Poverty alleviation in the city of Windhoek : a local economic development management perspective

Abstract

Poverty is a global phenomenon which affects people in various depths overtime, and there is no nation that is absolutely free from incidences of poverty. In Namibia, two thirds of the population were living in conditions of absolute poverty at independence in 1990, and since then, alleviating poverty has been on the government agenda. The aim of the study was to explore whether the City of Windhoek can alleviate poverty through its local economic development strategies to improve the lives of its citizens. The study adopted a qualitative research approach to address the research objectives. Empirical data were collected by means of survey questionnaires from the residents of the City of Windhoek and from officials of stakeholder organisations. Secondary data were collected by means of documentary analysis. The study found that poverty alleviation is when the governments and various organisations both local and international seek to improve the standard of living of the poor. The study found that the main goal of any local economic development strategy is to provide quality jobs and this makes it to be an important component in the broader effort to alleviate poverty. The study also found that most of the residents of the City of Windhoek and officials of the stakeholder organisations are Generation Y and they are educated. The study further discovered that 3% of the residents of the City of Windhoek are food poor, while 5% are severely poor and 9% are poor. The study further found that both the community members (76%) and officials from the stakeholder organisations (96%) hold the views that the alleviation of poverty can translate into a better quality of life for the citizens of City of Windhoek. The study recommended that to encourage local employment by the private sector in the area, CoW should give tax exemptions of 5% to businesses operating within its area of jurisdiction that have 90% or more of staff members that are local employees. To ensure that the residents increase their income, CoW should urge the residents to take up extra jobs and become entrepreneurs. With increased income the residents can invest in their health which is one of the important aspects of a better quality of life. The study to this end proposed the IDP sequential model that City of Windhoek can implement to assist the residents to permanently pull themselves out of poverty.