By Josef Kefas Sheehama
Without the inclusion and active participation of the Northern Region, economic growth cannot be achieved. The Cabinet’s Economic Cluster must guarantee that the priority interventions and crucial enabling reforms are implemented quickly and efficiently and that those responsible for their implementation are held accountable, in accordance with the 1896 Redline Radical Economic Transformation.
Due to historical limitations, the restoration strategy remained just a nominal political aspiration, especially in light of the persisting legacy of structural inequality in the economic sphere. Due to the widespread diseases in the region, community farmers in the north have been without access to markets for years, while their counterparts in the south of the redline have had access to lucrative export markets. We must critically evaluate these daily injustices and actively fight to dismantle the 1896 Redline, which promotes negative thinking if we are to make progress in eradicating the legacy of inequality and promoting new ways of relating to one another as fellow Namibians. Since expansionism and economic inequality are planned systems, efforts to bring about constructive social change must be similarly conscious and determined.
The reality is that many of the regulations and laws in place today prevent radical economic transformation. No longer can Namibia’s dream of economic freedom be put off. Farmers from the commercial and communal sectors must work together to help one another overcome farming obstacles. Therefore, we cannot perpetuate the injustices and disparities that the 1896 Redline Radical Economic Transformation condemned. The sooner we rethink community arrangements in terms of livestock producers’ advantages and strengths rather than disadvantages, the better off our farmers will be. As a freelance economist and business analyst, I consequently promote cooperation between communal and industrial farmers. We cannot keep erecting barriers between the North and the South. We cannot continue to up barriers that hinder the unification required for a radical economic transformation.
Furthermore, we must avoid politicizing the nation’s economic development. The government must be involved in the removal of the 1896 Redline, but everyone must do it. To ensure the success of the economic initiatives being undertaken, everyone must set politics aside and collaborate. We refer to it as the conversation between farmers who operate on a commercial and communal basis. The people of Namibia own this, not the government. Let’s talk about the nation’s economy and leave politics out of this discussion. Namibia is a nation with significant economic potential, the potential that has been recognized by the international market. The country is in a fantastic situation for the prospective integration of the 1896 Redline in full economic development because of a number of characteristics present in the northern region. We must realize that as a country, we failed. Livestock farming is a key industry in most nations, contributing to both structural economic change and industrial growth. The role of farming in the development process is multifaceted and involves, among other things, fostering economic growth, creating job opportunities, adding to value chains, eradicating poverty, bridging income gaps, ensuring the provision of environmental services, and earning foreign exchange. The neglect of this sector has slowed down the pace of development. The majority of young people would avoid a farming job.
To expand this sector, we need to see more communication between policymakers and farmers. So let’s make sure that this is a meaningful effort to expand the economy and not just a discussion show. The concept of cooperating to carry out economic development is excellent. Nothing needs to be hidden in order to advance the economy of our cherished nation. We are experiencing a pull Namibia down syndrome, which is an issue. Some individuals want the process to fail and other regions to prosper as long as the 1896 redline is present, but what we are doing is destroying people, the economy, and all of our potential. We are talking about industrialization, and since Namibia is the centre of the area, all of its neighbours are our market. Increased inclusion will allow all Namibians to benefit from economic growth, promoting long-term success and social and economic stability. The majority of Namibia’s poor are smallholder and family farmers, therefore supporting them is essential for economic inclusion and the decrease of poverty. Supporting those farmers while also raising their output and improving their connection to markets.
As a result, significant economic change in Namibia must also mean dramatic change on other levels. It must entail a fundamental overhaul of our economy’s productive mechanisms. It must entail a fundamental shift in the way production relations are organized, making them less contentious, more evenly distributed, and less characterized by inequality. Let’s avoid blaming and shaming each other. Let’s help important local economies make the change more quickly. The sectorial master plans, which bring all farmers together to agree on specific steps to boost productivity, investment, and competitiveness, are a crucial component of expanding our industrialisation drive. The choices we make now and the urgency with which we face this 1896 Redline Radical Economic Transformation will determine whether we are able to revive our economy. We won’t stop until our nation has reached its full potential. We won’t stop until a new economy based on equity, justice, and equality has been established. Our generation has the duty of renewing, repairing, and rebuilding. We won’t stop until the redline disappears.
In order to achieve this, the government should put in place governmental measures to encourage economic reform, especially in tearing down the 1896 redline. the creation and application of policies that will promote growth in the intersecting sectors and act as a catalyst for both rapid economic expansion and transformation. We hold the key to Namibia’s economic future.
We, therefore, dare not pause for a second. We will create a fundamental economic shift together. The time has come.
