Browsing by Subject "Namibia"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 35
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    An exploration of the care needs of frail older persons in Namibia: perspectives and experiences of formal and informal caregivers
    (2022) Zamuee, Charmill; Abdullah, Somaya
    The adequate care of older persons is a major global concern and countries are examining ways to respond to these needs, especially the needs of frail older persons in the care environment. Important strides have been made in developed countries but progress has been slow in less developed countries in the Global South and limited information exists on the care needs of frail older persons and lived experiences of formal and informal caregivers. This thesis examines the care needs of frail older persons in Namibia. Namibia has only recently been liberated from colonial rule by Germany and apartheid South Africa. During this time black communities were disenfranchised, resource-scarce and living under poor conditions. For older persons, this meant unequal treatment, social exclusion and denial of access to decent care. The aim of this study was to provide an in-depth understanding of the needs of frail older persons in the care environment in Namibia by examining the lived experiences of caregivers and analysing policy. Using a qualitative methodology, the study collected primary data from formal and informal caregivers based on semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The data analysis relied mainly on coding strategies under Atlas-ti and qualitative content analysis. The secondary data were collected from legislation, government policy documents, journals and other public reports. The finding revealed that Namibia's history has entrenched the current situation of unmet needs of frail older persons, exacerbated by inadequate policy protection. These limitations were highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The study also found that the effective care of frail older persons is only possible through stakeholder engagement and cross-sectoral collaboration. The study therefore recommends that government should undertake a process of social reforms to ensure that the needs of this group are prioritised, that a performance framework should be implemented to ensure delivery and that all stakeholders should be mobilised. The study has contributed to these outcomes by suggesting a model for needs assessment of frail older persons, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. This model could be used to improve care practices, serve government in evidence-based policy making and provide a useful analytical tool for scholarship.
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    Analysing the Relationship between Banking Development and Economic Growth: Time Series Evidence from Namibia
    (2020) Diergaardt, Colin; Alhassan, Abdul Latif; Mutize, Misheck
    The main objective of this study is to examine the relationship between banking development and economic growth in Namibia. Namibia has eight licenced commercial banks, four of which have been operational prior to the country's independence; Bank Windhoek Limited, First National Bank Namibia Limited, Nedbank Namibia Limited and Standard Bank Namibia Limited (BON, 2018). The other four licenced commercial banks began operating post independence. The banking development indicators employed by this study were broad money to nominal GDP (M2), private sector credit to nominal GDP (PSC), and lending interest rates (INTR). The data used in this study is annual data, covering the period 1991 to 2018, engaging the VAR/VECM framework in order to determine the presence of a long-run and short-run association. In addition, this study engaged the Granger causality methodology in order to determine the casual association between banking development and economic growth. The error correction term equation suggested a long-run relationship between the variables in the VECM, while the results indicated that there are no short run associations amongst the variables. Further, the results of the Granger causality test indicated a bidirectional causality between LNRGDP and LNPSC. In addition, the causality test showed that lags of LNINTR Granger causes LNPSC, which is consistent with the neoclassical theory of interest rate, which pronounces that interest rates are determined by the demand and the supply of loanable funds. Moreover, lags of LNINTR and lags of LNM2 granger causes LNRGDP, which suggest that banking development causes economic growth. The study recommended that the Namibian banks should reform credit policies and decrease the cost of debt in an attempt to avail more credit to the private sector in order to sustain and stimulate economic growth.
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    Antecedents of mobile banking applications acceptance and usage and its consequence on financial behavior in Namibia
    (2025) Nuunyango, Anna Nambahu Panduleni; Brown, Irwin
    Banking is no longer limited to the physical location of a branch. Nowadays, consumers can do banking from the comfort of their own places, anywhere and anytime. Mobile banking applications offer mobility, 24/7 availability, broad reach, convenience, and ease of use unlike traditional banking. Regardless of the numerous advantages that mobile banking applications offer, the adoption rate has not met expectations or reached the level of mobile phone penetration adoption rate in many Lower and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). The use of digital financial services such as mobile banking applications changes consumers' financial behavior. Poor financial habits can cause debt, stress, health issues, and strained relationships. Thus, it is important to understand the impact of using mobile banking applications on consumers' financial behavior, as well as the factors that influence the acceptance and use of mobile banking applications. The study employed the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and extended it with concepts of financial literacy, branch distance, trust, perceived risk, and financial behavior. The research model that was constructed informed data collection, using an online survey of Nambian banking consumers. 254 useable responses were received and the model was empirically tested. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that effort expectancy, habit, and trust positively influence consumer intention to accept mobile banking applications and trust negatively influences perceived risk, while habit and behavioral intention positively influence the use of mobile banking applications. Additionally, results show that mobile banking application use positively influences financial behavior in Namibia, implying that their use can lead to more responsible financial behavior.
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    Assessment of the impact of community library services: a case study of Khomas region, Namibia
    (2024) Haindaka, Shihawa Alberthina; Mfengu, Andiswa
    Community libraries play a crucial role in addressing the inequality stemming from the apartheid era through the provision of a cohesive system aimed at offering free access to library services to equip users with necessary knowledge and skills for lifelong learning and support education. However, community libraries are under scrutiny to demonstrate their value to secure funding and the lack of literature regarding the impact of community library services is perhaps the reason why community libraries are under increasing pressure to capture and demonstrate their value to society and stakeholders. The lack of literature on the holistic impact of community library services is one of the factors contributing to the library budget cuts. Hence, the broad objective of this study was to assess the impact of community library services in Khomas region, Namibia. The study was informed by Service Quality Models to explore the economic, social and cultural benefits of community library services, so as to provide a more holistic understanding of the impact of community libraries. A mixed methods research approach and a multiple case study design were employed to address the study objective. The study collected data through printed questionnaires with 381 random sampled library users and face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 10 purposively sampled librarians from the six selected community libraries across Khomas region. The study found that library services such as free internet access services; basic ICT training services and after school programs were beneficial to library users. The free provision of services in community libraries positively influences users' skill development, academic performances, personal success, knowledge gain, social inclusion and cultural advancements. The lack of reliable ICT facilities emerged as a major challenge which is a result of the lack of intentional funding for acquisition and maintenance of ICT facilities, a key aspect to lessening the digital divide. Moreover, management issues between City of Windhoek and Ministry of Education in managing community libraries was also noted as a key challenge. While community libraries are beneficial to library users, there was no system in place to holistically capture community libraries' impact beyond statistics. The study's suggests that community libraries need to prioritize funding for ICT infrastructure, explore new librarian roles to support library marketing efforts and develop systems to capture tangible evidence of library services impact, beyond statistical accumulation of library service usage.
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    Barriers to selling livestock in the face of drought in the Omusati Region of North Central Namibia
    (2021) Joshi, Nivedita; Spear, Dian; Ziervogel, Gina
    Marginal communities living in semi-arid Namibia face significant challenges in sustaining rural livelihoods due to environmental degradation and poverty. Research has shown that livestock farming depends on rain-fed agriculture among other things, thus making communal farmers vulnerable to climate change in the future. Given this, it often makes sense for farmers to sell their livestock and explore alternative livelihood options. However, farmers in northcentral Namibia are reluctant to sell their livestock despite a noticeable temperature increase and rainfall decrease over the past forty years. This study analyses the barriers to selling livestock in the face of a drought in the Omusati region of north-central Namibia. The study was carried out in three villages namely Omahanene, Okathitukeengombe and Oshihau, in the north-central Omusati region of Namibia. Household livestock distribution, perceptions of climate change, barriers to the sale of livestock and alternative livelihood strategies from other semi-arid regions were explored among 30 households using semi-structured household interviews and a systematic literature review. Results from the study indicate that 80% of communal farmers predict future droughts in the region and able to recall climate change through frequent droughts, increasing temperatures and decreasing rainfall. Farmers claimed that these changes have affected their livestock numbers. However, several barriers including cultural beliefs, lack of financial security, access to information, lack of institutional support and lack of efficient markets hinder livestock sales. The study suggests that the imminent impact of climate change coupled with the reluctance to sell livestock will threaten food security in the future. The study argues that rural livelihood diversification strategies are critical to safeguarding sustainable livelihoods in the future, including those of communal livestock farmers specifically. Additionally, policy recommendations like access to credit through public and private funding, access to markets by providing transportation facilities, encouraging market participation by improving quality of grazing lands, increasing water availability, building veterinary facilities, employing extension officers and access to information through reliable channels can help build a sustainable future in the face of climate risks.
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    Climate change adaptation and sustainable agricultural intensification in developing countries
    (2020) Mulwa, Chalmers Kyalo; Visser, Martine
    The recent threat of climate change has exacerbated the inherent risks in smallholder farming such as soil degradation, resulting in an unprecedented decline in agricultural yields in developing countries. This has threatened the livelihoods of large segments of populations that are heavily dependent on agriculture for survival in these regions. This dissertation focuses on identifying barriers and enablers of effective management of these risks, with an aim of coming up with potential policy interventions that can reduce vulnerability to the mentioned risks. To achieve this, the dissertation utilizes various methods and approaches as well as diverse datasets in two countries in sub Saharan Africa i.e. Namibia and Kenya. Diversification into non-farm activities is seen by many as a risk management strategy in rural areas where highly variable low farm incomes are transformed into stable high non-farm incomes, thus improving the welfare of the rural populations. While this theory of change is uncontested, the importance that the agricultural sector plays as a source of livelihood for rural populations, as well as food provisioning for urban populations, cannot be downplayed. This is more so given the limited non-farm opportunities in developing countries and the exponential population growth in these countries. The two factors combined impede on the envisioned transformation of rural production sectors and also create a sub-population of food insecure urban poor due to rural-urban migration. To mitigate these problems, rural agricultural development is still paramount and strategies that enhance resilience to risks in the sector are still vital. Chapter 2 of this dissertation focuses on this issue and addresses how farm diversification can be leveraged for improved food security in the rural areas, which has potential spill-over effects to other segments of the population. Focusing on northern Namibia, the study evaluates how different levels of diversification in both crop and livestock farming affect household food security outcomes i.e. per capita food expenditure and dietary diversity score. The study employs relatively new econometric methods in these type of studies to evaluate the joint determinants to both crop and livestock diversification, as well as their singular and joint effect on mentioned food security outcomes. The results show that high levels of diversification in either enterprise leads to high food security outcomes. Combined with climate change adaptation strategies that create resilience of agricultural production to climatic shocks, the use of sustainable agricultural intensification practices can further enhance productivity in the sector. Inputs like inorganic fertilizer, organic manure and improved seeds can further build on resilient systems to improve yields. Chapter 3 of this dissertation addresses this issue by looking at whether changes in the larger agri-food systems can be used to incentivize take up of such practices at the farm level. The study evaluates how the emergence of large traders in smallholder grain markets can drive the uptake of inorganic and organic fertilizer and improved seeds. The study thus expands the intervention space available to policy makers who have in the past resorted to potentially distortionary direct policies in the input markets e.g. through subsidy provision, as well as in the output markets e.g. through regulation of prices. To achieve this, the study uses a large panel dataset from Kenya spanning over a decade to evaluate how engagements between farmers and these market actors can be leveraged to drive adoption of these sustainable intensification inputs. Results show that engagements between large grain traders and farmers enhance use of inorganic fertilizer. There is no evidence that these engagements lead to enhanced use of improved seeds or manure. However, past use of improved seeds and manure are shown to affect their subsequent use, implying path dependency in the use of these sustainable inputs hence low dis-adoption rates. Traditional technology adoption studies show that access to information is a critical success factor for the uptake of new technology. Proxy variables for information access, for example proximity to extension services or frequency of extension contact, have consistently been shown to be positively correlated with technology adoption. In the context of climate change, access to weather information can be a critical factor to adoption of adaptation technology. Chapter 4 of this dissertation deals with this issue and assesses whether provision of weather information to farmers can enhance adoption of improved farming technologies that are resilient to climatic shocks. The study focuses on northern Namibia where access to such information, as the study shows, is very limited. A framed experiment approach is utilised to evaluate how climate change-induced uncertainty affects farmers' decision making in a farming season, based on their elicited behavioural attitudes towards risk and uncertainty. Further, the study tests whether providing weather information that reduces this uncertainty leads to adoption of technologies that are welfare improving. Lastly, the demand for weather information is assessed by eliciting the willingness to pay for information under various levels of weather uncertainty. Results indicate that high levels of uncertainty dampen uptake of welfare improving technologies, regardless of individual attitudes towards uncertainty. Availing of weather information leads to welfare improving technology choice, given the prevailing levels of weather uncertainty. There is also a high demand for weather information which is shown to increase with increase in the level of weather uncertainty. The chapters in the dissertation therefore identify key policy variables that can be used to manage vulnerability to risks emanating from climate change and unsustainable production in smallholder farming. Access to comprehensive climate information encompassing weather information and climate change-specific management information on both crop and livestock farming is shown to be a key factor in the uptake of adaptation strategies like use of resilient inputs and farm diversification. Interventions along the value chain like teaming up with large market actors in a private-public engagement is shown to be a potential pathway towards enhancing uptake of sustainable intensification inputs. Other policy variables like credit provision, high education and access to off-farm incomes are also key in explaining uptake of risk management strategies by smallholder farmers in Namibia and Kenya.
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    A coastal zone management framework for the Erongo Region of Namibia
    (1996) Hattingh, Karen; Hill, Richard
    Management of the coastal environment of the Erongo Region of Namibia is currently fraught with difficulty because of a lack of cohesive planning at national, regional, and local level; a multiplicity of agencies responsible for the management of coastal activities whose planning and management actions are not integrated; and, fragmented environmental legislation which suffers from a lack of coordination. The lack of integrated planning and management has resulted in an uncoordinated and fragmented approach to coastal zone management (CZM) in the Region. Development pressure exists on the coast of the Erongo Region because of factors such as high migration numbers into the area; an increased need for housing and employment; proposed dune mining activity; and, growth of the tourism industry with associated increases in infrastructural provision and the number of people visiting the area. Without effective planning, over-exploitation of coastal resources could occur. This could place at risk the resource base on which the Region depends as a source of income. To achieve better management of the coastal environment of the Erongo Region, the dissertation proposes a Coastal Zone Management Framework for the Region. The suggested Management Framework is applied to coastal zone management in Namibia. The analysis concerns Namibia, and not the Erongo Region, because the framework involves management planning at a national level, and not only at a regional level and local level; the setting in place of national level CZM policies, and not only regional level and local level CZM policies; the adoption of CZM legislation; the establishment of a steering committee to oversee implementation of the framework at national level; and the extension by national level authorities of the role of Strategic Environmental Assessment.
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    Colonial architecture as heritage: German colonial architecture in post-colonial Windhoek
    (2018) Ruhlig, Vanessa Jane; Townsend, Stephen
    The rapid post-Independence development of the city of Windhoek, Namibia; and the ensuing destruction of a substantial number of German colonial buildings in the capital city, prompted speculation as to why these buildings are inadequately protected as heritage – and whether they are, in fact, considered to be heritage. The study explores the issues pertaining to the presence of German colonial architecture, as artefacts of the German colonial period, within the postcolonial context of Windhoek. The trauma and pain of the Namibian War and genocide (1904 – 1908) are recurring themes in the body of literature on postcolonial Namibia; and this informs a wider discourse on memory. Memory is found to play a crucial role in evoking a sense of both individual and shared ownership, through its capacity to create meaning, which can in turn ascribe value to a place. Memory is also dependent on visual cues for its continued existence, which suggests the importance of colonial architecture as a material prompt to sustain memory. The research therefore investigates the memories and multiple meanings attributable to colonial architecture in this plural society, and how these meanings can be created, or possibly reinvented, through the continued use of these buildings. The study is based on an assessment of three halls in Windhoek – the Grüner Kranz Hall (1906), the Kaiserkrone Hall (1909), and the Turnhalle (1909; 1912), all designed by the German architect Otto Busch – which illustrates in part, the need for the development of historical building surveys that assess the social values and significances of these contested spaces; and moreover, the potential that these spaces have to support memory work through their continued use.
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    Contextualising journalism education and training in Southern Africa
    (2007) Banda, Fackson; Beukes-Amiss, Catherine M; Bosch, Tanja; Mano, Winston; McLean, Polly; Steenveld, Lynette
    In this article it is argued that journalism education in Southern Africa must contend with defining a new academic identity for itself, extricating itself from dependency on Western oriented models of journalism education and training, as this has been a perennial challenge in most of Africa.
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    Cross-shelf biogeochemical characteristics of sediments in the central Benguela and their relationship to overlying water column hypoxia
    (2007) Van der Plas, A K; Monteiro, P M S; Pascall, A
    Data from two cross-shelf sediment sampling cruises were used to explain reasons for the sediment biogeochemical variability in respect of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur, and how the cycling of these elements governs the biogeochemistry of the overlying water through their control of the redox conditions. The spatial extent of this benthic–pelagic flux link is limited to the innershelf mud belt system on the Namibian shelf. The inshore mud belt is the primary deposition area of the carbon and nitrogen new production export flux. The offshore organic-rich zones are thought to be relict particulate organic matter originating from the inshore mud belt rather than from an overlying pelagic source. These data were used to set up a multi-layer sediment model that was used through sensitivity analyses to elucidate the input characteristics that result in the most significant feedbacks on hypoxia in the overlying water. The analyses showed that, although the new production flux is a requirement to drive an oxygen demand in the sediments, the onset and persistence of anoxia may depend critically on a low-oxygen boundary condition threshold. This is thought to be a key differentiating factor between systems that, despite comparable carbon export fluxes, are characterised by a persistent hypoxia/anoxia signal and those that are characterised by episodic hypoxia events. It was concluded that sediment oxygen demand and methane and 'sulphide' emissions from the central Benguela sediments are responses to external hypoxia boundary conditions rather than the local drivers of oxygen variability.
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    Design of a communal land tenure information system for Namibia
    (1999) Danso, Antwi Adjei; Barry, Michael B
    This thesis describes some of the communal land tenure systems pertaining to Namibia. Understandably, lands held under communal land tenure have tended to be neither fully documented nor legally and explicitly formalised; communal land tenure systems have been through the mercy of arbitrary action by the state, private individuals or other institutions (S.A Government, 1996: 43). The study attempts to examine the issues involved in the design of a communal land tenure information system for Namibia. It therefore seeks to examine the possibility of using information technology to plan and manage customarily held land, the requirement for an effective design and implementation of such a system and the method of designing such an information system to make room for continual improvement and the addition of finer detail. The research begins with an in-depth literature review of the communal land tenure systems in Namibia and a description of similar information systems. This is followed by the research methodology, which describes the technique used for collecting, analysing and presenting the results of the study. The needs analysis and the data structure contained in the atlas are outlined. The fundamental concepts of database design and the various steps taken by the author to design and construct the land tenure database model for the dissertation are also discussed. The pilot project is analysed, taking into account the capability of the system, its success in terms of a needs analysis, and the adequacy of the data. It specifically analyses the design in the light of social relationships, person or group interests and the spatial component of communal land tenure systems with respect to each area. In addition, it seeks to answer the question whether the tool fits the communal land tenure system, discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the overall system design and the implementation strategies. It is envisaged that, with the provision of the information system in union with its database, this will help to identify and document a communal land tenure system. For the rural dweller or farmer, this system will provide a pictorial image of what is really happening on the ground. The information system could later be upgraded and fully implemented, enabling individuals to effectively plan activities around the existing circumstances and conditions. The recommendation that came out from the study was that given the limited information available on communal land tenure systems, more effort should be spent to study and gather data on the system. It is strongly recommended, therefore, that research into conditions in the communal areas be regarded as a top pri01ity by the Government of Namibia. This could lead to a richer information base in the communal areas to be utilised to improve the lifestyle of the rural communities. Thus, the prototype project designed in this thesis should be implemented fully and later developed and incorporated into an information system which, in the past, has lacked communal land tenure input. The research could not touch on all the communal land tenure areas in Namibia. It is therefore advised that the rest should be investigated in more detail. The inheritance and conflict resolution mechanism which were not modelled effectively should also be reinvestigated.
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    Factors influencing the performance of Agricultural Small and Medium Enterprisesin the Khomas region, Namibia
    (2021) Kamati, Selma Nakashupi; Alhassan, Abdul Latif
    Small and medium enterprises operating within the agriculture sectors are important entities because of their contribution to the economy. This study's objective was to investigate the factors that influence the performance of agricultural SMEs within the Khomas region. This study adopted the inductive approach in the quest to explore factors which influence the performance of agricultural SMEs in the Khomas region. The study adopted the exploratory design qualitative methods in collecting and analysing data. The population of this study consists of 43 enterprises engaging in agricultural activities on a small-scale basis. Using the convenience sampling method, the researcher identified ten (10) individuals of which seven (7) were farm owners and three (3) were farm managers for participation in the study. The researcher conducted face-to-face interviews with the identified participants using an interview schedule as the data collection tool. The researcher analysed qualitative data through qualitative content analysis. From the analysis, the study concluded that lack of support, lack of formal planning and lack of expertise negatively influence the performance of agriculture SMEs within the Khomas region in Namibia. Financial limitations and the inability of the agricultural SMEs to secure and manage financial resources also have a negative impact on the performance of agricultural SMEs, which leads to their poor performance. The study, however, reveals that agricultural SMEs contribute to economic development through job creation, food production and infrastructure development, and that makes their effective performance significant to the economy. Hence, the study proposes recommendations for the government to provide support to agricultural SMEs, the training of agricultural SMEs to ensure that they have the desired expertise to perform their farming activities, as well as how to manage business operations and create a market for locally produced agricultural products. The study further recommends that agricultural SMEs adopt formal planning to facilitate the effective allocation of resources, as well as track their progress. Implementation of the recommendations would enhance the performance of agricultural SMEs and increase their ability to contribute to economic development.
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    Harnessing impact investing: a transformative strategy for CSR in Namibia
    (2025) Kamenjono, Nguvitjita; Meyer, Camille; Muzata, Sombo
    Impact investing is a powerful tool for amplifying positive social and environmental impact that Namibian companies can use as a transformative avenue to fulfil their CSR commitments. This innovative strategy empowers companies to drive positive social impact, strengthen brand equity, and foster stakeholder engagement, all while addressing critical socio-economic challenges such as inequality, unemployment, and poverty. However, the intersection between CSR and impact investments in Namibia remains unexplored. This study utilised an inductive qualitative research approach to understand the existing CSR practice with a particular focus on entrepreneurship support in Namibia. Thereafter, understanding the extent to which the participants engage in impact investing strategies for CSR spending while examining the challenges and barriers to the adoption of these strategies. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 CSR managers or equivalents across 11 different organisations in Namibia, revealing several key findings. The findings revealed national priorities as a prime driving factor for entrepreneurship development and support in CSR practice, being the third most CSR-supported area. The findings also exposed a limited understanding of impact investing in corporate Namibia despite the keen interest strongly displayed by most research participants. Additionally, the most frequently cited barriers to engaging in an impact investing strategy included the lack of bona fide and proper entrepreneurs, collaboration, and appropriate expertise within the organisation. This study contributes to impact investing and CSR in practice and theory by providing a theoretical praxis model that envisages the relationship between these constructs in practice in a meaningful way. The attempt at a praxis model outlines practical steps to effectively mobilise CSR funds towards national priorities while bridging the funding gap in the impact investing market in Namibia.
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    Importance of Candida infection and fluconazole resistance in women with vaginal discharge syndrome in Namibia
    (BioMed Central, 2022-08-15) Dunaiski, Cara M.; Kock, Marleen M.; Jung, Hyunsul; Peters, Remco P. H.
    Abstract Background Vaginal discharge syndrome (VDS) is a common condition. Clinical management targets sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and bacterial vaginosis (BV); there is limited focus on Candida infection as cause of VDS. Lack of Candida treatment coverage and, if present, antifungal resistance may result in VDS treatment failure. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Candida infection, antifungal resistance, and coinfections in Namibian women with VDS. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed using 253 vaginal swabs from women with VDS in Namibia. Demographic data was collected, and phenotypic and molecular detection of Candida species was performed followed by fluconazole susceptibility testing of Candida isolates. BV was diagnosed using Nugent score microscopy; molecular detection of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Trichomonas vaginalis was performed. Results Candida species was detected in 110/253 women (43%). Ninety women (36%) had Candida albicans and 24 (9.5%) had non-albicans Candida species. The non-albicans species detected were 19 (17%) Candida glabrata, 4.0 (3.5%) Candida krusei, and 1.0 (0.9%) Candida parapsilosis. Candida albicans were more frequently isolated in younger (p = 0.004) and pregnant women (p = 0.04) compared to non-albicans Candida species. Almost all (98%) Candida albicans isolates were susceptible to fluconazole while all non-albicans Candida species were fluconazole resistant. STIs were diagnosed in 92 women (36%): 30 (12%) with C. trachomatis, 11 (4.3%) N. gonorrhoeae, and 70 (28%) T. vaginalis; 98 (39%) women had BV. Candida infection alone was diagnosed in 30 women (12%), combined with STIs in 42 women (17%) and was concurrent with BV in 38 women (15%). Candida infection was more often detected in swabs from women without C. trachomatis detected (6.4% vs. 16%; OR 0.30; 95% CI 0.10–0.77, p = 0.006). Conclusions The high prevalence of Candida infection, especially those due to non-albicans Candida species that are resistant to fluconazole, is a great concern in our setting and may lead to poor treatment outcomes. Access to microbiological testing for Candida species in the context of syndromic management is warranted.
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    Intermediary liability: evaluating the liability sections of section 53 (7) and (8) of Namibia's draft copyright and related rights bill 2021
    (2024) Ipinge, Ndapandula; Schonwetter, Tobias
    Internet intermediaries have enabled the general public to access information easier, including copyrighted work. This however led to right to right holders targeting intermediaries for copyright infringement instead identifying and suing every individual user of internet intermediaries. In order to reduce the liability risks for intermediaries, lawmakers around the world began to amend or adopt their law in particular through the introduction of exemption provisions. Case in point was the U.S The Digital Millennium Copyright Act which introduced safe harbour provisions under which intermediaries can escape liability. Similarly, the EU Electronic Commerce Directive of 2000 contains safe harbour provisions which limit the liability of intermediaries. In 2019, Namibia's Business Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) began its journey of amending the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act order to be suitable for the digital era. After two consultations and reviews with stakeholder, the Draft Copyright and Related Rights Bill was published. Section 53 of the Bill expressly addresses the issue of internet service providers. The inclusion sections 53(7) and 53(8) raises concerns about increasing the liability of intermediaries considering their importance to the general public. This dissertation aims to consider if section 53(7) and (8) is constitute an appropriate liability regime.
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    Investigating the nexus between investment in agriculture and agriculture output: a case for Namibia
    (2021) Jakob, Alisa; Kabinga, Mundia
    This paper explores the link between agriculture investment and agriculture output in Namibia. The existing theory on investment and growth constitutes a basis for empirical work on investment-output nexus. Neither the neoclassical nor the new growth theories on investment have considered the growth effects of investment at sector and industry level and its implication on capital allocation, particularly for developing countries that are resource constrained. The key question addressed in this paper is whether investment in agriculture is associated with agriculture output, both at the sector and sub-sector levels. The paper adopted the ARDL bounds test model constructed with quarterly data for the period 2000 to 2020 and found that investment and agricultural output exhibit a long-run relationship. The coefficient estimates showed that public investment, development bank loans and agriculture export have a positive impact on agricultural output while inflation, lending rates and commercial bank loans have a deleterious effect. The long-run causality tests suggest that there is unidirectional causality between commercial credit expenditure and aggregate agriculture output, as well as a unidirectional causality running from exports to livestock and crop sub-sector output. Based on error correction terms, agriculture output tends to rapidly adjust to short-term disturbances, hence rebound of agriculture output to a long-run growth path can take place with minimum or no delays. This study concludes that the Keynesian hypothesis is valid for Namibia's agriculture and the direction of causality is from investment to agriculture growth. Therefore, the role of government in supporting sustainable development of the agricultural sector cannot be overemphasised.
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    Levels and Determinants of age at first marriage in Namibia
    (2024) Amutenya, Loide T A; Moultrie, Thomas
    Age at first marriage is the age at which one gets married for the first time. This study examines the trends and socio-economic factors of age at first marriage in Namibia this topic has been under researched and as a result a gap in the knowledge exists. This research aims to determine age at marriage across different social demographic characteristics well to determine factors associated with age at first marriage. Data from NDHS for the years 1992, 2000, 2006 and 2013, are used in this study and The Hajnals SMAM was used to determine the trends in ages. Results showed that in 1992, Namibian women remained single for 26 years, 28 years in 2000, 29 years in 2006/07 and 30 years in 2013. The study also used the Kaplan Meier and Cox proportional hazard regressions to explain the factors associated with age at first marriage for each survey year. Results revealed selection effects on age at marriage among women in the 15-24 age group. An increase in age, commencement in sexual activity, premarital birth, first birth, and better educational opportunities decrease the risk associated with early marriage. The study also found that the Northeast region which comprised of Kavango East, Kavango West and Zambezi/Caprivi region had the highest risk of early marriage compared to other regions. Overall, there was significant decrease in age at first marriage across all age groups. The results also showed that this delay was linear with an increase in premarital births, however there is still a general decline in fertility rates
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    Open Access
    Making sense of censuses and dealing with missing data: trends in pup counts of Cape Fur Seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus between 1972-2004
    (2007) Kirkman, S P; Oosthuizen W H; Meÿer, M A; Kotze, P G H; Roux, J-P; Underhill, L G
    Trends in the population of Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus were estimated from counts of pups on aerial photographs of colonies taken between 1972 and 2004 to determine trends in the overall population and subpopulations. Incomplete coverage resulted in missing data in some years. Various methods of determining proxy values for missing data were assessed, and it was concluded that different methods were applicable to Namibian and South African colonies. This reflected variation in trends of pup counts between the countries, which was associated with differences in productivity between the southern and northern Benguela ecosystems. In Namibia, temporal changes in pup numbers were non-linear in some years and there was correspondence in fluctuations at most colonies. This appeared to be on account of an effect of periodic, wide-scale prey shortages that reduced birth rates. There was a northward shift in the distribution of seals in the northern Benguela system. In South Africa, pup counts were much less variable between years, probably on account of a relative stability of food supply. A linear approach was therefore suitable for determining proxy values for missing data at South African colonies. Pup counts suggest that there has been little change in the overall population of the Cape fur seals since 1993, when it was estimated at about two million animals.
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    Open Access
    Management of Myelomeningocele in Namibia
    (2025) Sallah, Aminata; Maswime, Salome; Lakhoo, Kokila
    There is a lack of information on the surgical management of myelomeningocele (MMC) in Namibia. We had three objectives (1) Determine the occurrence of Spina Bifida (SB) in Namibia from 2017 to 2021, (2) Determine the management and outcomes of babies born with MMC/SB, (3) Determine the extent of multi-disciplinary team engagement in the management of MMC and referrals in hospital and at discharge. Methodology: This was a retrospective observational study conducted in Windhoek, Namibia from 2017 to 2021 at Windhoek Central Hospital (WCH) and Katutura Intermediate Hospital (KIH). Data was collected from theatre books and patient files. Records of the MMC affected patients were collected and analysed, including demographic and peri- and post-operative care records. Results: 27 cases were operated during the 5 year study period, 15 (55.6%) and 12 (44.4%) from KIH and WCH respectively. Average age of operation were mean 7.61months , median 7.0 months (range 0.07-24 months), 15 (55.6%) of the patients were female. Mode of delivery was available in 3 (11.1%) of cases, with 2 (66.7%) normal deliveries and 1 (33.3%) caesarean section. Majority of the cases with origin reported were from Oshakati, 6 (55.5%) followed by Keetmanshoop, Mariental and Windhoek which each contributed 2 (13.3%) cases. With regard to regional distribution, reported and combined, North and South regions contributed the most, at 8 (53%) and 4 (26.6%) patients respectively. Myelomeningocele repair operations were 19 (70.3%)followed by Myelomeningocoele plus Shunt insertion (hydrocephalus) 5 (18.5%). The average operating time duration reported for all the operations (20 patients )was 181.5 minutes (Range 75-400 minutes), for MMC only operation (12 patients) was 136.4 minutes (Range 75-230 minutes). The location of the MMC was only reported on in 7 (25.9%) cases. Complications or none were reported on in 9 (33.3%) of the total cases, with 4 (44.4%) experiencing complications or 14.8% of the total. Anaemia was reported in 2 (22%) difficulty passing urine in 1 (11.1%) and septic wound in 1 (11.1%) of the cases. There were records of multi-disciplinary referral in only 2 (7.4%) of the total patients in files. There is no report on the extent of folate fortification in the Namibian diet. Discussion/Conclusion In this study of the management of MMC in Namibia, we described demographics, management, captured gaps and limitations. The age of repair needs to be improved upon to approach international gold standards of 72 hours. Operating time is close to worldwide averages. Postnatal management is substantially more expensive than prevention of MMC. Food fortification information was not readily available. A national strategy to close gaps will improve both prevention and management, from preconception through postnatal and lifelong MMC care in Namibia.
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    Open Access
    New records and new species of Asclepiadaceae from Namibia
    (1995) BRUYNS, P V
    Eleven species of Asclepiadaceae not previously recorded from Namibia are discussed. Of these. Brachystelma codonanthum Bruyns.  B. recurvatum Bruyns and Schizoglossum saccatum Bruyns are new species. The new combinations Brachy­stelma gymnopodum (Schltr.) Bruyns (for Ceropegia pygmaea Schinz) and B. schultzei (Schltr.) Bruyns [for  Tenaris schultzei (Schltr.) E. Phillips] are proposed and the delimitation of Brachystelma R. Br. against  Ceropegia L. and  Tenaris E. Mey. is discussed. Notes are also included on little-known species, and the species of Gomphocarpus R. Br. in Namibia are enumerated.