Justicia Shipena
Almost 500 children in Namibia were diagnosed with diabetes in the past year.
The health ministry says the trend is deeply worrying and needs urgent action from families, schools and communities.
Health minister Esperance Luvindao said 377 cases were recorded among children aged 5–17 and 122 among children under five during the 2024/2025 financial year.
She said the rise among younger children shows a shift that can no longer be ignored.
Luvindao issued the warning during the 2025 World Diabetes Day commemoration on Friday at the UN Plaza Amphitheatre in Windhoek.
Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.
Luvindao urged parents to limit sugary food and snacks for children.
“We must teach the children the importance of drinking water. Water is life,” she said.
She called on parents, caregivers and schools to encourage daily physical activity to prevent obesity, which she said is a major risk factor for diabetes.
Total diabetes cases dropped from 8 073 in 2023/2024 to 6 844 in 2024/2025, but Luvindao said the rise among children is alarming and poses long-term national challenges.
She said diabetes affects productivity, family well-being and national prosperity.
She said the ministry is strengthening early detection, screening and management through World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, healthcare worker training and the provision of essential equipment.
Global data shows that 68 in every 100 people are overweight and 36 in every 100 are physically inactive.
Luvindao also highlighted the importance of workplace wellness.
According to the WHO, about 830 million people worldwide are living with diabetes, most of them in low- and middle-income countries.
In Namibia, nearly 7% of adults, which is around 90 000 people, are living with diabetes.
Luvindao said each stage of life presents an opportunity to intervene.
“For our children and adolescents, it means promoting healthy diets and physical activity. For our working-age adults, it means ensuring workplaces promote wellness and reduce stress. For our older citizens, it means compassionate care and consistent access to medication,” she said.
WHO representative to Namibia Dr Richard Banda warned that rising diabetes cases in Namibia and across Africa require urgent and sustained action.
He said diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate globally and in Africa, with developing countries facing the greatest impact.
“The prevalence of diabetes globally and in Africa is worrisome. The high burden of the disease demands urgent and sustained action,” he said.
More than 537 million adults were living with diabetes in 2021.
In Africa, 24 million people had diabetes that year and the number is expected to rise to 55 million by 2045.
Diabetes, once considered a disease of the affluent, is now rapidly increasing in developing nations, according to Banda.
He said Namibia is not exempt.
“Diabetes is a significant public health challenge here in Namibia, with 6% of women and 7% of men being diabetic,” he said.
He warned that if the situation does not improve, it will strain the economy and undermine development gains.
“If this trend is not reversed, it will overwhelm health systems, strain the economy and undermine the significant development achievements already made,” he said.
Banda said health systems must provide continuous care, from prevention and early diagnosis to treatment and lifelong support.
“Diabetes accounted for 4% of deaths in Namibia in 2016,” he said.
He called for sustained financing, reliable medical supply chains and better referral and data systems.
He said regular exercise, healthy eating and proper medication can slow the progression of diabetes and improve quality of life.
He added that access to insulin, essential technologies and mental health support must be guaranteed.
He said removing barriers to care and creating environments that support healthy living requires collective effort.
This year’s World Diabetes Day theme is “Diabetes across life stages.”
On Friday, WHO released its first global guidelines for managing diabetes during pregnancy.
The condition affects one in six pregnancies, about 21 million women every year.
The new guidelines aim to reduce complications for both women and children.
World Diabetes Day is observed every year on 14 November.
