The AfCFTA came into force
At an extraordinary African Union meeting in Kigali on 21 March 2018 44 out of 55 African states signed the African Free Trade Area agreement. After 22 of member states have deposited their instruments of ratification with the African Union Commission on 29 April 2019 the AfCFTA came into force 30 days later with meanwhile […]
Of tax-free allowances and inequality – Klaus Schade
Sometimes, well-meant interventions have unintended consequences. One case in point are tax-free allowances, such as tax-free housing allowances, tax-free car allowances, tax-free pension fund contributions, etc. Namibia has a progressive income tax system with marginal tax rates rising with increased taxable income. This, however, results in tax-free allowances being regressive meaning that the better off […]
To empower or to disempower?
The world has just celebrated International Women’s Day with calls for additional efforts to empower women. Similarly, empowering currently disadvantaged persons is high on our national agenda. However, it appears empowerment is limited to the formal side of society and the economy. Vendors (often women) trying to make ends meet and cater not only for […]
Namibian businesses – Quo vadis?
The economic slowdown does not only take its toll on the labour market, but also on the business landscape – businesses are closing down. However, it is not only the economic contraction that results in business closures. Other reasons might include retirement and lack of successors, policy uncertainty and bureaucracy, etc. why well-established small and […]
What lies ahead of us?
The New Year is not so new anymore; more than a month has passed already. The global challenges of 2018 have not vanished with the end of last year, but continue not only to dominate international headlines, but to negatively impact on global economic prospects. Neither is there an end in sight in the trade […]
Any New Year’s resolutions?
Another challenging year is coming to an end. However, not all is doom and gloom. The year has provided many example that with some more efforts it is possible to exploit existing opportunities. Private sector companies have demonstrated that it is possible to increase local procurement and extend value chains through efforts to identify Namibian […]
Unemployment benefits could smoothen economic downturns
The current economic downturn is caused by domestic, regional and global factors. Lower global demand for some of our minerals and consequently lower prices in USD, the oil price crash resulting in the crash of the Angolan demand for our goods and services and the recent price hike that affects production costs and the cost […]
Strengthen regional cooperation to stimulate economy
After the financial and then economic crisis in 2008, Governments and Central Banks of some developed countries have tried to coordinate policy responses in order to avoid a further downfall of the global economy. It had helped stabilizing the economies, even though the cooperation was rather short-lived and limited in extent. However, there were hardly […]
Going the extra mile
The prevailing global economic climate is not in our favour – rising interest rates in the USA turn financial investor sentiments against emerging markets, trade wars disrupt global trade, Brexit adds further to economic policy uncertainties that all weigh on investor sentiments and their run for safe havens. Namibia can therefore not rely on or […]
Why not creating farmworker villages?
The Second Land Conference held last week in Windhoek has covered a vast array of different land-related topics. Access to urban land, title deeds in communal areas, flexible land tenure systems, and the plight of farmworkers were just some of them. Farmworkers and their families often face uncertainties regarding a place to stay when they […]