Renthia Kaimbi
“Shared prosperity and progress remain a dream for the majority of Namibians,” said Harald Hecht, chairman of the Forum of German-Speaking Namibians.
Hecht made the remarks at a public dialogue on Namibia’s business competitiveness, where he contrasted the country’s “world-famous and well-respected constitution” and reputation as an “oasis of calmness” for foreign investors with the economic struggles faced by citizens.
He noted that Namibia’s ease of doing business ranking has dropped from 54th globally in 2008 to 104th today, which he described as a clear sign of decline.
The forum hosted the dialogue to promote Namibia as a business destination and to explore the private sector’s role in driving development.
The central focus was the BUSINESS READY (B-Ready) initiative and how to create a more efficient operational environment for businesses.
Panellists included representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA), the Business Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA), and the master of the High Court.
The Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) also took part, alongside local experts.
Hecht brought up concerns about “structural inequality”, the growing disparity between the affluent and the impoverished, and the fact that nearly half of the population endures poverty.
“Our social peace is at stake currently and seriously jeopardised,” he warned, calling this an infringement of the constitutional social contract.
He said job creation on the scale of hundreds of thousands depends on improving the ease of doing business.
“The key missing element in Vision 2030 has been implementation. There is no business as usual; it is now time for introspection and uncomfortable truths,” he said.
Hecht said the forum aims to use frank, solution-driven discussions to push this agenda forward.
