namibia’s
economic policy is geared towards openness, ensuring market access for domestically produced
goods and services. Infant industry protection will be negotiated by government when and
where necessary. Also, government will use its procurement policy and other measures to
stimulate the development of local industries with potential. Incentives for industrialisation will
be well targeted and time-bound and reviewed regularly to achieve the desired outcomes.
As outlined before, it is crucial to provide SMEs with access to credit through the recently
established SME bank, to create forward and backward linkages between established large firms
and SME’s, and to provide technical and managerial skills as well as relevant technology to
boost production. International experiences have shown that SMEs have the ability to create a
large number of jobs and that they do not retrench easily during times of economic difficulties.
37
Strategic Public Private Partnerships (PPP’s) as well as incentives for the private sector to set up
businesses in rural areas are other strategies that should be used to create business and job
opportunities. PPPs offer distinct advantages in the government provision of infrastructure and
services, for example:
By using the private sector’s delivery and management expertise;
By reaching a better understanding of the life costs of investments;
By sharing sharing risks with the private sector and making payments upon actual
delivery;
By achieving socio-economic objectives by weaving them into the design of PPP
projects.
Another aspect of an enabling business environment is the cutting of bureaucratic red tape which
can severely hamper business operations. Thus labour market information systems linking job
seekers with prospective employers need to be fast, reliable and responsive to have the desired
outcomes. Also, poor labour relations can undermine economic development and job creation
and thus government will continue its efforts to broker a social compact between labour and
employers to ensure a united approach to development.
2.3.10 Strengthened social dialogue
It is in this context, that effective social dialogue plays an important role in the process of job
creation. Currently, Namibia’s main tripartite social dialogue structure is the Labour Advisory
Council (LAC) which brings together government, employers and trade unions. The social
partners are currently exploring ways of making this structure more effective and possibly
broadening its mandate to provide for some joint decision-making on socio-economic issues
instead of having merely an advisory role on labour matters. This debate is informed by the
realisation that developmental issues can best be tackled through close collaboration between
government and its social partners in both the formal and informal economy. Thus broadened
social dialogue will be critical in the implementation of this national employment policy to
achieve the best possible impact.
Effective social dialogue is also crucial for the achievement of decent work and for reaching
consensus about a developmental social compact to spearhead the creation of the required
number of decent jobs. Collective bargaining on minimum wages, decent employment
conditions, minimum requirements for young interns at work etc. coupled effective labour
inspections at the workplace will be some of the key strategies to make decent employment a
reality.
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PART 3: Policy Implementation Plan
The National Employment Policy can only be successful if its implemented in a structured and
co-ordinated manner by the various role players involved. The National Planning Commission is
the lead agency in terms of the NDP4 and thus also has a key role to play to ensure the
implementation of the NEP. The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare is the custodian of
Namibia’s Decent Work Country Programme and the NEP while the Ministry of Environment
and Tourism is the lead agency in terms of environmental policies, sustainable development and
green jobs. The Ministry of trade and Industry on the other hand is in charge of Namibia’s
industrialisation policy and strategy, SME development and investment strategies. The Ministry
of Works and transport as well as the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing
and Rural Development will be involved in public works programmes and housing projects and
will also be involved in the implementation of sanitation projects in collaboration with the
Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry. The later will also play a central role in agricultural
development and agriculture-based industrialisation.
In addition, there are various other agencies and non-state actors whose contributions to the NEP
will be critical. These include the Namibia Agricultural Board, farmers’ unions, employers
organisations, trade unions, informal sector organisations, developmental NGOs, community
organisations, the private sector, development partners and others. Tables 3 and 4 below do not
present all interventions to be taken to create jobs between 2013 and 2017, but they highlight the
key initiatives that will have to be implemented as well as the lead agencies to be involved.
Table 3: Action Plan
Priority Area Action to be taken Implementer Timeframe
Agriculture-led
Industrialisation
Implementing the CAAP
Compact
MAWF 2013
onwards
Market research on potential
for local agricultural
products.
MAWF with Agriboard
2013
Local production (value-
addition).
MAWF, MTI with
Agriboard
2013-2017
Increased public investments
in agriculture
MAWF 2013
onwards
Increasing quotas for locally
produced fresh produce.
Agriboard Ongoing
since 2004
39
De-bushing farmland.
MAWF, MLR, with
NAU and AEA
2013-2017
Apprenticeship programme
on farms.
NAU with NNFU, NTA
and NAFWU
2013-2017
Implementing agricultural
projects (NDP4) and green
schemes.
MAWF with MLR,
NNFU, NAU
2013-2017
Create markets for fresh
produce and silos for storage.
MAWF with Agriboard
and MTI
Ongoing,
2013-2017
Link producers to local
markets (schools, hospitals)
MAWF, MHSS, MoE,
MSS, MTI
2013-2017
Value Addition Public investments in
infrastructure for local value
addition
MTI with MWT, NPC 2013-2017
PPPs to source investments
for local value addition
MTI with NPC, MoF,
MWT and private sector
2013-2017
Enforcing export levy and
encouraging processing of
diamonds and minerals like
gold, copper and zinc
MTI with MoF Ongoing
Review of export incentives MTI with NPC and
Ministry of Finance
2013
Creating required skills for
local value addition
NPC with NTA, tertiary
education institutions
and private sector
2013-2017
Identifying further goods for
local manufacturing
MTI with NCCI, Team
Namibia and Namibia
Manufacturers’
Association
2013-2017
Awarding infant industry
protection
MTI Ongoing
Public Works:
housing and
sanitation
Large-scale low cost housing
programme, using local
building materials, recycled
materials and green
technologies
MRLGHRD with NHE,
Shack Dwellers
Federation and private
sector
2013-2017
Implement the sanitation
strategy
MAWF with
MRLGHRD, MHSS
2013-2017
Informal Economy Study to assess the size, needs
and potential of the informal
economy
MTI with NSA, NISO,
MoLSW
2013
40
Establishment of informal
economy bargaining forums
at regional and local levels to
improve operating
environment
MTI with regional
councils and local
authorities
(municipalities), NISO,
IPBC, JCC etc.
2013-2017
Protection against unfair
competition
MTI, Competition
Commission
2013-2017
Direct support in the form of
marketing areas, financial
support, advice etc.
MTI, SME Bank,
Development Bank
2013-2017
Make registration easy and
attractive as part of the
“formalisation”
MTI, BIPA 2013-2017
Improve adherence to social
protection, OSH and decent
working conditions
MLSW with NISO,
municipalities
2013-2017
Assistance with relevant
skills development
MTI, NTA, NQA with
NISO
2013-2017
Establishment of link
between producers and
retailers
MTI, Team Namibia,
NISO, Chamber of
Mines
2013-2017
Green Jobs Developing waterless
sanitation systems and closed
wet sanitation systems
MET with MAWF,
MRLGHRD, private
sector
2013-2017
Using alternative building
materials and housing
technologies
MRLGHRD with
MWT, NHE, Shack
Dwellers Federation
and private sector
2013-2017
Recycling MET, local
governments with
recycling forum and
private sector
Ongoing,
2013-2017
De-bushing and power
generation
MET with MAWF,
MME, NAU and IPP
2013-2017
Promoting water efficient
technologies
MET with MAWF and
private sector
2013-2017
Developing low carbon
transport
MET with MWT,
private sector
2013-2017
Promoting and manufacturing
solar heaters and solar power
plants
MET with MTI, MME,
Nampower and private
sector
2013-2017
Producing biogas from
landfill sites
MET with local
authorities and private
sector
2013-2017
Capacity building on MET with tertiary 2013-2017
41
greening jobs in Namibia education providers,
NTA and private sector
Tourism Promotion of cultural and
community-based tourism
MET with NACOBTA,
NTB
2013-2017
Creating tourism
infrastructure while
safeguarding pristine areas
MET with Ministry of
Works, NWR and
private sector
Ongoing,
2013-2017
Focus on the youth Accommodate youth in
public works programmes
Ministry of Works,
NPC, Ministry of youth
and sports
2013-2017
Provide training subsidies for
the youth
Ministry of Education
with MLSW,Ministry of
Youth, NYS, NEF,
NCCI, NTA and NQA
2013-2017
Enhance and expand
internship and apprenticeship
programmes and regulate
them
MLSW with MoE,
MYNSSC, NYS, NYC,
NEF,NCCI and NTA
2013-2017
Offer ongoing opportunities
for learning and skills
development
MoE, NTA , MYNSSC,
NYS, NYCMLSW, and
education providers
Ongoing,
2013-2017
Offer career guidance for the
youth
MoE, MLSW, NTA,
NEF, NCCI and
education providers
2013-2017
Assist youth in the search for
jobs through the labour
market information system
MoLSW with private
employment agencies,
NYS, NEF, NCCI and
other employers
2013-2017
Enhance and expand the
NYCS and CYB programme
NYC with MYNSSC,
MTI
2013-2017
Decent Work
Country
Programme
Implement the DWCP MLSW with NEF,
NUNW, TUCNA and
ILO
Ongoing,
2013-2014
Skills Development
Implement the National
Human Resources plan and
address the mismatch of
demand for and availability of
skills
NPC with MoE, NTA,
NQA, VTCs and
tertiary education
institutions and private
sector
2013-2017
Recognise prior learning and
create lifelong learning
opportunities
NPC with Ministry of
Education, NTA, NQA,
VTCs and tertiary
education institutions
and private sector
2013-2017
Implement ODSOM to
forecast human resource
needs
NPC with MoE, NTA,
education providers
and private sector
2013-2017
42
Improved social
protection
Introduce national pension
and medical benefit schemes;
increase national coverage of
SSC schemes, especially in
the informal economy
MLSW, SSC with ILO,
NUNW, TUCNA and
NISO
2013-2014
Debate and clarify social and
economic benefits of a BIG
Cabinet with BIG
Coalition
2013
Explore the modalities for
implementation of a national
BIG on a sustainable basis
Office of the Prime
Minister with Cabinet
and BIG Coalition
2013-2014
Enabling Business
Environment
Provide finance for SMEs MTI with SME Bank Ongoing,
2013-2017
Provide infant industry
protection to selected
ventures
MTI with private sector Ongoing,
2013-2017
Review government
procurement policy to ensure
local value addition and job
creation
Ministry of Finance,
Tender Board
2013
Review incentives for
industrialisation and exports
MTI and MoF Ongoing,
2013
Simplify requirements for
business registration and
taxation
MTI with Ministry of
Finance
2013
Establish a fast and effective
labour market information
system
MLSW with employers
and job seekers; training
providers
2013
onwards
Brokering a “social compact” MLSW with employers
and unions
2013-2014
Strengthen social
dialogue
Evaluate experiences with the
LAC and implement
strategies to make social
dialogue more meaningful
and effective
MLSW with social
partners (business and
labour)
Ongoing
(part of
DWCP),
2013-2017
Table 4: Role Players
NAME OF INSTITUTION ROLES
1. Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare Coordinating institution for the
National Employment Policy and the
Decent Work Country Programme
2. Ministry of Youth National Service, Sport Identifying and implementing
43
and Culture; National Youth Service;
National Youth Council
measures to assist the youth with
finding employment and setting up
businesses
3. Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry Creating job opportunities in the
agricultural sector through targeted
projects.
Spearheading value-adding activities
in the agricultural sector
Creating jobs through the
implementation of the sanitation
policy and strategy
4. Ministry of Finance Macro-economic and fiscal policy
framework
Budgetary allocation for the various
initiatives relating to employment
creation
5. Ministry of Education Providing primary and secondary
education
Facilitating life-long learning
Supporting vocational training and
tertiary education
6. National Planning Commission
Prioritisation of development projects
for employment creation
Ensuring co-ordinated interventions by
various stakeholders
7. Ministry of Trade and Industry Promotion of SME development
Facilitate investment in labour
intensive industries
Granting of infant industry protection
8. Ministry of Works and transport Create employment through labour
44
intensive construction methods
Coordination and supervision of public
works programmes
9. Ministry of Regional and Local Government
and Housing and Rural Development
Co-ordination and supervision of
housing projects
10. Ministry of Environment and Tourism Promotion of sustainable and cultural
tourism
Promoting green technologies and jobs
11. Ministry of Mines and Energy; Nampower Promoting and supporting use and
production of renewable energy
12. Labour Advisory Council Ensure the ownership of social
partners in the implementation of the
National Employment Policy
Ensure that decent jobs are created and
monitor the implementation of the
NEP.
13. International Labour Organisation Technical assistance and advice on all
matters relating to the Decent Work
Country Programme and related issues
14. Private sector Provide investments in the identified
sectors;
Participation in PPP arrangements
15. Specialized Organisations (NISO, NUNW,
TUCNA, NEF, NAU, NNFU, NANGOF Trust,
Agriboard, NCCI and others)
Focus on employment creation in
particular sectors of the economy
Provide expertise on specific areas of
the National Employment Policy
16. Development Partners Provide technical expertise, advice and
resources needed for the
implementation of particular
programmes
45
3.1 Monitoring and evaluation
The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare spearheads the implementation of National
Employment Policy. Once established, the monitoring and evaluation of the programme is
envisaged to fall under the auspices of the Employment Creation Commission in collaboration
with the National Planning Commission. The monitoring and evaluation of this policy will feed
into the monitoring and evaluation system established by NDP4. The evaluations should be
conducted on regular intervals, either quarterly or yearly depending on programmes or projects
being implemented. However effectiveness of the monitoring and evaluation will be enhanced by
the labour market information collected by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) and the
Ministry of Labour and Social Services. Regular annual reports have to be produced and a
review of the policy will be undertaken after five (5) years, which is in line with NDP 4 to allow
for necessary adjustments.
46
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