President Netumbo Nandi- Ndaitwah this week officially launched Namibia’s sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), calling it a bold and urgent step to fix the country’s slow and unequal economic growth.
The plan, which is set to run from 2025 to 2030, is the last one before the country reaches its ambitious Vision 2030, described as Namibia’s long-term goal for prosperity.
During the launch in Windhoek on Monday, the President said the plan is not just another government document.
“We are not only seeking growth. We are demanding transformation,” she said.
Namibia’s economy has been growing too slowly. Under the fifth National Development Plan (NDP5), domestic growth averaged only 0.6% per year, far below the target of 6.2%. Part of the reason for the stagnant growth is the structure of the domestic economy which has barely changed during the last three decades.
In 2023, primary industries like mining and farming made up 22.2% of the domestic economy, while secondary industries like manufacturing only accounted for 15.6%, and tertiary industries (like services) 53.4%. These numbers are far from Vision 2030 goals, which aim for more manufacturing and services, and less dependence on exporting raw materials.
Moreover, Namibia’s unemployment rate remains at very high and at unsustainable levels, especially among young people. The official jobless rate stands at 36%, while 28.2% of Namibians live in poverty. About 43% of people live with multiple forms of hardship, including poor access to services and income.
Economist Joseph Sheehama says the unveiling of NDP6 has the potential to have a substantial economic impact because it provides a long-term vision and strategic framework for Namibia’s development.
If effectively implemented, NDP6 could result in increased economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction, and higher living standards, all of which are required to propel N a m i b i a towards its vision of becoming an industrialised country by 2030. However, the success of NDP6 is based on strong leadership, successful implementation, and partnerships between sectors.
“My main takeaways are eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities, and treating all Namibians equally as well as an equitable standard of living. These include important sectors like agriculture, health, education, and economic diversification; ESME development for young entrepreneurs; economic inclusivity; and social development. Additionally, public-private partnerships, which entail cooperation between a government agency and a private sector business. It is now crucial to track NDP6 development, assess its effects, and offer continuous input to make sure the plan and especially Vision 2030 achieve their targets,” he said.
According to a report issued by stock brokerage Simonis Storm (SS), Namibia’s experience under NDP5 offers critical lessons that shape the urgency and design of NDP6.
In its analysis SS noted that despite the promise of sectoral expansion, macro-economic stability, and social reform under NDP5, implementation outcomes fell short of expectations across multiple dimensions particularly in employment creation, industrial diversification, education relevance, and subnational delivery.
“Employment remains the most politically urgent and socially consequential benchmark. NDP6 aims to raise the national employment rate to 75%, with targeted job creation in manufacturing, agriculture, the green economy, and SME formalisation. But structural unemployment particularly among the youth, rural populations, and women remains stubbornly high,” the SS report reads.
The SS analysis added that, job intensity per unit of growth has been declining, and labour-absorptive sectors have either stagnated or de-industrialised. The SS report also points out that while NDP6 makes the right calls on TVET reform, informal sector upgrading, and entrepreneurship, these efforts require stronger demand-side stimulus and access to targeted credit if they are to shift the employment needle in a meaningful way.
“NDP6 is Namibia’s most ambitious and politically coherent development plan to date. It correctly diagnoses the structural fault lines of the past and maps a plausible pathway towards transformation. Yet its success will hinge on a fundamental shift from planning to delivery, from rhetoric to accountability, and from sectoral optimism to systemic reform. With Vision 2030 looming on the horizon, the stakes are not merely economic. They are generational,” the SS report cautions.
-pmukokobi@nepc.com.na