Namibia’s Fourth National Development Plan 2012/13 to 2016/17.

This document lays down Namibia’s Fourth National Development Plan (NDP), a multi-sectoral approach adopting the following three overarching goals: 1) high and sustained economic growth; 2) employment creation; 3) increased income equality. To reach these goals, this NDP has identified these key areas: logistics, tourism, manufacturing and agriculture. The Plan relates to the period from 2012 to 2017. The NDP is composed of four Sections. Section 1 defines the principles for implementation; Section 2 reflects on enablers that are the necessary conditions for economic development (including factors such as the institutional environment, education and skills, health, the reduction of extreme poverty, and public infrastructure); Section 3 focuses on economic priorities (logistics, tourism, manufacturing and agriculture); Section 4 sets out the execution strategy and a monitoring mechanism. Gender equality and the empowerment of women is among the objectives of the Plan.
The NDP aims to eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, with special focus on agricultural production. Supplementary measures will focus on increasing household food security and, hence, nutrition levels in order to reduce malnutrition among children in particular. The goal is to enhance Namibia’s capacity to grow food through increased livestock production and expansion of the Green Scheme.
The Plan aims to make agriculture more productive and sustainable. The specific desired outcome will be for agricultural production to increase. Strategies to be deployed to achieve this outcome will be the continued promotion of the Green Scheme, initiatives to increase the land’s carrying capacity for livestock, the establishment of agricultural fresh produce markets, and the establishment of other agricultural infrastructure such as silos and research stations.
The Plan also aims to reduce poverty, with special regard to rural areas.
As regards resilience of livelihoods to disasters, the NDP recognizes the link between food security (food shortages) and weather misfortunes. The strategy shall be to investigate and utilise drought-resistant crops and livestock.