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An Econometric Investigation of the Impact of Foreign Trade on Economic Growth: The Case of Namibia
No full textThis study investigated the impact of foreign trade on economic growth in Namibia for the period 1990-2012 using the Auto-regression Distributed Lag (ARDL) method. Further, annual time series macroeconomic data was utilised. The results show co-integrating relationships amongst the variables used in the study suggesting the possibility of a long-run relationship amongst these variables. Secondly, the study found positive relationships amongst the four variables used in the study implying that foreign trade could potentially be used to promote economic growth. The result is also in line with economic postulation. Thirdly, the model used for the study was found to be stable from an econometric point of view. Based on these results the study puts forward various policies that would make Namibian exports to have a comparative and competitive edge in international markets. In this context, the study stressed the importance of investing in the country’s export-oriented sectors for the sake of promoting foreign trade and economic growth in Namibia
Planned layouts v. ‘Planning for slums’: The case of Rehoboth Ext. 5 & 6
No full textThe project in question refers to the case of 'Ext.5 & 6' in Rehoboth, in which the speaker took part as employee of the town and regional planning consultancy office that undertook the assignment. The aim was to provide a formal layout to an informal settlement East of Rehoboth in the quickest way possible. The case shows some of the challenges that are faced in the process of formalisation when the goal is to provide a planned plot for dignified living low-income vis-a-vis the full land delivery process from surveying to proclamation
Thesis Presented for the research project in fulfilment of the Degree of Master of Computer Science at the Namibia University of Science and Technology.
No full textOver the past few years, we have witnessed a paradigm shift in the way public data is administered. The need to effectively manage public data has led to an increased adoption of open data initiatives by many governments. Open data is an initiative that advocates for public data to be freely available for all to use and redistribute without restrictions. However, lack of awareness about opportunities and the benefits of open data among citizens, as well as the steadfastness of governments to control certain public data are some of the challenges facing open data initiatives. Nevertheless, high mobile internet penetration and the effectiveness of persuasive computing present an opportunity to alleviate these challenges and unleash open data potential. Furthermore, the power of persuasive technologies such as mobile applications to influence and change user behaviours present even greater opportunities to create awareness on a larger scale. This study proposes a mobile application as a best practice example to increase awareness, persuade both government and citizens to change their attitudes towards open data and therefore increase the use of public data in Namibia. The developed mobile application using public bus stops geolocation data aims at improving access to public transportation services within the City of Windhoek. The obtained results show that the application could extract stops and routes, and schedule information from the database as well as display them to the user. However, the application could not track buses in real time
Participatory land delivery processes in Gobabis: the case of Freedom Square.
No full textThe project in question refers to the case of 'Freedom Square' in Gobabis, which is a cooperation between the Municipality of Gobabis and the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN), the Namibia Housing Action Group (NHAG), the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), and other international parties. The project is motivated by an agenda of 'inclusive cities': through close collaboration with existing residents in the area, the process of land delivery is expedited and turned into an exercise of making inhabitants drivers in the improvement of living conditions
ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NAMIBIA: EVIDENCE FROM ANNUAL DATA
No full textThe driving objective of the study was to measure in quantitative terms the influence of foreign direct investment on economic growth through cointegration techniques. Namibia was used as a case study. Annual dataset stretching from 1990 to 2014 was also applied. The imperative findings arising from the study constitutes the following: The study found long-run relationships among all the variables under consideration in the econometric model. The estimated long-run equation also indicates a positive association between the explanatory variables and real gross domestic product. In particular, net foreign direct capital was found to have a stronger influence on economic growth compared to openness and real foreign exchange rate. Correspondingly, a unidirectional relationship running from real exchange rate to net foreign direct investments was found. In addition, amongst the three explanatory variables used in the model, openness and net foreign direct investment contributed more towards innovations in economic growth during the forecast horizon compared to real exchange rate variable. The research paper concludes by creating opportunities for further investigations
Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Natural Resources Management at the Namibia University of Science and Technology
No full textEnvironmental and anthropogenic patterns are the major factors that determine plant
persistence across the landscape over a long-term period. The spatio-temporal
patterns of vegetation distribution in the Namib Desert biome is attributed to the
climatic conditions, geomorphology and edaphic features. Landscape patterns in the
environmental conditions (e.g. rainfall and fog) of the Namib Desert have been
described as a complex gradient that has a major influence on vegetation over time.
Welwitschia mirabilis Hook. fil (Gnetales: Welwitschiaceae), commonly known as
Welwitschia, is one of the Namib Desert endemic species. Many surveys have
reported that desert plants, such as Welwitschia are well adjusted to environmental
stressors. Nevertheless, cumulative impacts (potential impacts include interference
with the water supply and deposition of dust) resulting from developments in the
central Namib such as uranium mines might significantly affect the Welwitschia plants’
survival. These impacts and the changing baseline conditions might affect their
physiological processes, thus their growth and reproduction.
In this study, we measured chlorophyll a fluorescence (as an indicator of
photosynthetic efficiency), leaf growth rate and cone dimensions to determine whether
there are spatial and temporal differences among Welwitschia plants across
catchments over time. The study showed a clear effect of topography, climatic
conditions and anthropogenic effects, with plants in different catchments being clearly
healthier than others during some months. We observed an increase in the
photosynthetic efficiency and leaf growth rate accelerated by the episodic rainfall that
occurred during January and April months across all catchments. Anthropogenic
effects such as browsing by domestic animals probably caused the reduction in
photosynthetic efficiency of plants located at the Welwitschia Wash catchment in
December. Plants that were located at Welwitschia campsite catchment had the
lowest photosynthetic efficiency and leaf growth rate throughout our investigation
when compared to plants in other catchments. We have established a baseline study
that can be used to develop a protocol to monitor the plant physiological status of
Welwitschia. In this way, the results from the study will feed into a management
strategy for this Welwitschia population. Apart from that, the findings may also aid
restoration as well as rehabilitation measures such as transplantation and reintroduction
of this unique plant by understanding its current functional health status
across the landscape and over time
Applying a Problem Based Learning Approach to Land Management Education:The case of Aalborg University, Denmark
No full textThis paper is work in progress and draws from previous research. The paper supports the lecture on
Problem Based Learning given at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) on 3 March 2016
A Mobile Application for Health Information Dissemination: a Namibian Context
No full textMobile devices have become the most powerful tool to
disseminate information across communities in today’s world.
The current method of disseminating health-related information
to the communities in Namibia is a manual system which is not
efficient and effective. This study sought to identify an efficient
and effective way to disseminate health information. The first
phase of the study was qualitative, applying an interpretive
approach and a qualitative multi-case study research design.
Two hospitals, the Ministry of Health and Social Services
(MoHSS), the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and members of
the community participated in this study. Face-to-face interviews,
focus group interviews, questionnaires and document sampling
were used as data collection methods to identify the requirements
for a mobile application. Through laboratory experimentation,
the second phase of the study led to the development of a
prototype mobile application that will enable anyone to install the
application on their phones in order to access general diseases
information from the CDC.The first phase of the research
concluded that a large number of Namibians own cellphones
hence a mobile application would suffice. The most prevalent
diseases from the research are malaria, diabetes, cancer and
HIV, hence the initial application should concentrate on
information dissemination for such. The mobile application
content covers the common diseases in Namibia, their definition,
the causes of the disease, the symptoms of the disease, how to
prevent the disease and whom to contact.In the research
conducted, the majority of the population is literate hence the
application can support text-based information in addition to
graphics. The research also found that a large number of people
visit clinics and hospitals hence the mobile application will
benefit both even those who visit clinics and hospitals as well
provided they have smartphone
A case study of small-scale farmers in Namibia’s Oshikoto Region
No full textBrot für die Welt (Bread for the World
