COUNTRY PROFILE 2000 Namibia Swaziland This Country Profile is a reference tool, which provides analysis of historical political, infrastructural and economic trends. It is revised and updated annually. The EIU’s Country Reports analyse current trends and provide a two-year forecast The full publishing schedule for Country Profiles is now available on our website at http://www.eiu.com/schedule The Economist Intelligence Unit 15 Regent St, London SW1Y 4LR United Kingdom The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit is a specialist publisher serving companies establishing and managing operations across national borders. For over 50 years it has been a source of information on business developments, economic and political trends, government regulations and corporate practice worldwide. The EIU delivers its information in four ways: through our digital portfolio, where our latest analysis is updated daily; through printed subscription products ranging from newsletters to annual reference works; through research reports; and by organising conferences and roundtables. The firm is a member of The Economist Group. London New York Hong Kong The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit 15 Regent St The Economist Building 25/F, Dah Sing Financial Centre London 111 West 57th Street 108 Gloucester Road SW1Y 4LR New York Wanchai United Kingdom NY 10019, US Hong Kong Tel: (44.20) 7830 1000 Tel: (1.212) 554 0600 Tel: (852) 2802 7288 Fax: (44.20) 7499 9767 Fax: (1.212) 586 1181/2 Fax: (852) 2802 7638 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.eiu.com Electronic delivery This publication can be viewed by subscribing online at http://store.eiu.com/brdes.html Reports are also available in various other electronic formats, such as CD-ROM, Lotus Notes, on-line databases and as direct feeds to corporate intranets. For further information, please contact your nearest Economist Intelligence Unit office London: Jan Frost Tel: (44.20) 7830 1183 Fax: (44.20) 7830 1023 New York: Alexander Bateman Tel: (1.212) 554 0643 Fax: (1.212) 586 1181 Hong Kong: Amy Ha Tel: (852) 2802 7288/2585 3888 Fax: (852) 2802 7720/7638 Copyright © 2000 The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited. All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited. All information in this report is verified to the best of the author's and the publisher's ability. However, the EIU does not accept responsibility for any loss arising from reliance on it. ISSN 1352-0857 Symbols for tables “n/a” means not available; “–” means not applicable Printed and distributed by Redhouse Press Ltd, Unit 151, Dartford Trade Park, Dartford, Kent DA1 1QB, UK Comparative economic indicators, 1999 EIU Country Profile 2000 © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2000 1 August 2nd 2000 Contents Namibia 4 Basic data 5 Political background 5 Historical background 10 Constitution and institutions 10 Political forces 13 International relations and defence 14 Resources and infrastructure 14 Population 16 Education and health 18 Natural resources and the environment 19 Transport and communications 21 Energy provision 22 The economy 22 Economic structure 23 Economic policy 27 Economic performance 30 Economic sectors 30 Agriculture and fishing 32 Mining and semi-processing 35 Manufacturing 36 Construction 36 Financial services 39 Other services 40 The external sector 40 Trade in goods 42 Invisibles and the current account 43 Capital flows and foreign debt 44 Foreign reserves and the exchange rate 46 Appendices 46 Regional organisations 46 Sources of information 50 Reference tables 50 Population 50 Transport statistics 51 Port of Walvis Bay traffic 51 Electricity generation and sales 52 Gross domestic product © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2000 EIU Country Profile 2000 2 52 Gross domestic product by expenditure 53 Gross domestic product by sector 54 Government finances 55 Money supply and credit 55 Interest rates 55 Consumer price inflation 56 Cereal production 56 Livestock marketing 57 Fish catch 58 Minerals production 58 Private construction activities 59 Assets and liabilities of deposit money banks 59 Namibian Stock Exchange 60 Tourist accommodation 60 Foreign trade indices 60 Exports of goods and services 61 Imports of goods and services 62 Balance of payments, IMF series 62 Balance of payments, national series 63 International investment balance 64 External debt 64 Net official development assistance 65 Foreign reserves 65 Exchange rates Swaziland 66 Basic data 67 Political background 67 Historical background 68 Constitution and institution 70 Political forces 71 International relations and defence 71 Resources and infrastructure 71 Population 72 Education and health 73 Natural resources and the environment 73 Transport and communications 73 Energy provision 74 The economy 74 Economic structure 75 Economic policy 76 Economic performance 77 Economic sectors EIU Country Profile 2000 © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2000 3 77 Agriculture and forestry 78 Mining 78 Manufacturing 79 Construction 79 Financial services 80 Other services 80 The external sector 80 Trade in goods 81 Invisibles and the current account 83 Foreign reserves and the exchange rate 82 Capital flows and foreign debt 83 Foreign reserves and the exchange rate 84 Appendices 84 Regional organisations 89 Sources of information 92 Reference tables 92 Population census results 92 Employment 93 Transport and communications 93 Electricity statistics 93 Central government finances 94 Monetary survey 94 Gross domestic product 95 Gross domestic product by expenditure, end-Jun 95 Gross domestic product by sector 95 Consumer prices 96 Agriculture 96 Minerals production 96 Agro-industry 97 Construction, Mbabane and Manzini 97 Swaziland stock exchange, end-Jun 98 Tourism statistics 98 Exports 98 Imports 99 Destination of exports 99 Origin of imports 99 Balance of payments, IMF series 100 Balance of payments, national series 100 External debt 101 Net official development assistance 101 Foreign reserves 102 Exchange rates © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2000 EIU Country Profile 2000 4 Namibia Namibia Basic data Land area 824,269 sq km Population 1.76m (1999 estimate)a Main towns Population in ‘000 (1999 estimates) Windhoekb (capital) 210 Ondangwac 65 Oshakatib 54 Walvis Bayb 45 Swakopmunda 28 a Extrapolated from 1991 census. b Municipality figures. c EIU estimate. Climate Semi-arid and subtropical Weather in Windhoek Hottest months, January and February, 17-19°C (daily minimum and (altitude 1,833 metres) maximum); coldest months, June and July, 6-20°C; driest month, July, 1 mm average rainfall; wettest month, January, 350 mm average rainfall Languages English (official), Oshivambo, Afrikaans, Nama/Damara, Herero, German, Lozi, Kwangali and Tswana Measures Metric system Currency Namibian dollar (N$)=100 cents; introduced in September 1993, at par with the South African rand. Average exchange rate in 1999: N$6.11:US$1. Exchange rate on July 24th 2000: N$6.91:US$1 Fiscal year April to March Time 2 hours ahead of GMT Public holidays January 1st, March 21st (Independence Day), Good Friday, Easter Monday, May 1st (Workers’ Day), May 4th (Cassinga Day), Ascension Day, May 25th (Africa Day), August 26th (Heroes’ Day), December 10th (Human Rights Day), December 25th and 26th (Christmas Day and Family Day) EIU Country Profile 2000 © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2000 Namibia 5 Political background Namibia is a unitary republic with a multiparty democratic system. The South West Africa Peoples’ Organisation (SWAPO) formed the first internationally recognised Namibian government after winning the UN-supervised pre- independence election in November 1989. SWAPO was re-elected in the parliamentary election in 1994, when it gained a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly (lower house). The SWAPO leader, Sam Nujoma, who had been appointed head of state by the first parliament, was directly elected at the concomitant presidential poll. Although the Namibian constitution stipulates that no individual can hold the presidency for more than two consecutive five- year terms, in 1998 SWAPO used its two-thirds majority in the lower house to secure an interpretation of the constitution that allowed Mr Nujoma to stand for a third term, on the grounds that he had only served one directly elected term. He was duly re-elected in the December 1999 presidential election with a virtually unchanged share of the vote while SWAPO slightly increased its majority in the accompanying parliamentary election. Historical background A violent colonial past The four key factors that have shaped contemporary Namibia are its geographical isolation, the small and diverse indigenous population, the violence of the colonial era, and the long struggle for independence. The country’s name derives from the Namib Desert, which stretches along most of the coast and deterred systematic colonisation of the interior by Europeans until the 19th century. Germany’s colonisation began following the acquisition of the first land rights by a trader, Adolf Lüderitz, at Angra Pequena (now Lüderitz) in 1883, and a protectorate was proclaimed the following year. The gradual expropriation of land and cattle by settlers eventually provoked