UNAM Gā-aisib Repository (University of Namibia)
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An analysis of the nexus between public debt and private investment: Evidence from Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in EconomicsPublic debt in Namibia has been rising over the years and the question is whether the
persistently high debt level can negatively affect private gross fixed capital formation or not.
Applying the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model for cointegration on data for the
period 2010Q1 to 2019Q4, this study empirically examined the nexus between public debt and
private gross fixed capital formation in Namibia. The ARDL test results revealed the existence
of a long-run relationship between the variables. Domestic debt and interest rate were found to
have a statistically significant negative effect on private gross fixed capital formation in the
long-run. These findings are consistent with the Classical and Neoclassical Views, which state
that domestic debt crowds-out private investment. Moreover, the Granger Causality test was
employed as a confirmatory test to determine the direction of causality between public debt
and private gross fixed capital formation. The Granger Causality test results show the presence
of no causality between public debt and private investment in Namibia. A bi-directional
relationship was, however, found to exist between interest rate and private gross fixed capital
formation. Moreover, a statistically significant bi-directional causal relation was also
discovered between gross domestic product and gross fixed capital formation. Policy
implications from these findings are that proper debt management to support private gross fixed
capital formation in Namibia is fundamental. Furthermore, the newly established revenue
agency could create new avenues to raise funds to widen the revenue base. Finally, the
government could moderately increase external borrowing, albeit with caution, as external debt
can be susceptible to external shocks, which affect debt service cos
Investigating factors influencing sustainability of community based projects in Gobabis, Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of master in business administration: Management strategyThe sustainability of community-based projects is important for economic development and
improvement of the welfare of the locals. Constituencies, however, have been accused of
ignoring the community’s needs. The study investigated the factors influencing sustainability of
community-based projects in Gobabis Constituency, Namibia. It specifically sought to; establish
the types of community-based projects (CBP) available in Gobabis Constituency, Namibia;
establish how community participation affects sustainability of community-based projects in
Gobabis Constituency, Namibia; assess the influence funding had on the sustainability of
community-based projects in Gobabis Constituency, Namibia; establish the role of project
implementers on the sustainability of community-based projects in Gobabis Constituency,
Namibia and suggest best practice strategies that can impact sustainability of community-based
projects in Gobabis Constituency, Namibia. The study used sequential exploratory design. A
mixed research approach was also used to allow for the integration of both methods’ strengths.
The population of this study was 250 community-based project’s beneficiaries, staff members at
Gobabis Constituency office as well as Omaheke Regional Council. Questionnaires and
interview guide were used to collect data. Quantitative data collected were presented in the form
of charts, graphs and tables and analyzed through content analysis. Qualitative data was analyzed
through thematic analysis. The results for both quantitative and qualitative study found that; most
respondents were aware of what community-based projects are, and most officials had
experience working with community projects. Respondents also agreed to the fact that
community-based projects have some advantages to them. The study concludes that community based projects are important as they improve the living standards of people in that community.
Based on the findings, the following recommendations were given: there is a need to involve
beneficiaries from the beginning of the projects and there is great need to empower the project
members, to develop policies and implement them as well as enact the monitoring and evaluation
mechanisms to reverse the need of unsustainabilit
An investigation into the causes of customer loan default at the Agricultural Bank of Namibia, Oshakati branch
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration (Management Strategy)Agribank has faced credit risk of borrowers not repaying loans on time as per the loan
contract. This has resulted in financial losses to the ban . The Bank is concerned with
the low rate of loan recovery on its scheduled loan instalments. This concem is due to
clients defaulting, resulting in a persistent growth in the arrear loan book. Though the
bank has adequate security in place for its loan portfolio, the impact of a low rate of
debt collection on its liquidity remains a cause for concern. This study sought to
investigate factors that cause customers to default on loan repayments on loans
financed by Agribank. Due to strict privacy of the Bank, information was only
assessable to the authorised persons. The mixed method approach was adopted for the
study. The study used a semi-structured questionnaire for customers and a semi structured interview guide for staff members. The sample size was 187 participants
that comprising of 37% female and 63% male, with the biggest age group of 41-50
years contributing 44.9%. The loan accounts represented in the study were livestock,
h01iiculture, tractor, and poultry. The study identified that poor loan-monitoring and
follow-up, poor credit risk assessment, high interest rates, and grace period were the
specific factors from the bank's side that affected the level of loan repayment. On the
other hand, business experience, loan size and multiple loans, loan diversion and, other
income were the reasons for defaulting from the customer's side. This study
recommends that Agribank should enforce its loan monitoring officers to always
follow up on the loans taken and to strengthen credit risk assessment. Training
workshops were suggested for customers in areas that concern credit or loans, its
sustainability, and activities that are considered to help the repayment of the loans or
that lead to defaults thereo
An investigation into the economic impact of creating a foot and mouth disease free zone in the Central North of Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration (Management Strategy)The purpose of this study was to investigate into the economic impact of creating a
Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) free zone in the central north ofNamibia. A Veterinary
Cordon Fence (VCF) is a large-scale fence-line constructed for the purpose of
controlling livestock contagious diseases such as FMD. Lucrative international meat
export markets are the main reason countries come up with and protect FMD free
zones. Namibia has VCF running across the country from east to west almost dividing
the country in the middle. The beef products from the Northern VCF (NVCF) are not
allowed to cross the VCF to the Southern parts of the country because the Southern
VCF (SVCF) area is regarded as a FMD free zone while the NVCF area is regarded as
a FMD infected zone. Currently, Namibia international beef markets do not buy beef
products from the NVCF-FMD infected zone. As a result, farmers from the NVCF are
complaining that the current situation prevents them from benefitting from the
lucrative export beef market as compared to farmers in the South. This study adopted
the explanatory research design focusing on desk research. The results of the study
showed a statistically significant increase (P<O.OS) on average price and revenue for
the proposed new FMD free zone compared to maintaining the FMD protection zone.
Based on the result, it can be concluded that creating a new FMD free zone in the
central north is economically viable, with the economic benefits outweighing the costs
over the long term. Since this study was limited to the economic impact of creating a
new FMD free zone confined to the direct income from selling cattle and excluded
other monetary and non-monetary benefits such as milk, hides, employment creation,
contribution to GDP and levy; a comprehensive study is fUJther recommended to
include these aspects so as to arrive at a better conclusio
Investigating the transmission of monetary policy through the bank lending channel in Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration (Management Strategy)Investigating the transmission of monetary policy is important for an economy. Many channels
exist through which monetary policy decisions affect the economy. This paper examines the bank
lending channel, which reflects the central bank's actions that affect loan supply and real spending.
It is necessary to understand how effective the channels of transmission are, in affecting economic
activities in a given country. This study investigates the transmission of monetary policy through
the bank lending channel in Namibia using four variables namely: gross domestic product (GDP),
interest rate, inflation and bank lending. The study used a Vector Auto-regression (V AR) approach
to estimate time series annual data from Q 1 2009 to Q4 2018. The study employed techniques such
as unit root tests, co-integration, impulse responses and variance decomposition. The co integration test results revealed that co-integration exists among variables. The impulse response
function showed that output growth responded negatively to repo rate. The increase in interest rate
results in a decline in economic activities due to high interest on borrowing and thus a decrease in
economic growth. The variance decomposition indicated that fluctuations in output growth were
attributed to itself. While the total contribution of interest rate, bank lending and inflation was
relatively insignificant. The error forecast of bank lending was attributed by itself with an
insignificant contribution of output growth and non by interest rate and inflation. Fluctuations in
forecasting interest rate were greatly attributed to bank lending and small contributions by the
other variables. The error forecast of inflation was greatly dominated by itself. As the trend fell,
there was a significant increase in the contribution of output growth and a slight contribution by
the other variable
The role of human rights and documentation centre on the academic performance of undergraduate law students at the University of Namibia
No full textThe Human Rights and Documentation Centre (HRDC) serves the central mission of
creating and cultivating a sustainable culture of human rights and democracy. It is a semi-autonomous component of the Faculty of Law of the University of Namibia (UNAM) and it supports staff and students in terms of their information needs. The purpose of the study was to determine the role of the University of Namibia’s HRDC on the academic performance of undergraduate law students at the University of Namibia. The study employed a mixed research approach by using questionnaires and structured interviews to collect data. The target population was the undergraduate law students and staff members of the HRDC. A structured interview was conducted with one of the HRDC staff as the key informant, on the other hand survey questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data from students. Purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting the sample size of 1 key informant from the staff members, and convenience sampling technique to come up with a sample size of 50 undergraduate law students who used the centre. The study fi ndings revealed that the collections found in the centre were relevant, helpful and very supportive in support of the academic performance of students. Students found the collections to be old and the centre’s operating hours to be a hindrance for students to fully utilise the centre. The study recommends marketing and user advocacy to raise awareness of the library services. The study further recommends that the centre should update its collections more often and adjust their operating hours to accommodate most students
Investigating the compliance of the City of Windhoek to king IV corporate governance principles from 2018 -2020
No full textA research thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Business Administration (Management Strategy)Corporate Governance remains a serious challenge in Namibia, especially in the
public sector organisations including local authorities. For best practices in corporate governance local authorities are guided by the Act No. 23 of 1992 on local
authorities, NamCode and the South African King IV. However, despite having these
instruments, the City of Windhoek seems to be experiencing challenges in complying with corporate governance. In particular, the City of Windhoek is failing
to keep to corporate governance areas and attending to non-corporate issues, a
practice which is undermining effective delivery of the council strategy. It is against
this background that a qualitative descriptive study was conducted to investigate the City of Windhoek compliance with King IV municipal corporate governance
principles. The study analysed a set of 36 council meeting agendas and minutes from 2018 t0 2020 to determine compliance to corporate governance business. The same analysis sought to establish the council board attention to non-corporate governance issues.
Data from the council meetings minutes were analysed using content
analysis. The study also interviewed five departmental heads to determine the extent to which the board is involved in non- corporate governance issues. Data from interviews was analysed using thematic data analysis.
Findings from analysis of the council board agendas and minutes revealed that the
City of Windhoek complies with King IV corporate governance principles which
include policy making, strategic planning, risks planning and management,
stakeholder engagement and management and supervision and monitoring the
municipal business. The study also established that the City of Windhoek carries out the fiduciary responsibilities as guided by the Act No. 23 of 1992 on local
authorities. However, the study established that the board over step into non corporate governance operations which are under department managers. Failure to
observe separation of responsibilities was found to negatively affect the character of
the board and creating conflict with operations management. Based on these
findings, the study recommended the need for the City of Windhoek to revisit its
responsibilities and as well analyse the clause on separation of responsibilities. In
addition, the study recommended the City of Windhoek board to consider its
engagement and communication strategy with the operations department so as to
define the link between the two functions
Synthesis and characterization of cyanuric-based dye-sensitizer for solar cells, their photo-response in the visible region and chemosensing properties
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in ChemistryTwo cyanuric-based potential dye-sensitizers were synthesized (Dye 1 & Dye 2), and characterized spectroscopically, UV-vis and FTIR among other techniques. Their photoresponse properties in the visible region were investigated (in ethanol at 1×10−5M) and studied. In addition, solvatochromic effect was also investigated, in solvents such as acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol and toluene. It was established that both dyes have good solubility in ethanol and acetonitrile, compared to the others. Photophysical measurements suggest that the compounds display fitting light absorption characteristics for use as sensitizer in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), with absorption maxima centered in the visible region in both cases. However, Dye 2 (compared to Dye 1) is highly likely to be more functional as a solar material, as evidenced by its wide absorption range in the visible region resulting from its appropriate charge transfer mechanism, the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), which may translate into enhanced photon harvesting. In addition, Dye 1 & Dye 2 can function as chemosensors by exploiting the same ICT mechanism, which makes them suitable for dye sensitizers. Subsequently, upon conducting UV-Vis analysis, Dye 1 appears to have selective recognition of Al3+ and Cu2+, whereas Dye 2 has a selective recognition of Pb2+ from all the cations that they were tested against (Al+, Co2+, Cr2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, K+, Li+, Pb2+). Similarly, Dye 1 and Dye 2 were also tested against anions (SO42-, AcO-, Br-, CN-, F-, NO3- and PO43-), in which Dye 1 demonstrated selective recognition of SO42-, CN-, PO42- and F- , while Dye 2 has selective recognition of ONLY SO42- and F-. Thus, Dye 1 & Dye 2 are both classified as dual sensors, for possessing more than one recognition site with its structural framework
A study on Grade 12 teachers' understanding and application of reflective teaching and learners' performance in the Zambezi region
No full textA dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Education (Curriculum Instruction and Assessment Studies)Grade 12 learners’ academic performance remains a concern in the Zambezi Region since 2010. The Region has lagged to the bottom of the national rankings in the Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary (NSSCO) level results consecutively in four academic years: 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016 (Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, 2010 - 2016). The (NSSCO) level results of 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 were not different from this observed trend. This study identified the lack of reflective teaching as one of the factors that contributes to poor performance of leaners, among others. Reflective teaching should be viewed as a teachers’ tool for professional growth and development, rather than a stumbling block in the day to day teaching / learning activities. Though there are other variables that are known to influence learners’ academic performance, this study focused on the teachers’ understanding and application of reflective teaching and its influence on learners’ academic performance. Literature indicates the need for teachers to engage in reflective teaching in order to enhance learning and the academic performance of learners.
The study followed a mixed methods case study design. In this study, the target population were all senior secondary school (Grade11-12) teachers in the Zambezi educational region. A purposively selected sample of five senior secondary schools out of ten was considered for this study. Stratified purposive sampling was applied in selecting the fifteen teachers to participate in this study. The school principals automatically constituted the sample of the study which implied that the inclusive sample of this study was twenty participants (teachers and principals included).
In this study, the theoretical premises and the methodological solutions are influenced by three theories that align closely with reflective teaching, learners’ performance and
view learning and teaching as a constructed phenomenon; namely the social constructivism theory, cognitive constructivism theory and the metacognition theory.
Instruments that were used to identify teachers’ reflective teaching skills were: Reflective Teaching Closed and Open - ended Questionnaire (RTCOEQ) Appendix A for teachers, Reflective Teaching Lesson Observation Checklist (RTLOC) Appendix B for teachers and the Reflective Teaching Interview Schedule (RTIS) Appendix C for teachers and principals. In this study, common trends in the data collected were analysed by adapting the steps developed by Creswell and Clark (2018) for data analysis. The findings of this study revealed that teachers were not well trained to effectively execute reflective teaching in their classes. Teacher who endeavoured to apply reflective teaching complained that lack of time and equipment prevented them from effectively applying reflective teaching. Some school principals’ definition of reflective teaching confirmed the need to equip teachers with skills and knowledge in reflective teaching. This led to the conclusion that the current observed poor performance of grade 12 learners in the NSSCO examinations in the Zambezi region is directly or indirectly related to the absence of effective reflective teaching in that region. It was therefore recommended that opportunities be availed where teachers can upgrade their skills and knowledge on reflective teaching. In response to the identified needs of teachers’ in reflective teaching, this study produced a tool (a teacher’s guide in reflective teaching) to help guide teachers in executing reflective teaching. Further research is recommended into what evidence and criteria shape judgements about reflective teaching and how the school based staff may effectively incorporate reflective teaching in their daily learning and teaching activities
Exploring various promising green strategy for recycling spend mushroom substrate through desktop research analysis
No full textDisposal of waste generated after the harvesting of mushrooms is one of the major problems in mushroom cultivation industries. There is an urgent need for a technology that produces high-value products from the spent mushroom substrate. This need came as a result of a huge amount of spent mushroom substrate produced by the edible mushroom industry which is on an increase in many countries around the world. If not well maintained, spent mushroom substrate could cause major environmental problems which are already felt in many mushroom-producing countries. Most problems reported are associated lack of knowledge for treatment and disposal of the spent mushroom substrate. Available information has
revealed that many potential agricultural and industrial uses of the spent mushroom substrate include fertilizer manufacturing, animal feed, compost for soil enrichment, treatment for coal mine drainage, bioremediation, enzyme extraction, and novel bio-sorbent. This review aims at outlining some important techniques used in making use of the biological and agricultural waste emanating from mushroom growing activities around the world. The review aims at availing some possible initiatives on reducing environmental waste through zero disposal of mushroom production waste while at the same time utilizing low-value materials to produce value-added products and generate income