EAN leads dialogue on solving Namibia’s joblessness proplem

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  • 21 Hours Ago
The Economic Association of Namibia (EAN), in partnership with the Hanns Seidel Foundation, hosted a high-level public discussion at the Protea Hotel under the theme “The Jobless Growth Puzzle: Can Namibia Unlock Inclusive Prosperity?”.



The event brought together senior policymakers and government officials, private sector leaders and business associations, representatives from academia and research institutions, as well as civil society organiSations and development partners.



Delivering the keynote address, Michael Humavindu the executive director at the ministry of finance said the National Development Plan would help drive growth through creating employment.



“The government has put in place a clear strategic framework through the SWAPO Manifesto Implementation Plan (SMIP) and the National Development Plan 6 (NDP6). The

above both strategic frameworks speak to a shift from growth for its own sake, to growth that is linked to economic transformation supported by enhanced productive capacities, institutional capability-building, domestic value addition and employment outcomes. We often speak of inclusive growth as a policy objective, but in reality, inclusive growth is an institutional outcome.” he said.



Jealous Chirove, the senior employment specialist for Eastern and Southern Africa at the International Labour Organisation detailed how Namibia could unlock inclusive prosperity.



“Africa is home to more than 1 billion people and half of whom will be under 25 years old by 2050. The Population is expected to double by 2050 – 2060. Africa has the youngest population in the world with an average age of just 19 years. Key challenge of growth in number of jobs is mainly due to absence of productive and decent employment opportunities. Africa also has structural barriers that it faces,” he said.



He further mentioned that the government of Namibia approved the Second National Employment Policy (NEP2), 2013/14 –2016/17. NEP2 was developed through broad-based consultations across national constituents, technically solid, and aligned to NDP4. The main goal is to “promote full, productive, decent and freely chosen employment which will eradicate poverty and reduce

income inequality.



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