Pursue a holistic transport sector strategy
Namibia has been investing heavily in public infrastructure from transport infrastructure to education and health. The investment is necessary to address existing backlogs as well as to accelerate the development of the country and achieve the main objectives of Vision 2030, namely to be a prosperous and industrialised country developed by her human resources. Since […]
Are we in for another perfect storm?
Emerging markets have come under severe pressure recently, partly owing to global events and partly to domestic – mainly policy – issues. The Argentinian peso lost about 50% of its value against the US dollar forcing the central bank to raise interest rates to 60%. The Turkish lira lost 40%. Following suit is the South […]
Embrace technology (and the future)
Latest after the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos / Switzerland in January 2016, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Artificial Intelligence are on the global agenda. It is often accompanied by fears and anxiety about job losses and robots taking over. These fears are certainly exaggerated, but clearly indicate that we need to start […]
Public spaces create business opportunities
The purpose of urban development and planning is not only to provide serviced or un-serviced land for business of residential purposes and to provide necessary infrastructure (transport, water, electricity, communication), but it should also support social cohesion, innovation, creativity as well as business and employment opportunities. Instead of separating residential from businesses areas, which consequently […]
Not the source, but the level of income matters
Benjamin Franklin reportedly said that there were only two things certain in life: death and taxes. Taxes have been with us for many thousand years dating back to ancient civilisations including in Africa. Taxes have been collected to finance public services ranging from safety and security (police, military) to health, education and other vital infrastructure, […]
Extent of the public sector not fully known
Health Minister, Hon. Bernhard Haufiku, introduced amendments to the health professions laws in Parliament in order to reduce the number of council members. The announcement has shed light on an area of the public sector that is often overlooked, when talking about a leaner public service. There are not only five different health profession councils […]
Opportunities for new value chains
Electric bikes (e-bikes) have become a common sight in Europe and encourage those who do not feel fit enough to cycle longer distances or do not want to arrive in the office or at meetings sweaty to use the bike instead of other modes of transport. Likewise, e-scooters, e-cars etc. are more and more often […]
Continental integration – The role of free movement of labour
Recent policy initiatives on the African continent can contribute to higher economic growth and a reduction of poverty. The Single African Air Transport Market initiative (SAATM), the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and the abolition of visa requirements for Africans are a few examples. The AfCFTA includes not only a protocol on trade in […]
After the clean-up – What’s next?
Namibians turned out in numbers on Africa Day for a clean-up campaign initiated by the President, Dr. Hage Geingob. The clean-up focussed in Windhoek mainly on the informal settlements and north-western suburbs indicating that there is seemingly a bias in the waste removal and recycling infrastructure toward the formal and better-off areas of Windhoek. This […]
Inflation gnaws at thresholds – time for adjustments
Government has implemented various measures to support and protect the poor and low-income earners. These measures include thresholds that either exempt those falling below the threshold from contributing to certain schemes or paying taxes for instance or from benefitting from certain schemes if they exceed the threshold. However, these thresholds are becoming less meaningful if […]