Namibia’s Unemployment Crisis: As Namibians, We Cannot Solve a Structural Problem with Emotional Solutions

Namibia’s unemployment rate is not a statistic, in my opinion, it’s a national emergency.

• 36.9% overall unemployment (2023)
• 54.8% if we include discouraged job seekers
• Youth unemployment above 60% in some age brackets

This is not a temporary issue. It is structural.
And structural problems cannot be solved with emotional solutions.

We can’t workshop our way out of this.
We can’t campaign our way out of this.
We can’t blame our way out of this.
We need to engineer our way out of this.

There are 4 core structural failures in our economy

1. Weak Industrial Capacity
   We export resources and import the value.
2. Skills Mismatch
   Our education system doesn’t match our economic requirements.
3. Capital Flight / Externalization
   Large amounts of Namibian money are invested offshore instead of building domestic capacity.
4. Slow & Administrative Government Systems
   Investors wait years for permits, licenses, or clarity.

This combination creates a country where jobs are difficult to create, and employers are afraid to expand.

Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks once argued something that stuck with me:

“There is over $2.5 trillion held overseas by US companies. If the US government lowered the tax for repatriation, only if linked to hiring new employees, unemployment could drop dramatically.”

In simple terms:
Bring Money Home → Pay Less Tax → Only If You Hire.

A direct exchange:
Jobs for Tax Incentive.

And he asked the most important question:
Why can’t we do that?

His answer:
Politics, Partisanship, Ego, and Ideology.

It sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

We do not have $2.5 trillion offshore.
But we do have:

• ~N$15 billion in Namibian outward FDI
• Hundreds of billions of Namibian dollars invested offshore by pension funds and institutions over 15 years
• A portion of corporate profits held abroad to avoid tax inefficiencies

This capital is not “sitting idle”, but some of it could come home under the right conditions.

So here is a workable Namibian version of the Starbucks concept:

A Once-Off, Targeted Tax Incentive:

Companies can repatriate foreign capital at a lower tax rate
ONLY IF:

1. The capital is used for:

• Local manufacturing or industrial expansion
• Renewable energy projects
• Ship repair, offshore support yard expansion
• Agri-processing plants
• Logistics corridors (port → rail → SADC)

2. AND they provide:

• Proof of New Permanent Namibian Jobs
• Proof of Training Programs
• Proof of Local Procurement

3. AND government verifies compliance through:

• A digital reporting platform
• Yearly audits
• Penalties for abuse (no share buybacks or dividend payments)

This is not “Tax Cuts for the rich.”
It is capital exchange for employment.

Incentive = Outcome.
Performance = Reward.

Like engineering: You don’t get the output without the input.

1. Fast-Track Industrial Projects
   Reduce 24-month approval timelines to 120 days
2. Establish Sector-Based Job Creation Compacts

• Maritime & Ship Repair (Walvis Bay, Lüderitz)
• Green Hydrogen Corridor
• Transport & Logistics Superhub
• Uranium → Nuclear Research Partnerships
• Fishing → Processing & Value-Add Onshore

3. National Skills Pipeline

A skills system linked directly to upcoming sectors:

• Welders / Fitters / Electricians / Marine Engineers
• Hydrogen Technicians
• Uranium Processing Techs
• Port Operations & Logistics Controllers

1. Stop Gatekeeping Jobs behind degrees where skill is enough
   Competency frameworks > Certificates
2. Apprenticeships as a Hiring Strategy, Not CSR
   Every factory, mine, port, plant, and shipyard must train.
3. Stop Exporting All Value
   Invest in Namibia first, diversify later.

Private sectors cannot demand pro-business policy
while refusing to become pro-Namibia.

This is the hardest part to say, but I’ll say it:

A job is not created because you want one.
A job is created because value can be generated.

This means:

• Not every job will be in an air-conditioned office
• Not every job will be a management job
• Not every job will match your degree

We need to restore dignity to practical work:

• Welding is noble
• Carpentry is noble
• Fishing is noble
• Farming is noble
• Repair is noble
• Maintenance is noble

And every job that feeds a family is noble.

Measure	Impact
Industrial tax incentives tied to hiring	Job creation & skills transfer
Digital national permit system	Faster investment cycle
Free training for unemployed youth (vocational)	Skill-to-job pipeline
A Namibian Sovereign Employment Fund	Co-finance youth job placements
Green Hydrogen & Maritime Training Academies	Prepare for future economy
Duty reductions on manufacturing machinery	Boost industrialisation
Incentives for companies hiring apprentices	Reduce “no experience” trap
Diaspora Skills Program	Bring expertise home temporarily
Ban degree inflation for non-degree jobs	Unlock practical hiring
Repair & Maintenance Industry Grants	Shipyard, port, mining → instant jobs

Namibia does not have a job shortage. It has a capacity shortage.

We have:

• Land
• Minerals
• Ports
• Ocean
• Energy potential
• Human capital

We are not poor.
We are underdeveloped in the places that produce opportunity.

Namibia will not reduce unemployment through hope alone.
Not through slogans.
Not through elections.
Not through blame.
Not through anger.

But through capability.
Through science.
Through skills.
Through industrial design.
Through policy that rewards performance.

This is not optimism.
This is engineering.

And engineering works when you build.

Unemployment is not a political failure.
It is a national systems failure.

We fix systems — and the jobs will come.

Please note:
This is not a definitive account.
It’s the beginning of a conversation I hope you will join.