REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA
NAMIBIA’S VOLUNTARY PRESENTATION ON NATIONAL STRATEGIES FOCUSING
ON HEALTH, EDUCATION AND POVERTY, in tandem with
GENDER EQUALITY and women empowerment
By
Hon. Doreen Sioka
Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare
Government of the Republic of Namibia
Prepared for
The Annual Ministerial Review of the Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) meeting in New York, U.S.A
2010 - 06-30
1
The Presentation: Focus
INTRODUCTION
Political Framework:
•
General Overview
Economic & Development Planning - Focus
• IADGs, MDGs Vision 2030 Objectives
The Planning Process
• The Key Elements
MAIN FOCUS: GENDER and HEALTH, EDUCATION, and
P0VERTY
2
Background
• This presentation is a response to the UN General
Assembly Resolution 61/16 on the “strengthening of
the Economic and Social Council” of November 26th,
2006, focusing on sister nations’ shared and exclusive
experiences in the implementation of IADGs, MDGs,
and OWN NATIONAL developmental goals, in particular
strategies used in the processes.
• The presentation summarises the main Report which
focuses on gender and health; gender and education;
and gender and poverty in relation to achieving the
IADGs , MDGs, and Namibia’s Vision 2030 objectives.
3
Political Framework
Borders:
North:
East:
West:
South:
Angola and Zambia
Zimbabwe and Botswana
Atlantic Ocean
South Africa
Regions: 13, Each headed by a Governor
National Parliament : 72 Members
National Council:
26 Members
H.E. the President, Executive, and Judiciary
4
Political Framework Continues
• Attained independence in 1990
• Based on:
multi-party democracy
separation of powers
unitary state with an
Independent Electoral
Commission
5
Key Features: Population
6
Additional Statistics:
•
•
•
•
+ 2 million people
65+ % rural mostly in the northern part.
Rural: Male 47%
Female 53%
Urban: Male 53%
Female 47%
7
Economic & Developmental Planning
These factors generally guide national and
developmental planning
8
Economic Features:
• A thriving mixed economy.
• Heavily dependent on mineral extraction and processing of minerals
for export.
• Rich alluvial diamond deposits makes Namibia a primary source of
quality-germs.
• World’s 5th largest exporter of uranium, and 4th largest African
exporter of non-fuel minerals.
• GDP is estimated at N$78 Billion (U$ 10.3 Billion) as per
2009 preliminary figures
9
Other Economic Features
• Presents a modern market supported by a traditional
subsistence sector. These combine to generate most of
the country's wealth.
• The majority population is rural, and depends on
subsistence agriculture and animal herding.
• Boasts +200,000 skilled workers, and a small but
well-trained professional and managerial cadre.
10
Vision 2030 and IAGs (Including MDGs)
Synergies and Strategies
The given information provides the
background to Namibia’s strategies to
achieve the IADGs, MDGs, and Vision
2030 objectives in the selected areas,
Namely: i). Health and Gender.
ii). Education and Gender.
iii). Poverty and Gender
11
Health and Gender
MGDs 4-6
12
Strategies
1. Prioritisation of ‘Primary Health Care’ as the
key to achieving objectives on:
Child Health
Maternal health
Reproductive health, and
Measures to prevent other infectious
diseases.
13
Strategies continue..
2. Adoption of an Integrated Management of
Adolescents and Adults Illness to achieve
increased, effective & comprehensive AntiRetro-Viral treatment results by ‘Rapid
rolling-out the Anti-retro-viral treatment
programme .
Implications: budgetary; staff training, and
effective information dissemination.
14
Strategies continue..
3. Research into national health issues and
experiences through workshops and
conferences.
4. Undertaking Preventive immunisation
campaigns’
5. Upgrading existing infra-structure and
constructing new facilities to keep pace with
population growth.
15
Strategies continue..
6. Cultivating and maintaining Cordial DonorHost Relationship.
7. Constant training of new and old personnel.
16
Outcomes
1. Increased accessibility of public health
services to women and girl-children.
2. Increased dissemination of information on
diseases/illnesses and on what preventive
action to take.
3. Sustained donor contribution towards
government’s effort to achieve the MDGs.
17
Outcomes continue…
4. At Independence (in 1990) there was only
one major hospital, now Namibia has:
1 National Hospital; 3 Intermediate
Hospitals; 34 District Hospitals; 44 Health
Centre; and 267 Primary Care Clinics.
18
Outcomes continue..
Goals and indicators
1990/1993
Baseline
Current
Status
(2008)
2006
target
2012
target
Target/ goal
achievable?
Children under five, malnourished,
stunted, in % of all children under five
28.4
24.2
-
18
Possible
Share of women employed in nonagriculture (percent)
39
47
-
50
Likely.
Infant mortality rate deaths per 1,000 live
births
56.6
49
36
38
Unlikely
Under-five mortality rate deaths per 1,000
live births
83.2
69
54
45
Unlikely
Share of one-year old children immunized
against measles (percent)
75.7
83.8
80
85
Likely
225
449
268
337
Unlikely
Reduce child mortality
Improve maternal health
Maternal mortality rate, deaths per 100,000 live
births
19
Outcomes continue..
Goals and indicators
1990/1993
Baseline
Current
Status
(2008)
2006
target
2012
target
Target/ goal
achievable?
Birth attendance by trained health personnel
(percent)
Use of contraceptives (percent)
68
81
88
95
Likely
23
47
50
56.6
Likely
Adolescent birth rate (percent)
22
15
-
13
Likely
Ante-natal care coverage (percent)
56
70
-
80
Likely
Unmet need for family planning (percent)
24
7
-
6*
Likely
HIV prevalence, 15 – 19 years (percent)
6
5.1
9
8
Achieved
HIV prevalence, 20 – 24 years (percent)
11
14.0
15%
12
Possible
People living with HIV, 15 – 49 years
(percent)
Condom use at the last higher-risk sex,
women 15 – 24 years (percent)
Condom use at the last higher-risk sex,
men 15 – 24 years (percent)
-
15.3
-
-
-
64
45
-
-
81
-
-
Lack of
data
Lack of
data
Lack of
data
HIV/AIDS
20
Outcomes continue..
Goals and indicators
1990/1993
Baseline
Current
Status
(2008)
2006
target
2012
target
Target/ goal
achievable?
-
66
-
75
Likely
Proportion of population with
advanced HIV infection with
access to ARV drugs (per cent)
Tuberculosis, Malaria
TB cases detected per 100,000
population
656
765
-
<300
Possible Likely
TB cases treated successfully
(percent)
64
76
75
85
Likely
Incidence of malaria per 1000
population
207
48
-
Halt and
begin to
reverse
Achieved
21
Outcomes continue..
Goals and indicators
Protected areas
Communal conservancies
Freehold land conservancies
Community forestry (ha)
Percent households with access to safe
drinking water
Urban
Rural
Percent households with access to basic
sanitation
Urban
Rural
Official development assistance to (per
capita $)
1990/199
3
Baseline
Current
Status
(2008)
2006
target
2012
target
Target/ goal
achievable?
14
0
5
0.0
18
14
6
460000
15
11
9
300000
20
15
10
2.5 mio
Likely
Likely
Unlikely
Possible
99
74
97
80
95
80
100
87
Possible
Likely
86
14
80
58
14
88 (2006)
50
-
98
65
90
Unlikely
Unlikely
Likely
* NDP3, **1993/1994
22
Outcomes continue..
Internet users, per 100 population
-
4.8
-
-
Lack of data
Cell phone subscribers, per 100
population, 16 years and older
Telephone lines, per 100 households
-
49
-
-
Lack of data
-
34.6
-
-
Lack of data
23
Challenges
• Financially and materially sustain the
effectiveness of the programmes on:
primary health care
-
- Child mortality
- Maternal Mortality
- Reproductive health, and
- Measures to prevent other infectious
diseases.
immunization
HIV/AIDS
nutrition
poverty, and others
24
Education and Gender
MDG 2
25
The Strategies
The strategies are based on government's
commitment to achieve comprehensive
capacity building objectives in line with the
objectives of Vision 2030 which seek to see
Namibia become
‘A prosperous and industrialized society
developed by own human resources enjoying
peace, harmony and political stability’.
26
Rationale Strategies on Education: NMDG2
Historically women have been the most
disadvantaged educationally.
Government
sought to rectify that through strategies that
can have long term developmental
empowerment of women and make them
economically independent.
27
Strategy One
1. Education and Training Sector
Improvement Programme (ETSIP).
Objective:
To strategically guide the provision of public education
and training in order to ensure achievement of
Vision 2030 objectives with an intentional bias to
empower women.
28
Accompanying Policy Instruments
Education for All Policy – with focus on Primary
& Secondary Schools:
Net enrollment
Youth literacy (15-24 years)
Survival rate at Grade 8
Access to tertiary Institutions,
particularly by women.
29
Accompanying Instruments
Education Sector Policy for the Prevention and
Management of Learner Pregnancy
Goal:
To promote the continued education of pregnant
learners and to ensure equal treatment of
female and male learners.
30
Strategy Two
2. Establishment of Namibia College of Open
Learning (NAMCOL).
Goal:
Provision of additional opportunities in the event of
failure the first, or being deprived the freedom to
rejoin the mainstream after dropping out for
various reasons, which often happened to girls who
became pregnant, or forced out of school by
cultural practices.
31
Strategy Three
3. Re-training and Continued Upgrading of Teachers
Qualification Combined with Introduction of
Attractive Incentives to entice qualified teachers to
take up positions in the Rural Areas, & increasing
the quantity & quality of teaching material.
• Goals: Improve teaching skills .
• Improve educational equity nationally.
• Ensure value for the huge budget allocated for
national capacity building through education.
32
Outcomes
Goals and indicators
1990/1993
Baseline
Current
Status
(2008)
2006
target
2012
target
Target/ goal
achievable?
Achieve universal primary education
Net primary school enrolment (percent)
89
92.3
95
99.1
Unlikely
Youth literacy rate (percent)
88
93
94
100*
Unlikely
Survival rate grade 5 (percent)
70
94
95
99.2
Possible
Survival rate grade 8 (percent)
59
81
-
80.2
Achieved
Primary education
102
98
100+
100
Likely
Secondary education
124
117
100+
100
Achieved
Tertiary education
175
88
100+
100
Possible
Literacy
106
103
100
100
Achieved
Share of women employed in nonagriculture (percent)
39
47
-
50
Likely.
Share of seats held by women in
parliament (percent)
6.9
26.9
26.9
50
Possible
Females per 100 males in
33
Challenges
• Stereotypes, specially it terms of education for
women.
• Raising passing percentages particularly at Grade 10
and Grade 12 levels given the 30% of the national
budget allocated for education annually.
• Making available adequate infra-structure and well
trained teachers at all levels.
• Shortage of teaching and learning material.
34
Poverty and Gender
MDG 1
35
Strategies
Rationale for MDG 1 in Namibia:
Poor population:
28%
Severely poor:
4%
Rural population: +65%
Rural women:
53%
Vision 2030 seeks to see the country developed.
Equal rights & the rights for women in all human
activities, in particular, Economic Endeavours.
36
Strategy One
1. Creation of an enabling environment in
which women can have access to economic
opportunities and autonomy across the
board.
Instruments:
i. Policies for financial institutions.
ii. Intensification of job creation programmes.
iii. Improvement of business climate for women.
37
Instruments Continue
iv. Affirmative Action, Land Resettlement, and
Equal Opportunity policies
Implementation:
- Arms of government.
- Private Institutions’ voluntary compliance with
government policies.
- Private individuals.
38
Strategy Two
2. Establishment of Koshi Yomuti
[Definition: Banking under a tree’].
‘A financial outfit established to assist
women, in particular rural women involved
with small business enterprises by offering
banking and credit services’.
It was modeled after SUSU of West Africa.
39
Koshi Yomuti: Modus Operandi
• Governed by the Division of Cooperative
Development in the Ministry of Water and
Forestry.
• Catered for the rural poor, in particular
women (92% women).
• Products:
Loans
-
Servings
Training
40
Modus Operandi Continues
• Provided ‘one on one’ consultation on how to
run small businesses.
• Provided 5 training sessions to new clients.
• Advise clients to serve through the post office.
• Used mobile facilities (bicycles/motorbikes).
• Offered differentiated loans to individuals and
groups.
41
Outcomes
• Many women benefited.
• Helped to create relative success in reducing
rural poverty.
• Its success convinced Government to provide
support in:
- Credit for working capital or investment
- Business planning to get a loan
- Provide information on business.
42
Outcomes continue..
Goals and indicators
Poor HH (including severely poor
HH), % of all HH
Severely poor HH, % of all HH
Unemployment rate, broad concept,
nationwide in percent
1990/1993
Baseline
Current
Status
(2008)
2006
target
2012
target
Target/
goal
achievable?
38**
28
28
19*
Possible
9**
34. 5
4
36.7
4
33.8
3.5*
33.3
Achieved
Possible
-
2.6
Possible
4.7
4.3
2.6 -3.2
5.0 6.5
0.58
(1997)
Employment growth, % p.a., average in period
GDP growth rate p.a., average
3.6
percent in period
Gini-coefficient
0.701
0.6
Possible
Likely
43
Challenges
• Economic reclassification of Namibia as an ‘Upper
Middle class’ country while poverty, particularly
among women, is still rampart.
• It is difficult to convince major financial institutions
to provide –with minimum if not without collateralaccess to rural women intending to undertake
microfinance businesses.
• It is not easy create enough jobs to absorb High
School leavers and graduates from tertiary
Institutions yearly.
44
Challenges under poverty continue
• How to establish a cross-cutting national budget on
gender that can serve to enhance effective
articulation of gender issues and requirements at
different levels in all arms of government.
45
General Challenges
46
General Challenges
• Categorization of Namibia as an “uppermiddle-income-economy”
• Costly access to international finance capital – creating
a serious impediment to her developmental agenda.
• Dwindling international support
47