Income inequality hampers progress

ELLANIE SMITWINDHOEKAlthough Namibia has made progress in some areas of human development, it still faces high inequality in income distribution.The country has made improvement in life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling and expected years of schooling, as well as Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, says Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.She was speaking at the launch of the Global Human Development Report 2020 and the Namibia National Human Development Report 2019.According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Namibia's human development index has improved from 0.581 in 1990 to 0.646 in 2019, placing it in 130th place among 189 countries.There is still high inequality in income distribution, with the Gini coefficient standing at 0.560 for the 2015/2016 financial year.“The inequities in income distribution fuel poverty and unemployment, with women and the youth bearing the brunt of poverty and unemployment,” the prime minister said.The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) partnered with the government to complete the Namibian report. Recommendations Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said these reports encompass various dimensions of human development such as equality, a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and having a decent standard of living.The reports also make recommendations for change.According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, the National Economic Empowerment Bill, which is in the final stage of consultation, is aimed at assisting Namibia to overcome inequality, promote a resilient economy, high and sustainable economic growth and eradicate unemployment and poverty.“The report reveals inequalities related to gender, access to education and health, ownership of assets such as land, ethnicity, and geographic location.”She said these findings call for concerted efforts to address the situation.“To this end the government is committed to ensuring our development approaches are supportive of efforts to protect our environment and address all forms of inequalities and at every level of our society.”Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said there are ongoing government programmes to deal with this, including actions agreed to at the 2019 Land Conference which seek to address access to land and housing.She further said that the education and health sectors continue to receive the largest share of the national budget. Reforms will continue to ensure alignment of educational programmes to the needs of the labour market to improve the employability of graduates.Furthermore, a revised policy on nutrition and food security is being finalised and environmental protection remains a priority in government programmes.

Income inequality hampers progress

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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Income inequality hampers progress

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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