The Namibia Economist

Competitiveness slips

This year Namibia has dropped further down the Global Competitiveness Rankings to 92nd out of 144 countries surveyed. The Global Competitiveness Report reviews the general competitiveness of economies across the globe in terms of the various roles that the Government and the private sector have to do.
In the section on Namibia, the report states :“Namibia continues its downward trend and falls nine places this year to 92nd place, with weakening across most areas measured by the Index. The country continues to benefit from a relatively well functioning institutional environment (52nd), with well- protected property rights, an independent judiciary, and reasonably strong public trust in politicians. The country’s transport infrastructure is also good by regional standards (59th). Financial markets are developed by international standards (47th) and buttressed by solid confidence in financial institutions (23rd), although their overall assessment has weakened for three years in a row.”
With regard to weaknesses, as in much of the region, Namibia’s health and education indicators are worrisome. The country is ranked a low 120th on the health sub-pillar, with high infant mortality and low life expectancy as a result, in large part, of the high rates of communicable diseases. On the educational side, enrolment rates remain low and the quality of the educational system remains poor, ranked 127th.”
Botswana has improved its competitiveness ranking from position 80 to 79.

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