Namibia Vision 2030 - NAMFISA

resources and opportunities, and social norms which are conducive to sustaineddevelopment. All of this must be well understood by most of the population. Inorder to realise the objectives of capacity building in Vision 2030, human resourceinformation management systems will be strengthened; the ultimate objective isto balance the supply and demand in the labour market and in this way achievefull employment in the economy.As required by this Vision, the country will operate a totally integrated, unified,flexible and high quality education and training system, that prepares Namibianlearners to take advantage of a rapidly changing global environment, includingdevelopments in science and technology. This, inturn, would and that contributeto the economic and social development of the citizens. There will be equal accessto excellent educational and vocational training institutions and quality sportsservices/facilities by all, with basic education placing emphasis on Science andMathematics. Public education, covering every area of life and living, will be anintegral part of the system of continuing education, which is free and open toeveryone in Namibia. Moral education will be well integrated into the schoolcurricula. In order to meet the exigencies of industrial transformation, Namibiawill continue to monitor cross-sectoral internal and external development in thefield of “knowledge, information and technology” and assesses its impact on therights of the individual and the functioning of society and the national economy.Arising from the overall capacity building investments, Namibia will betransformed into a knowledge-based society, and changes in production andinformation technology will revolutionalise all aspects of the manufacturingprocess. Relationships with customers and suppliers and the manner in whichproducts are marketed and sold, would receive quality attention.10Over a decade after Independence, Namibia is yet to overcome the legacy ofextreme inequalities based on race and left behind by the ‘apartheid’ regime.Vision 2030 is expected to reduce inequalities and move the nation significantlyup the scale of human development, to be ranked high among the developedcountries in the world. There will thus be a pervasive atmosphere of tolerance inmatters relating to culture, religious practices, political preference, ethnic affiliationand differences in social background. The Vision will facilitate equity in accessto social services and facilities, as well as access to productive resources such asland and capital.Namibia will be a just, moral, tolerant and safe society with legislative, economicand social structures in place to eliminate marginalisation and ensure peace andequity between women and men, the diverse ethnic groups, and people of differentages, interests and abilities.While Namibia enjoys internal peace and stability, numerous external threats whichhave the potential to disrupt and derail the country’s socio-economic progress,can be discerned. These threats do not emanate from States per se nor from theprojection of State power, but from non-traditional forms of conflict andunconventional warfare. Therefore, Namibia will continue to be at the forefrontof SADC efforts to create a collective security framework, based on the relevantSADC Protocols on politics, defence and security, signed by regional heads ofstate. While collective security offers the best and most effective instrument of

national security, regional security will also serve to thwart de-stabilizing elementsby denying them succour and sanctuary in member states.One of the major principles upon which our Vision is based is ‘partnership’.Partnership is recognised as a major prerequisite for the achievement of dynamic,efficient and sustainable development in the country. This involves partnershipbetween government, communities and civil society; partnership between differentbranches of government, with the private sector (the business community), nongovernmental organisations, community-based organisations and the internationalcommunity; partnership between urban and rural societies and, ultimately, betweenall members of Namibian society.While the principle of sustainable development is the cornerstone on which thestrategies for realizing the objectives of Vision 2030 pivot, the driving forceamong the complex agents of our development comprises the following: Education, Science and Technology Health and Development Sustainable Agriculture, and Peace and Social Justice Gender EqualityThe challengesThe major challenge of this Vision is for all of us (Government, private sector,civil society, as well as individuals) to make a determined effort to concentrate onresolving, not just addressing, very important national problems. This document:Namibia Vision 2030 – Policy Framework for Long-Term National Development,presents a clear view of the major national problems and how these problems canbe effectively resolved by deploying-to the fullest-our human and natural resources.Successful implementation of the Vision would require the existence of aconducive enabling environment, which guarantees peace and political stability.In this regard, we are challenged to continue to acknowledge the pre-eminence ofthe Namibian Constitution as the basic law, which contains, inter alia, all theingredients of a democratic state including peace, security and political stability.By continuing to uphold the tenets of our Constitution, we strengthen humanrights, individual freedoms, civil liberties and multi-party democracy. Ouremphasis will also be on good governance, and we should continue to improveon issues relating to equity in terms of access to productive resources, includingland, environmental degradation, growing poverty and economic stagnation.The business community will be challenged to make increasing contributions tothe education and training sector, since it is the major recipient of the products ofthe system. In addition, the business sector will be challenged to make realisticinputs into development plan formulation at national and regional levels, as wellas make contributions to the implementation of such plans. In particular, Vision2030 will challenge the business community to enhance international trade,implement Affirmative Action, create employment opportunities for the country’sgrowing labour force and facilitate the expansion of small and medium scaleenterprises.Namibia’s future will also depend largely on the people themselves; much willdepend on our ability and willingness to respond with innovation and commitment 11

to new challenges. If we are to survive as a nation, perhaps the greatest challengewe face now is to eradicate HIV/AIDS, as well as all preventable infectious andparasitic diseases through healthy living. As we march forward in implementingthe programmes of this Vision, we should be prepared to ask ourselves, fromtime to time, if we are truly on course and on time.But the immediate challenge we face as a nation, now that we have a Visiondocument that defines our country’s future development possibilities, is to ensurethat the Vision is translated into reality. As a step in that direction, the next Phase(Phase2) of the Vision Project should be to develop implementation strategiesand integrated programmes and projects, as well as mobilizing both human andfinancial resources. The programmes of Vision 2030 have specific targets andperiodically, through the National Development Plans, we will evaluate the Visionprogramme’s performance. By the year 2030, with all of us working together, weshould be an industrial nation enjoying prosperity, interpersonal harmony, peaceand political stability.Sam NujomaPresident of the Republic of Namibia12

Namibia’s 2030 Vision is one of the most important initiatives undertakenin the country since the drafting and acceptance of the NationalConstitution.Immanuel NgatjizekoA long-term vision is a unifying concept for a nation. Everyone wouldlike to have access to good education for their children, good and accessiblehealth care, a clean and productive environment, an efficient and profitableeconomy that supports full and rewarding employment, low levels ofcrime, a just and tolerant society and meaningful transparent governance.Such vision also offers the nation an ideal to work towards. Furthermore,it sets key targets and identifies some approaches that could be applied.The eight thematic reports which feed into this long-term vision are:1. Inequality and Social Welfare2. Peace and Political Stability3. Human Resources Development and Institutional CapacityBuilding4. Macroeconomic Issues5. Population, Health and Development6. Namibia’s Natural Resources Sector7. Knowledge, Information and Technology, and8. Factors of the External EnvironmentDirector GeneralNational Planning CommissionPREFACEThe Vision 2030 planning process commenced in January 1998, whenHis Excellency the President, Dr Sam Nujoma, drew attention to the needfor members of the Cabinet to be clear about “. where we are, where wewish to go, and over what time frame.” As a result, eight teams weretasked by the National Planning Commission to undertake research thatwould comprehensively chart the course.In preparing these reports for Vision 2030, three higher-order questionswere asked, namely1. What is the national ideal that Namibia is working towards?2. What is the cornerstone of Namibia’s approach and philosophy?3. How does the national development process fit into the vision? 13

THE NATIONAL IDEALThe Key Elements for the VISION for 2030 will Depict:The people of Namibia as well developed, prosperous, healthy andconfident in an atmosphere of interpersonal harmony, peace and politicalstability; and as such, Namibia is a developed country to be reckonedwith as a high achiever in the comity of nations.In essence, it is the collective wish of the Namibian people, and the Vision for2030 and beyond, that Namibia enjoys: Prosperity,Interpersonal Harmony,Peace, andPolitical StabilityThe People and Resource Base will Reflect that:People are the nation’s human wealth: a population of healthy, welleducated, skilled, pro-active and financially stable people with a broadrange of talents and positive attitude towards themselves, their fellowcitizens, their country and global humanity. Foreign professional peopleand global businesses will perceive Namibia as a good environment inwhich to invest and from which to do local and international work, thuscreating both wealth and employment.14Natural resources- the nation’s ecological wealth: healthy, productiveland with effective water and mineral cycling leading to infrequent, lowlevel drought and flooding. Perennial rivers running permanently andclear, underground water levels stable and no silting of dams. Noatmospheric pollution from croplands and rangelands and minimalpollution from urban and industrial areas will be permitted. Farms andnatural ecosystems shall be productive, diverse, stable and sustainable– socially, economically and ecologically. Forests, savannas, deserts,wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems will be open, diverse, stableand productive.A Basic PrincipleThe concept of sustainable development is the cornerstone on which this workwas based. Namibia has subscribed to this approach in its National Constitution,and has committed itself internationally, by adopting the United Nations Agenda21 principles. The philosophy and principles of sustainable development cut acrossall sectors. Indeed, sustainable development is achieved only where sustainabilityin all sectors of endeavour is attained – social, economic and ecological. For thepurposes of this study, sustainable development is defined as follows:

Sustainable Development. development that meets the needs of the present without limitingthe ability of future generations to meet their own needs.The National Development ProcessNamibia has embarked on a process of preparing and implementing five-yearNDP. One shortcoming in these plans is that they tend to address immediate needs– a road, a clinic, a water point. What is missing in the process is a longer-termvision towards which each five-year plan should be working, including both theimmediate needs of roads and water points, and the longer-term components thatare needed to build a prosperous, productive and sustainable society. Vision 2030provides this long-term perspective. The Vision 2030 initiative needs to beeffectively linked and integrated into the NDP process, both institutionally andprocedurally, to bring the two into highly productive synergy. The diagram belowillustrates how this should be done.NDP18 Thematic ReportGreen Plan34526781NDP 2Vision 203015NDP 3NDP 4NDP 5NDP 6NDP 7By monitoring long-term indicators, NPC coordinatesa sectoral and inter-sectoral analysis of progress towardsachieving Vision 2030Updated sector policies, plans and projects that followan integrated, sustainable development and approachBroad, unifying vision that providessectors with strategic direction that theymust each operationalise through throughthe development of strategies, and monitorthrough indicators.

The overriding prerequisite for the achievement of dynamic, efficient andsustainable development in Namibia is Partnership. Partnership betweengovernment and civil society, between different branches of government, withthe private sector, non-governmental organisations, community-basedorganisations, and the international community. Between urban and rural societiesand, ultimately, between all members of Namibian society. Vision 2030 is aninitiative that can help to unify all Namibians to achieve their long-termdevelopment needs and initiatives, and promote and nurture partnerships.This report draws on the eight thematic reports. It also draws on a national“Aspirations” workshop, a Decision-makers survey, regional consultations,Ministry-priorities and objectives, and a host of other national and localconsultative and planning initiatives, including Regional Development Plans,Namibia’s second five-year NDP and Namibia’s Assessment Report to the WorldSummit for Sustainable Development.Hon. Immanuel NgatjizekoDirector General, National Planning Commission16

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe National Core Team for Vision 2030 was constituted by the National PlanningCommission in April 2001, to serve as the technical coordinating body for allactivities pertaining to the formulation and production of the Vision. Mr. IsaacKaulinge, then Secretary to the Presidency, was appointed the National Coordinatorand leader of the National Core Team until April 2002. Ms Erica Shafudah, UnderSecretary, Ministry of Finance took over the Leadership of the Core Team fromApril 2002 till March 2004 when the project was completed.Other members of the National Core Team are Mr. Victor Tonchi, University ofNamibia; Mr. Alfred van Kent, Ministry of Higher Education, Training andEmployment Creation; Mr. Ipumbu Shiimi, Bank of Namibia; Dr. Mary Seely,Desert Research Foundation; Dr. Nestor Shivute, Ministry of Health and SocialServices; Ms. Sylvia Demas, National Planning Commission; Mr Penda Kiiyala,Directorate of Development Cooperation NPC; Dr Taati Ithindi-Shipanga, Ministryof Health and Social Services. Mr. Peter Mbome was the Project AdministrativeOfficer, and Prof. Oladele O. Arowolo served as Consultant to the Vision 2030project.The Core Team benefited from research works carried out by the eightmultidisciplinary groups it constituted to address aspects of the Vision formulationissues in the country. The research group leaders were: Dr. Berth Terry (SIAPAC);Dr. H Mu Ashekele (University of Namibia); Mr. Zach J.N Kazapua (Universityof Namibia); Mr. Mihe Goamab (Bank of Namibia); Ms. Jane King (SIAPAC);Dr. Chris B

criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. Published in 2004 by Office of the President Windhoek Design and Layout by AIM Publications (Pty) Ltd P.O. Box 40303, 21 Körnerstrasse, Windhoek, Namibia. Tel: 264 61 24 1440 Fax: 264 61 241447 ISBN 99916-56-03- Printed by NAMPRINT, Windhoek, Namibia