THE outgoing United Nations (UN) resident coordinator, Sen Pang, believes Namibia ought to cease exporting uncooked supplies to develop into self-sustainable.

Pang advised The Namibian yesterday at State Home the nation will significantly profit if it decides so as to add worth domestically and export completed merchandise.

“The uncooked materials sources, if as a substitute of exporting them as uncooked supplies and having them additional processed to promote as semi-finished or accomplished merchandise, that may be an excellent acquire for the nation,” he stated.

He stated this could additionally assist with Namibia’s over-reliance on imports.

“If we are able to enhance self-dependency to scale back dependency on imports, that may be good. Namibia has wealthy pure sources and a really productive labour pressure,” Pang stated.

Pang’s feedback come a couple of weeks shy of the European Union (EU) and Namibia finalising their deal to export extra unprocessed vital uncooked supplies amid its vitality disaster.

Nearly a month in the past, the buying and selling bloc’s ambassador to Namibia, Sinikka Antila, met with president Hage Geingob at State Home to iron out the main points of an settlement on a partnership on vital uncooked supplies and inexperienced hydrogen.

The UN resident coordinator’s suggestion joins the decision of consultants who need the federal government to export extra refined items, as a substitute of uncooked supplies, to create extra worth chains within the nation.

The newest commerce numbers present nearly all of the products exported in August this 12 months have been primarily treasured stones (diamonds), uranium, non-monetary gold and petroleum oils. The entire worth of the exports stood at N$7,2 billion.

Pang stated the UN began engaged on the ‘Purchase Native, Develop Namibia’ marketing campaign to coach Namibians.

“We’re additionally coaching younger individuals with skilled expertise and information in order that they are going to be higher geared up and ready once they enter society,” he stated.

The ‘Purchase Native, Develop Namibia’ marketing campaign was coined by the Ministry of Industrialisation and Commerce, with the purpose of stimulating the native consumption of products and providers, creating consciousness on the significance of consuming domestically manufactured items and providers, and by extension educating customers concerning the financial and social benefits that native companies deliver to a group.

UPPER-MIDDLE

INCOME ELEPHANT

Furthermore, Pang stated they’ve challenges mobilising sources on account of the nation’s upper-middle revenue standing. “However over the previous years we now have been attempting to beat this problem. Regardless of this problem, we now have made seen achievements,” he stated.

Pang stated the middle-income standing ought to make Namibia proud, as a result of it proves the nation has progressed since independence.

“After all, there may be the query of the hole between the wealthy and poor and people dwelling below the poverty line,” he stated.

Nonetheless, the resident coordinator stated the standing might appeal to funding to handle these points.

Geingob has known as for the elimination of the standing, sharing Pang’s sentiments that it prevents Namibia from mobilising sources for finance.

“The components of taking our gross home product and dividing it by our small inhabitants, thus deriving a excessive per-capita revenue, is, no doubt, flawed and requires pressing consideration because it doesn’t keep in mind the huge revenue disparities between the rich whites and the poor blacks,” the president stated.