NDP6 promises 75% employment

Namibia yesterday unveiled arguably its most ambitious development blueprint yet – the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) – with a rallying call to all citizens and stakeholders to unite under a shared vision of economic revival, inclusiveness, and sustainable prosperity. Covering the 2025/26 to 2029/30 period, NDP6 is the final five-year instalment in the long-term national aspiration toward Vision 2030, a goalpost of transforming Namibia into a prosperous and industrialised nation.The plan was launched under the theme “Fostering Economic Growth, Inclusiveness and Resilience for Sustainable Development.” It seeks to confront the country's most entrenched development challenges: high unemployment, poverty, and inequality, which have intensified in recent years due to global economic shocks, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate-related crises.NDP6 lays out a bold vision to lift Namibia back to upper-middle-income status and attain an average GDP growth rate of 7% or more over the five-year period. It aims to increase the national employment rate from 63% to 75%, while also boosting the manufacturing sector to contribute 18% to GDP and generate 70,000 new jobs. The plan also aims to create 30,000 green jobs by 2030, taking advantage of Namibia’s potential in renewable energy, particularly green hydrogen. Another major target is to raise the share of manufactured goods in total exports to 60%, significantly up from current levels.These aspirations are anchored in efforts to diversify the economy away from over-reliance on raw material exports. Investments in green hydrogen, agro-processing, tourism, manufacturing, ICT, and blue economy industries form the cornerstone of the country’s industrial transformation. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised that this is not the time for business as usual, but for bold, purposeful actions backed by innovation and national unity.Four pillars of transformationNDP6 is structured around four interlinked pillars. The first, Economic Growth, Transformation and Resilience, seeks to expand industrial capacity, scale up value chains in agriculture and mining, and invest in critical infrastructure such as transport, energy, water, and digital technologies.The second pillar, Human Development and Community Resilience, focuses on improving health, education, and social protection systems. It includes targets such as raising the Human Capital Index from 0.45 to 0.50 and doubling school completion rates from 26% to 50%.The third pillar, Environmental Sustainability, aims to promote long-term economic stability through improved resilience, adaptability, and responsible resource management. It sets out to increase renewable energy generation capacity from 367MW to 700MW, expand protected water areas, and enhance the value addition of marine resources.The fourth and final pillar, Effective Governance and Public Service Delivery, centres on improving governance indicators, reducing corruption, and delivering quality public services efficiently. It includes plans to enhance Namibia’s governance score on the Ibrahim Index of African Governance from 63.9 to 75% and to reduce the corruption perception score from 78 to 65%. It also aims to digitise public services and improve transparency across government operations.Tackling persistent inequalityDespite economic growth since independence, Namibia remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. The Gini coefficient stood at 0.597 in 2024, and poverty affected 28.2% of the population. NDP6 targets reducing poverty levels to below 10% and narrowing income inequality to a Gini coefficient of 0.500 by 2030.The government aims to transform the structure of the economy by increasing the contribution of secondary and tertiary industries while reducing reliance on primary sectors such as mining and agriculture. At present, primary industries contribute over 22% to GDP, but employ only a small share of the workforce. Structural transformation is therefore seen as a key lever for inclusive growth.NDP6 was developed through extensive consultations across all 14 regions and 121 constituencies, involving local authorities, the private sector, NGOs, and the public. The government is adopting a “whole-government, whole-society” model of implementation, with performance-based budgeting, coordinated project management, and transparent monitoring mechanisms to ensure delivery on set goals.President Nandi-Ndaitwah stressed that development must be driven by every citizen, noting: “Each and every Namibian must become a catalyst for change.” The plan also formalises the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) through frameworks like NamNet and CIVIC +264, which will be used to strengthen public participation and accountability.Financing and executionTo realise its ambitious objectives, NDP6 will be financed through a combination of domestic public and private sources, alongside international financing. An Integrated Financing Framework will guide resource mobilisation. The plan also emphasises the need for sector-specific reforms, improved coordination, and digital transformation to improve service delivery and investor confidence.With only five years left to reach Vision 2030, the stakes are high. NDP6 presents a final opportunity to accelerate national progress and close the gap between policy aspirations and the lived realities of ordinary Namibians. If fully implemented, the plan has the potential to elevate living standards, modernise the economy, and position Namibia as a regional leader in green industrialisation and inclusive development.

NDP6 promises 75% employment

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-22

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NDP6 promises 75% employment

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-22

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