The Geopolitical Environment in Namibia: Business Challenges and Opportunities
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© Kamla-Raj 2013 J Hum Ecol, 43(3): 203-214 (2013) The Geopolitical Environment in Namibia: Business Challenges and Opportunities Ravinder Rena Department of Economics, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS), University of the Western Cape, Private Bag: X17, Robert Sobukwe Road, Bellville 7535 South Africa E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] KEYWORDS Geopolitics. Population Grown. Migration. Namibia. Human Development ABSTRACT Geopolitics and business development is a buzz word. There is a serious link between population growth and the environment. This is basically found somewhere between the view that population growth is solely responsible for all environmental ills and the view that more people means the development of new technologies to overcome any environmental problems. An attempt has been made in this article to discuss the geopolitical environment in Namibia and provides a comprehensive picture of the country’s, economy, polity, education and health situation in the country. It also highlights the environment and migration issues in general and how that affects a developing country like Namibia. It further argues that action is required by a broad group of policy makers in Namibia who can take important policy intervention measures that can ameliorate the current business landscape of the country. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND toward a greater standard of living, perhaps matching the lifestyles of the more developed The link between population growth and the countries whose current consumption patterns environment is found somewhere between the and resource use are not necessarily sustain- view that population growth is solely responsi- able.2 ble for all environmental ills and the view that Further, a growing, urbanising global popu- more people means the development of new tech- lation over the next 50 years will create demand nologies to overcome any environmental prob- for more food, energy and water. Many of the lems. Most environmentalists agree that popu- modern ‘megacities’ are located in coastal areas lation growth is only one of several interacting or river deltas, which are vulnerable to rising factors that place pressure on the environment. water levels. Changes to our climate may cause High levels of consumption and industrializa- degradation of agricultural land, desertification tion, inequality in wealth and land distribution, and increased levels of water and food scarcity. inappropriate government policies, poverty, and For some, this may threaten to create a ‘perfect inefficient technologies all contribute to envi- storm’ of global events. Yet, until now, the con- ronmental degradation. In fact, population may nections between economics, demography, en- vironment and migration have been far from cer- not be a root cause in environmental decline, tain, still less the consequences for public poli- but rather just one factor among many that exac- cy. erbate or multiply the negative effects of other The number of international migrants has social, economic, and political factors.1 grown in recent years, to approximately 210 mil- Much of the world’s population live in poor lion in 2010. It is clear that international migra- countries already strained by food insecurity, tion is a significant phenomenon. It is often a inadequate sanitation, water supplies and hous- life changing event for migrants themselves ing, and an inability to meet the basic needs of since it raises a number of questions in terms of the current population. These same countries governance and relations between states. It has are also among the fastest growing places in the particular implications when the impact of envi- world. A large proportion of these populations ronmental change on migration drivers is con- are supported through subsistence agriculture. cerned, as it is likely to lead to geopolitical poli- As populations grow, competition for fertile land cy challenges across the globe. Consequently, and the use of limited resources increase. The a range of major forces are set to cause pro- people living in these countries are also moving found changes in natural and human environ- 204 RAVINDER RENA ments across the world over the next 50 years likely to affect the inhabitants of small countries (Politzer 2008; UNDP 2009). Besides climate (such as Jamaica, Luxembourg, Nauru, Solomon change, include the growth of mega-cities, land Islands, and Tuvalu). degradation and the profound consequences of Short time-span, repeated and often short an increasing global population which is con- distance moves are especially significant for suming ever more natural resources. poorer people, as well as for groups such as Yet, according to figures compiled in the 2009 women and children, who are often excluded Human Development Report, international mi- from migration analysis. It can form a critical part gration makes up only about one-fifth of total of the livelihood strategy of poor households in migration in the world, with the vast majority of vulnerable areas, and in that sense is particular- movement, conservatively estimated at 740 mil- ly relevant to adaptation to environmental lion people, occurring within national bound- change. In addition, circulation is also a devel- aries (UNDP 2009). Poor people are often affect- oping area of policy interest in terms of manag- ed by migration, as they or a family member have ing social tensions and conflicts associated with moved, often to a nearby town or village or to migration influenced by environmental change. another part of their country. Yet, poor people There is little evidence available to support the are in general very unlikely to have access to theoretical notion that environmentally induced international migration, as the cost is prohibi- conflict will cause migration, or that migration tive. Secondly, internal migration can often be influenced by environmental change will cause over substantial distances, and have significant conflict. impacts. For example, migration from one Namib- ian province to another or one South African Geopolitics -Concepts/Definitions province to another can take place over hun- dreds of kilometres, and involve movement to a In line with the 2009 Human Development place with a different language, customs or set Report, this report uses the term ‘migrant’ or of rights and entitlements. In this sense, it argu- ‘migration’ to refer to individuals who have ably deserves attention alongside international changed their place of residence either ‘by cross- migration as a significant issue for policy. ing an international border (international migra- However, thirdly, and perhaps most impor- tion) or by moving within their country of origin tant, there is some evidence to suggest that to another region, district or municipality (inter- where global environmental change does act to nal migration). In turn, human mobility (or ‘move- raise levels of migration and displacement, the ment’) is defined as ‘the ability of individuals, majority of additional migrants remain within their families or groups of people to choose their place country of origin, owing to the prohibitive cost of residence’, (UNDP 2009). People are normally of international migration. Moreover, evidence considered to be ‘migrants’ if they remain out- also suggests that internal migration is taking side their original place of residence for a period people to places where they are more rather than of at least 3 months. less vulnerable to environmental change-relat- Geopolitics refers broadly to the relationship ed risk. A generally accepted definition, and the between politics and territory whether on local one that is used here, is that internal migration or international scale. It comprises the practice should involve the crossing of a regional, dis- of analysing, prescribing, forecasting, and the trict or municipal boundary, the size and politi- using of political power over a given territory. cal significance of which will vary greatly in dif- Specifically, it is a method of foreign policy anal- ferent countries, and involve a movement last- ysis, which seeks to understand, explain and ing at least 3 months. However, this definition predict international political behaviour primari- draws attention to a key feature of migration, ly in terms of geographical variables. Those geo- which is that migration is not necessarily perma- graphical variables generally refer togeographic nent, but may involve multiple episodes of short- location of the country or countries in question, term migration, otherwise known as ‘circulation’. size of the countries involved, climate of the re- It should also be noted that internal migration is gion the countries are in, topography of the re- more likely within large countries (such as Rus- gion, demography, natural resources and tech- sia, Canada, USA, Brazil, China Australia, India nological development (Evans and Newn- Nigeria), whereas international migration is more ham1998). Traditionally, the term has applied THE GEOPOLITICAL ENVIRONMENT IN NAMIBIA 205 primarily to the impact of geography on politics, nationalist South-West Africa People’s Organi- but its usage has evolved over the past century zation (SWAPO) and others, fought against the to encompass wider connotations. apartheid government in South Africa. It was Geopolitics traditionally indicates the links closely intertwined with the South African Bor- between political power and geographic space. der War. South Africa had administered what In concrete terms, it is often