Namibia: The People, Country and Economy

By Michelo Maunga

I was fortunate enough to spend most of my annual leave in Walvis Bay, Namibia, a coastal city in the South Western part of the country. It was my first time in Namibia; a country I have had an interest in for some time. The prospect of going there, interacting with the people and learning more about their culture was, thus, one I found very exciting. I have a keen fondness for visiting African states and while I have done so a few times, this is the first time I am writing about it. Now, Namibia, beautiful country, almost as beautiful as my home. Friendly people. Very diverse, not just in the populace, but nearly everything about the place. All this heterogeneity, however, tends to co-exist harmoniously. I was shocked, even the weather. In one country, you have 3 climates, the desert (hot), the coastal region (windy and cold) and the tropics ( in the East, closer to Zambia). 

I will begin with the people. Namibia has an interesting history. The natives (indigenous Africans) were first colonized by the Germans, one of the few African countries that were colonized by the Nazis. The Afrikaners (Dutch origin), from South Africa, had an interest in that land, which was Northwards from their settlement in South Africa. The Boers proceeded to initiate war with the Germans and were successful in driving them out of the territory. This was not new to the Afrikaners, who also drove Great Britain out of South Africa. Under the Boers, an administration akin to what was prevalent in Apartheid-era South Africa, was implemented. I do not have many details about this period, but if it was anything close to what was the case in South Africa, I imagine it was a brutal form of racism and subjugation. In 1990, independence was obtained. Today, a native Namibian is President, Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah, one of only 2 sitting female Presidents on the African continent.

As you can imagine, these colonial influences, resulted in; I don’t have the words to describe it. Mandela is famous for referencing his country as a rainbow nation. That is the closest analogy I can make. A rainbow has many colours, and so in Namibia, as is the case in South Africa, you find people of different ancestry. You have the natives, the coloureds (mixed race) and the whites. Being there, you do not sense tension between and amongst these groups. However, you also cannot say they regard themselves as one people. Seemingly, the peace they enjoy comes from an acceptance of societal positioning. This was another thing that struck me; it is almost as though each of these groups lives in their own small Namibia, as though there are 3 countries within 1. There are places you go and find only whites, residential areas where almost only Boers lives. Then there are places which are dominated by the coloureds. The same for the natives. Within these boundaries, there is little transferability. Could this separation, be the compromise made for peace? Maybe. The challenge this creates, in my view, is a difficulty in defining who is the Namibian. A difficult question to answer, when there are three distinct versions, each occupying a unique place in the bigger country. That is a question for another day.

My travels also revealed to me cultural differences between we as Zambians and our friends to the South West. Namibians, or at least those in Walvis Bay, tend to be more liberal than we are. Fewer rules. When I say rules, I do not mean laws or those types of restrictions. Yes, even in Zambia, people are beginning to explore and may not strictly follow cultural dos and don’ts, but you do sense certain lines that have been drawn. Where I saw this was on the aspect of marriage. Not very common over there. No pressure to get married. Co-habiting and having children out of wedlock, very common and accepted, the norm almost. Now, maybe it was the part of Namibia I was in, so I don’t know. But different from Zambia. Different from South Africa as well, a country with whom Namibia has a deep connection. Church. Also, not such a big deal. My Sunday there, I struggled to find a congregation from my home denomination and ended up not attending church. Not to condemn; we are different people and it could be that our friends are more honest than we are.

The economy. Namibia has a bigger economy than ours. This is in spite of having a much smaller population. However, once more, there are seemingly 3 economies within one country. The whites enjoy affluence. The locals are not as privileged. The coloureds are somewhere in between. Namibia has oil. This I believe is their economic mainstay. As a consequence, fuel is relatively cheap. A litre of petrol/diesel will cost you 20 Namibian Dollars, which is maybe ZMW22. It is easy to understand why yango drivers are a lot let frustrated down there. I do not think they refine their crude, nevertheless. I believe Dangote’s refinery in Nigeria, is the sole processor of crude in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nonetheless, I imagine crude oil exports contribute a large part of Government revenues. Oil is substantial and sufficient to bring prosperity to a people, and the Namibians probably owe their economic superiority to it. They have quite a busy port. Logistics, seem to be important to their economy, from the Atlantic all the way inward into South-Central Africa. Tourism is big for them too, as well as fish.

To wrap up, there is no question Namibians have made better use of their resources than we have. There GDP per capita is in excess of $4,000, ours is just under $1,200 ( World Bank, 2024) . As I entered that country, with this statistic in mind, I had high expectations for what I was to find. And yes, I evidenced better quality roads, buildings and a functioning rail way line. The more time I spent there, however, I realized the all-too-common illusory effect of economic statistics. The truth of the matter is that even in a country like this, not every one is prospering. Some are, a few actually. The vast majority are struggling, or somewhere in between wealth and lack. I, therefore, left not with reduced admiration for this country but a more realistic view. By no means perfect, but people get by day by day. Has its good side. And its not so good side. Like every other country, ours included. All told, a nice place with warm people which I would encourage every Zambian to experience.

The Author is an Economist