Collen Kurana

Namibia is an upper-middle-income country in Africa, as per the Human Development Index of 2020. The country has a stable political government, and was rated as one of the most peaceful countries in the world by the Global Peace Index (GPI) in 2018. 

Although the country is stable, social inequality is high among its people. The gap between the haves and have-nots is continuing to widen. Its Gini Coefficient of 59.1 in 2015 was second only to South Africa. 

In recent years, the citizens have expressed their frustration over the high unemployment rate, scarcity of opportunity for livelihood, and rising food prices. These social phenomena, coupled with psychological stressors, have caused strain on the public. 

In his classical Anomie theory, Emile Durkheim explained that society puts pressure on individuals to achieve socially- accepted goals such as finding employment, even though they lack the means to do so. With the high number of unemployed graduates on the streets, unable to find opportunities, this can lead to individuals engaging in anti-social behaviours as a means to gain financial security. 

The unemployment phenomenon in Namibia is a matter of human security. It has led to cross-country campaigns where non-state actors, such as civil society activists, have organised massive demonstrations to make their objectives felt. The unemployment crisis has been causing more confrontations between stressed individuals and the authorities. 

Looking at past trends, a high unemployment rate could lead to frequent public uproars in the future, given that non-state and political actors are using it to make political statements. However, Namibia, like any other country in the world and in Africa, continues to recover from post-Covid-19 effects. Covid-19 disrupted business operations, and had massive impacts on economic growth and development. It shut down businesses, and caused millions of deaths across the globe. Similarly, climate change has impacted the country negatively in the sense that drought and flooding have affected local farmers and decreased local produce. This, in turn, has increased the burden on the country to import more food. 

The geopolitical war between Russia and Ukraine has also negatively affected international trade by increasing prices on commodities. Nevertheless, the government and stakeholders should treat unemployment as a matter of urgency. 

Stakeholders should come together and find a method that they can use to create opportunities for the youth. The youth are the most affected, with 46.1% unemployed, according to the Namibia Labour Force Survey (NLFS) in 2018. The figures are projected to increase in the coming years if nothing is done to address the situation.

*Collen Kurana is a Master’s student in Leadership and Change Management at NUST.