Editing Namibia (section)

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Namibia}}
[[File:Namibia GDP per capita.png|thumb|Namibia GDP per capita, 2000–2022]]
[[File:Downtown Windhoek, Independence Avenue.jpg|thumb|Downtown [[Windhoek]]]]

The trans-African automobile route – the [[Tripoli-Cape Town Highway]] and the [[Trans-Kalahari Corridor]] pass through Namibia. Namibia's economy is tied closely to [[Economy of South Africa|South Africa]]'s due to their shared history.<ref name="Intelligence1">[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/namibia/ Namibia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110010829/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/namibia |date=10 January 2021 }}. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].</ref><ref name="Department1">{{cite web|url=http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/namibia.htm|title=Namibia|publisher=UCB Libraries GovPubs|access-date=26 August 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221805/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/namibia.htm|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref> In Q3 2023, the largest economic sectors were mining (18.0% of GDP), public administration (12.9%), manufacturing (10.1%), and education (9.2%).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cirrus Data|url=https://cirrus.com.na/dataportal/|access-date=14 November 2023|website=cirrus.com.na|archive-date=9 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109150442/https://cirrus.com.na/dataportal/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Namibia has a highly developed banking and financial services sector with modern infrastructures, such as online banking and cellphone banking. The [[Bank of Namibia]] (BoN) is the central bank of Namibia responsible for performing all other functions ordinarily performed by a central bank. There are five BoN authorised commercial banks in Namibia: Bank Windhoek, First National Bank, Nedbank, Standard Bank and Small and Medium Enterprises Bank.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bon.com.na/|title=Bank of Namibia (BoN)|access-date=3 April 2011|archive-date=10 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310083527/https://www.bon.com.na/|url-status=live}}</ref> Namibia's economy is characterised by a divide between the formal and the informal economies, which is in part aggravated by the legacy of apartheid spatial planning.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Laufs|first=Johannes|year=2011|title=Document: Bridging the Economic Divide in Urban Areas of Namibia: Townships within the Local Economic Development Framework|url=http://rgdoi.net/10.13140/RG.2.1.1825.5600|doi=10.13140/RG.2.1.1825.5600|website=ResearchGate|access-date=15 August 2022|archive-date=18 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518174502/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305769010_Document_Bridging_the_Economic_Divide_in_Urban_Areas_of_Namibia_Townships_within_the_Local_Economic_Development_Framework?channel=doi&linkId=57a060ae08ae100d38089643&showFulltext=true|url-status=live}}</ref>

The country's unemployment rate was 33.4% in 2018, with a labour force of 1,090,153.<ref>{{cite web|date=9 April 2013|title=Unemployment and labour force|url=https://cirrus.com.na/dataportal/|website=Cirrus Data|publisher=Namibia Statistics Agency|access-date=9 November 2023|archive-date=9 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109150442/https://cirrus.com.na/dataportal/|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2023, the country has a youth unemployment rate of 38.4%,<ref>{{Cite web|title=World Bank Open Data|url=https://data.worldbank.org/|access-date=3 April 2024|website=World Bank Open Data|archive-date=26 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526025607/https://data.worldbank.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> one of the highest in the world. However, Namibia has a high percentage of skilled labour relative to SADC countries and have relatively low unemployment rates for skilled workers. To fight high unemployment, particularly amongst the youth, the government approved the introduction of an Internship Tax Incentive Programme aimed at incentivising employers to enroll more interns by providing an additional corporate tax deduction. The total financial implication for the Government is estimated at N$126 million.

[[Poverty in Namibia|Poverty]] and inequality remain significant in the country. 40.9% of the population is affected by [[Multidimensional Poverty Index|multidimensional poverty]] while an additional 19.2 percent is classified as vulnerable to multidimensional poverty.<ref name=":5" /> [[Income disparity]] in the country remains one of the world's highest with a [[Gini coefficient]] of 59.1 in 2015.<ref name=":6" />

In 2004 a labour act was passed to protect people from job discrimination stemming from pregnancy and HIV/AIDS status. In early 2010 the Government [[tender board]] announced that "henceforth 100 per cent of all unskilled and semi-skilled labour must be sourced, without exception, from within Namibia".<ref>Mongudhi, Tileni (3 February 2010 ) [http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?archive_id=62400&page_type=archive_story_detail&page=2597 "Tender Board tightens rules to protect jobs"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002120324/http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?archive_id=62400&page_type=archive_story_detail&page=2597 |date=2 October 2013 }}. ''The Namibian''</ref>

In 2013, global business and financial news provider [[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] named Namibia the top emerging market economy in Africa and the 13th best in the world. Only four African countries made the Top 20 Emerging Markets list in the March 2013 issue of Bloomberg Markets magazine, and Namibia was rated ahead of [[Morocco]] (19th), South Africa (15th), and Zambia (14th). Worldwide, Namibia also fared better than Hungary, Brazil, and Mexico. Bloomberg Markets magazine ranked the top 20 based on more than a dozen criteria. The data came from Bloomberg's own financial-market statistics, IMF forecasts and the World Bank. The countries were also rated on areas of particular interest to foreign investors: the ease of doing business, the perceived level of corruption and economic freedom. To attract foreign investment, the government has made improvement in reducing red tape resulted from excessive government regulations, making Namibia one of the least bureaucratic places to do business in the region. Facilitation payments are occasionally demanded by customs due to cumbersome and costly customs procedures.<ref>{{cite web|title=Snapshot of Namibia Country Profile|url=http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/sub-saharan-africa/namibia/snapshot.aspx|publisher=Business Anti-Corruption Portal|access-date=6 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220022104/http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/sub-saharan-africa/namibia/snapshot.aspx|archive-date=20 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Namibia is also classified as an Upper Middle Income country by the [[World Bank]], and ranks 87th out of 185 economies in terms of ease of doing business.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/namibia/|title=Namibia|publisher=Doingbusiness.org|date=10 January 2013|access-date=10 September 2013|archive-date=26 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926174152/http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/namibia/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[cost of living in Namibia]] is slightly above average because most goods, including cereals, need to be imported. Its capital city, Windhoek, is the 150th most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xpatulator.com/outside.cfm?lid=142|title=Namibia, Windhoek Cost of Living|website=Apatulator.com|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-date=18 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018162413/http://www.xpatulator.com/outside.cfm?lid=142|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Taxation in Namibia]] includes personal income tax, which is applicable to the total taxable income of an individual. All individuals are taxed at progressive marginal rates over a series of income brackets. Tax in Namibia is less than South African tax at monthly incomes greater than N$58,754, with the country's effective tax rates typically plateauing at a maximum of 30.8% while South Africa's plateaus at 37.4%.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tannan Groenewald on LinkedIn: #namibia #southafrica #taxrates #economicanalysis #research #graph… {{!}} 13 comments|url=https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tannangroenewald_namibia-southafrica-taxrates-activity-7079761649959583744-C0Se|access-date=9 November 2023|via=LinkedIn|archive-date=9 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109211850/https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tannangroenewald_namibia-southafrica-taxrates-activity-7079761649959583744-C0Se|url-status=live}}</ref> This makes it favourable for wealthy South Africans to migrate to Namibia given their similar cost of living, cultures and socio-economic factors. In 2024, the government announced in its FY 2024/25 Budget Statement that personal income tax would be lowered, increasing the minimum taxable income from N$50,000 to N$100,000 and reducing taxable income in higher brackets as well.<ref name="FY202425">{{cite web|last1=Shiimi|first1=Ipumbu|title=Budget Statement for the 2024/25 Financial Year|url=https://www.parliament.na/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Republic-of-Namibia-2024-25-Budget-Statement.pdf|publisher=Parliament of Namibia|access-date=5 June 2024|archive-date=25 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525051515/https://www.parliament.na/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Republic-of-Namibia-2024-25-Budget-Statement.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The value-added tax (VAT) is applicable to most of the commodities and services, except for staple goods such as bread.<ref>PAYE12 Volume 18 published by [[Ministry of Finance (Namibia)|Ministry of Finance]]</ref>

[[File:Sandstorm while driving from Swakopmund to Walfish Bay, 2005.jpg|thumb|The [[B2 road (Namibia)|B2]] between [[Swakopmund]] and [[Walvis Bay]], Namibia]]
Despite the remote nature of much of the country, Namibia has seaports, airports, highways, well-maintained roads, infrastructure and [[Rail transport in Namibia|railways]] (narrow-gauge). It is an important regional transportation hub for its seaports and trade with landlocked neighbouring countries. The Central Plateau already serves as a [[transportation corridor]] from the more densely populated north to South Africa, the source of four-fifths of Namibia's imports.<ref name="World Almanac 2004" />

===Agriculture===
{{Main|Agriculture in Namibia}}
[[File:Schildburgsdorf.jpg|thumb|Welcoming sign of the ''Burgsdorf'' farm in [[Hardap Region|Hardap]]]]
About half of the population depends on agriculture (largely [[subsistence agriculture]]) for its livelihood, but Namibia must still import some of its food. Although per capita GDP is five times the per capita GDP of Africa's poorest countries, the majority of Namibia's people live in rural areas and have a subsistence way of life. Namibia has one of the [[List of countries by income equality|highest rates of income inequality]] in the world, due in part to the fact that there is an urban economy and a more rural cashless economy. The inequality figures thus take into account people who do not actually rely on the formal economy for their survival. Although arable land accounts for <1% of Namibia, (about .97%), nearly half of the population is employed in agriculture.<ref name="World Almanac 2004">World Almanac. 2004.</ref>

About 4,000 commercial farmers own almost half of Namibia's arable land.<ref>LaFraniere, Sharon (25 December 2004) [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/25/international/africa/25namibia.html Tensions Simmer as Namibia Divides Its Farmland"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119035509/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/25/world/africa/tensions-simmer-as-namibia-divides-its-farmland.html |date=19 November 2020 }}, ''The New York Times''</ref> The United Kingdom offered about $180,000 in 2004 to help finance Namibia's [[land reform]] process, as Namibia plans to start expropriating land from white farmers to resettle landless black Namibians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=51556|title=NAMIBIA: Key step in land reform completed|publisher=IRIN Africa|date=1 October 2004|access-date=10 September 2013|archive-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910215321/http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=51556|url-status=live}}</ref> Germany has offered €1.1bn in 2021 over 30 years in reparations for the genocides in the early 20th century but the money will go towards infrastructure, healthcare and training programmes not land reform.<ref>{{cite news|title=Germany officially recognises colonial-era Namibia genocide|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57279008|publisher=BBC|date=28 May 2021|access-date=14 November 2021|archive-date=14 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114175333/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57279008|url-status=live}}</ref>

An agreement has been reached on the [[privatisation]] of several more enterprises in coming years, with hopes that this will stimulate much needed foreign investment, but reinvestment of environmentally derived capital has hobbled Namibian per capita income.<ref name=Lange/> One of the fastest growing areas of economic development in Namibia is the growth of [[Communal Wildlife Conservancies in Namibia|wildlife conservancies]].

===Mining and electricity===
{{main|Mining in Namibia}}

Providing 25% of Namibia's revenue, mining is the single most important contributor to the economy.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mining in Namibia|url=http://www.nied.edu.na/divisions/projects/SEEN/SEEN%20Publications/Environmental%20Information%20Sheets/Development%20and%20Environment/4.%20Mining%20in%20Namibia.pdf|publisher=NIED|access-date=26 June 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510004055/http://www.nied.edu.na/divisions/projects/SEEN/SEEN%20Publications/Environmental%20Information%20Sheets/Development%20and%20Environment/4.%20Mining%20in%20Namibia.pdf|archive-date=10 May 2011}}</ref> Namibia is the fourth largest exporter of non-fuel minerals in Africa and was the world's fourth largest producer of [[uranium]]. There have been significant investment in [[uranium mining]] and Namibia planned to become the largest exporter of uranium by 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infomine.com/publications/docs/Mining.com/Feb2008e.pdf|publisher=MINING.com|title=Mining Uranium at Namibia's Langer Heinrich Mine|last=Oancea|first=Dan|date=February 2008|access-date=16 April 2010|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051609/http://www.infomine.com/publications/docs/Mining.com/Feb2008e.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> However, as of 2019 Namibia continued to produce 750 tons of uranium annually making it a smaller than average exporter in the competitive world market.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mining.com/web/70-years-of-global-uranium-production-by-country/|title=70 years of global uranium production by country|first=Govind|last=Bhutada|date=23 September 2021|publisher=Visual Capitalist Elements|via=Mining.Com|access-date=24 June 2022|archive-date=8 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808065922/https://www.mining.com/web/70-years-of-global-uranium-production-by-country/|url-status=live}}</ref> Rich [[Alluvium|alluvial]] diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://technology.infomine.com/articles/1/99/deep-sea-mining.undersea-miners.black-smoker/deep-sea.mining.and.aspx|title=Deep-Sea Mining and Exploration|last=Oancea|first=Dan|publisher=Technology.infomine.com|date=6 November 2006|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-date=27 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627093407/http://technology.infomine.com/articles/1/99/deep-sea-mining.undersea-miners.black-smoker/deep-sea.mining.and.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> While Namibia is known predominantly for its gem diamond and uranium deposits, a number of other minerals are extracted industrially such as [[lead]], [[tungsten]], [[gold]], [[tin]], [[fluorspar]], [[manganese]], [[marble]], [[copper]] and [[zinc]]. Country's gold production in 2015 is 6 metric tons.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gold production |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gold-production?tab=table |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129233804/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gold-production?tab=table |archive-date=29 November 2023 |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=Our World in Data |url-status=live }}</ref> There are offshore gas deposits in the Atlantic Ocean that are planned to be extracted in the future.<ref name="usds">{{cite web|date=26 October 2010|title=Background Note:Namibia|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5472.htm|access-date=26 August 2017|publisher=[[United States Department of State|US Department of State]]|archive-date=21 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021205038/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5472.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> According to "The Diamond Investigation", a book about the global diamond market, from 1978, [[De Beers]], the largest diamond company, bought most of the Namibian diamonds, and would continue to do so, because "whatever government eventually comes to power they will need this revenue to survive".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/diamond/chap1.htm|title=The Diamond Investigation, chapter 1 by Edward Jay Epstein, in an interview with Harry Frederick Oppenheimer owner of De Beers|publisher=Edwardjayepstein.com|date=4 December 1978|access-date=10 September 2013|archive-date=19 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919080623/http://edwardjayepstein.com/diamond/chap1.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Although much of the world's diamond supply comes from what have been called African [[blood diamonds]], Namibia has managed to develop a diamond mining industry largely free of the kinds of conflict, extortion, and murder that have plagued many other African nations with diamond mines. This has been attributed to political dynamics, economic institutions, grievances, political geography, and the effects of neighbourhoods, and is the result of a joint agreement between the government and [[De Beers]] that has led to a taxable base, strengthening state institutions.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=South African Security|title=Diamonds Without Blood: A Look at Namibia|author=Nathan Munier|date=1 March 2016|volume=9|issue=1|pages=21–41|doi=10.1080/19392206.2016.1132903|s2cid=147267236}}</ref>

Estimates updated in 2022 suggest that two exploration wells in the offshore Orange Basin could hold 2 and 3 billion barrels of oil, respectively. The expected revenue could transform Namibia's domestic economy and facilitate sustainable development goals.<ref name="bra1">{{cite news|last1=Brandt|first1=Edgar|title=Namibia: Orange Basin potential shoots up to billions of barrels|url=https://allafrica.com/stories/202204080598.html|access-date=13 April 2022|agency=allafrica.com|publisher=AllAfrica, New Era|date=8 April 2022|archive-date=13 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413084910/https://allafrica.com/stories/202204080598.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Domestic supply voltage is 220 V AC. Electricity is generated mainly by thermal and hydroelectric power plants. Non-conventional methods of electricity generation also play some role. Encouraged by the rich uranium deposits, in 2010 the Namibian government planned to erect its first nuclear power station by 2018. Uranium enrichment was also envisaged to take place locally.<ref name=Saveorsink>{{cite news|title=Uranium: Saving or sinking Namibia?|last=Weidlich|first=Brigitte|newspaper=[[The Namibian]]|date=7 January 2011|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/january/article/uranium-saving-or-sinking-namibia|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113120601/http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/january/article/uranium-saving-or-sinking-namibia|archive-date=13 January 2011}}</ref>

===Tourism===
{{Main|Tourism in Namibia}}
[[File:Equus burchelli 4.jpg|thumb|An example of Namibian wildlife, the [[plains zebra]], is one focus of tourism.]]
Tourism is a major contributor (14.5%) to Namibia's GDP, creating tens of thousands of jobs (18.2% of all employment) directly or indirectly and servicing over a million tourists per year.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Framework/Model to Benchmark Tourism GDP in South Africa|publisher=Pan African Research & Investment Services|page=34|date=March 2010|url=http://www.southafrica.net/sat/action/media/downloadFile?media_fileid=29571|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718143151/http://www.southafrica.net/sat/action/media/downloadFile?media_fileid=29571|archive-date=18 July 2010}}</ref> The country is a prime destination in Africa and is known for [[ecotourism]], which features [[Wildlife of Namibia|Namibia's extensive wildlife]].<ref name=goodshape>{{cite news|title=Tourism in good shape&nbsp;– Minister|last=Hartman|first=Adam|newspaper=[[The Namibian]]|date=30 September 2009|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=51487&no_cache=1|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-date=4 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504052405/http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=51487&no_cache=1|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are many lodges and reserves to accommodate ecotourists. Sport and [[trophy hunting]] is also a large and growing component of the Namibian economy, accounting for 14% of total tourism in the year 2000, or 19.6&nbsp;million U.S. dollars, with Namibia boasting numerous species sought after by international sport hunters.<ref name=Humavindu/>

In addition, extreme sports such as [[sandboarding]], [[skydiving]] and 4x4ing have become popular, and many cities have companies that provide tours.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}} The most visited places include the capital city of [[Windhoek]], [[Caprivi Strip]], [[Fish River Canyon]], [[Sossusvlei]], the [[Skeleton Coast]] Park, [[Sesriem]], [[Etosha Pan]] and the coastal towns of [[Swakopmund]], [[Walvis Bay]] and [[Lüderitz]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.namibiatourism.com.na/namibia-top-attractions/|title=Namibia top tourist destinations|publisher=Namibiatourism.com.na|access-date=26 August 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227102320/http://www.namibiatourism.com.na/namibia-top-attractions/|archive-date=27 December 2016}}</ref>

Windhoek plays a very important role in Namibia's tourism due to its central location and close proximity to [[Hosea Kutako International Airport]]. According to The Namibia Tourism Exit Survey, which was produced by the [[Millennium Challenge Corporation]] for the Namibian Directorate of Tourism, 56% of all tourists visiting Namibia in 2012–13 visited Windhoek.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcanamibia.org/files/files/exitsurvey.pdf|title=Report on the Namibia Tourist Exit Survey 2012–2013|website=Mcanamibia.org|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305170850/http://www.mcanamibia.org/files/files/exitsurvey.pdf|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many of Namibia's tourism related parastatals and governing bodies such as Namibia Wildlife Resorts and the [[Namibia Tourism Board]] as well as Namibia's tourism-related [[trade association]]s such as the [[Hospitality Association of Namibia]] are headquartered in Windhoek.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hannamibia.com/|title=HAN Namibia|website=Hannamibia.com|access-date=26 August 2016|archive-date=24 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824011920/http://www.hannamibia.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> There are also a number of notable hotels in Windhoek, such as [[Windhoek Country Club Resort]], and some international hotel chains, such as [[Hilton Hotels & Resorts|Hilton Hotels and Resorts]].

Namibia's primary tourism related governing body, the [[Namibia Tourism Board]] (NTB), was established by an Act of Parliament: the ''Namibia Tourism Board Act, 2000'' (Act 21 of 2000). Its primary objectives are to regulate the tourism industry and to market Namibia as a tourist destination.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://laws.parliament.na/cms_documents/gg-3235-fd9818f2e8.pdf|title=Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia, No. 3235 (2014)|website=laws.parliament.na|date=14 July 2004|access-date=24 March 2018|archive-date=31 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831003156/https://laws.parliament.na/cms_documents/gg-3235-fd9818f2e8.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> There are also a number of [[trade association]]s that represent the tourism sector in Namibia, such as the Federation of Namibia Tourism Associations (the umbrella body for all tourism associations in Namibia), the [[Hospitality Association of Namibia]], the Association of Namibian Travel Agents, Car Rental Association of Namibia and the Tour and Safari Association of Namibia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fenata.org/|title=FENATA {{!}} Federation of Namibian Tourism Association in Namibia|website=Fenata.org|access-date=8 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308161948/http://www.fenata.org/|archive-date=8 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Water supply and sanitation===
{{Main|Water supply and sanitation in Namibia}}
The only bulk water supplier in Namibia is [[NamWater]], which sells it to the respective municipalities which in turn deliver it through their reticulation networks.<ref name=":0" /> In rural areas, the directorate of Rural Water Supply in the [[Ministry of Agriculture (Namibia)|Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform]] is in charge of drinking water supply.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Ebbing Water, Surging Deficits: Urban Water Supply in Sub-Saharan Africa|last=Banerjee|first=Sudeshna|publisher=The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank|year=2009|location=Washington, DC|url=http://www.infrastructureafrica.org/aicd/system/files/BP12_Water_sect_maintxt_new.pdf|access-date=26 August 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304031237/http://www.infrastructureafrica.org/aicd/system/files/BP12_Water_sect_maintxt_new.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2012}}</ref>

The [[United Nations|UN]] evaluated in 2011 that Namibia has improved its water access network significantly since independence in 1990. A large part of the population can not, however, make use of these resources due to the prohibitively high consumption cost and the long distance between residences and water points in rural areas.<ref name=":0" /> As a result, many Namibians prefer the traditional wells over the available water points far away.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/july/article/red-alert-on-sanitation-and-safe-drinking-water/|title=Red alert on sanitation and safe drinking water|last=Smith|first=Jana–Mari|date=12 July 2011|work=[[The Namibian]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531123557/http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/july/article/red-alert-on-sanitation-and-safe-drinking-water/|archive-date=31 May 2012}}</ref>

Compared to the efforts made to improve access to safe water, Namibia is lagging behind in the provision of adequate sanitation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?Cr1=&NewsID=39000&Cr=sanitaition|title=Independent UN expert urges Namibia to expand access to sanitation services|date=11 July 2011|work=UN News Centre|publisher=[[United Nations]] News service|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-date=26 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826235836/https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?Cr1=&NewsID=39000&Cr=sanitaition|url-status=live}}</ref> This includes 298 schools that have no toilet facilities.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=11284&page_type=story_detail&category_id=1|title=More than 1 million Namibians defecate in open|last=Tjihenuna|first=Theresia|date=2 April 2014|work=[[The Namibian]]|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407103151/http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=11284&page_type=story_detail&category_id=1|archive-date=7 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Over 50% of child deaths are related to lack of water, sanitation, or hygiene; 23% are due to diarrhea alone. The UN has identified a "sanitation crisis" in the country.<ref name=":1" />

Apart from residences for upper and middle class households, sanitation is insufficient in most residential areas. Private flush toilets are too expensive for virtually all residents in [[township]]s due to their water consumption and installation cost. As a result, access to [[improved sanitation]] has not increased much since independence: in Namibia's rural areas 13% of the population had more than basic sanitation, up from 8% in 1990. Many of Namibia's inhabitants have to resort to "flying toilets", plastic bags to defecate into, which after use are flung into the bush.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=42630&no_cache=1|title=Namibia is lagging behind on sanitation|last=Cloete|first=Luqman|date=28 April 2008|work=[[The Namibian]]|access-date=14 September 2015|archive-date=1 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101084531/http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=42630&no_cache=1|url-status=live}}</ref> The use of open areas close to residential land for urination and defecation is very common<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.drfn.info/docs/water/cuve_7_deffner.pdf|title=Participatory empirical research on water and sanitation demand in central northern Namibia: A method for technology development with a user perspective|last1=Deffner|first1=Jutta|date=September 2010|journal=CuveWaters Papers|last2=Mazambani|first2=Clarence|location=Frankfurt (Main)|publisher=Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE)|volume=7|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322212906/http://www.drfn.info/docs/water/cuve_7_deffner.pdf|archive-date=22 March 2012|access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref> and has been identified as a major [[Health in Namibia|health hazard]].<ref name=":2" />