Accurate census data is crucial for a wide array of national interests, including economic development, transportation, healthcare, education, business planning and overall decision-making.
The recent census data should always inform and guide us in going forward as a nation. The responsibility lies with all policymakers, politicians, business communities, traditional leaders, spiritual leaders, and all Namibia’s inhabitants to leverage this data for informed decision-making and strategic investment.
Census data guides lawmakers to plan and develop policies. They identify the needs of citizens. It is a crucial arsenal for development and prosperity.
It is therefore crucial that all of us use this data for the betterment of our people. According to recent statistics, 46% of Namibians are dependent on salaries for survival or income, while 10.6% derive their income from commercial and subsistence farming. Another 9% get their income from non-farming business activities.
Moreover, it indicates a total of 756 339 households in Namibia.
The percentage of households in urban areas has increased from 49.3% in 2011 to 58.8% in 2023. Some 217 000 people live in informal settlements without access to basic services and in harsh conditions.
The report shows that 13%.9 of the country’s population aged 16 and above do not have identification documents, and the trend is more prevalent in rural areas.
If Namibia is rich, as we are being told, why are the majority of Namibians unemployed and poor? And why is our government always begging from the outside world?
In Namibia, more than a million are poor, and thousands are hungry or malnourished. Why are bread, milk, fish, cooking oil, maize meal, fruits and vegetables not exempted from tax?
We need more investment in infrastructure, human capital and public services. More innovative approaches are needed to create jobs and grow the economy. If the census data is important, there should be urgency to solve the deficiencies it proves. I rest my case.
Alfeus Hamundja
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