Dormant potential: strategies for advancing human development in Namibia

To increase economic growth, the country must improve service delivery.

Since gaining independence in 1990, Namibia has sustained rapid economic growth at an average of 4.5% a year, well above the average experienced by other upper-middle-income countries in Africa (2.8%) and nearly a percentage point higher than the continental average (3.7%). However, this economic growth has not been accompanied by proportional increases in service delivery. Namibia ranks at or near the bottom of its upper-middle-income peer group on a number of dimensions of human well-being, such as undernutrition, access to improved sanitation and average number of years of education. This report explores options for improving human development outcomes in Namibia to 2040 using the International Futures (IFs) forecasting system.

About the authors

Zachary Donnenfeld joined the ISS in 2015 as a researcher with the African Futures and Innovation team in Pretoria. Previously, he worked at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures, and the Environment, Food and Conflict Laboratory at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.

Courtney Crookes joined the ISS as a consultant in 2016. Courtney is completing her Master’s in water resource management at the University of Pretoria. She also holds a degree in Hydrology and a post-graduate diploma in Business Management from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Picture: Paul Morse