5 more years of SWAPO: Namibia inequality & economy in numbers

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah from The South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) party joins 22 other women who have held the position of head of state of an African country. Namibia’s president-elect has significant challenges to address as she assumes her role as the leader of, I think, SADC’s most interesting country.

First, Namibia is a paradox because, on the one hand, it ranks 15th in total land mass on the African continent and, on the other hand, it ranks 42nd (out of 54 countries) in population. This “land vs. population ratio,” if we are to call it that, is a significant indicator of what kind of country Namibia is. 

Keeping with the theme of rankings, Namibia is 36th out of 43 African countries in terms of arable land, with the total, standing at about 800,000 hectares. Additionally, it is among the driest countries on the continent, if that point wasn’t already apparent, Over 81% of the country is covered by the Namib, the Kalahari, the Succulent Karoo, and the Nama Karoo deserts. What this all boils down to is that, geographically, Namibia, is not built to support a large population in the present make-up.

Despite Namibia having a population of just over three million people, it is the second most unequal country in the world according to the World Bank, after South Africa.