New Era

WINDHOEK - Namibia has made progress in achieving some of the targets set under five of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

According to the just released second MDG Report 2008, the country achieved goals of reducing the number of severely poor households, the survival rate in Grade 8, the ratio of females to men in secondary education, the literacy rate of women compared to their male counterparts, HIV/AIDS prevalence rate amongst the 15 to 19 year age group and incidences of malaria.

These targets fall under MDGs relating to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

But Prime Minister Nahas Angula said unless the country focuses on education, agriculture and health, it is unlikely to make progress in other goals as well. He singled out primary health care, under nutrition,
sanitation and maternal health as being critical issues that should be addressed by the relevant ministries.

Infant mortality deaths have dropped from 57 per 1 000 live birth in 1993 to 49 per 1 000 live births currently, but with the target put at 38 deaths per 1 000 live births by 2012, the country is unlikely to achieve the goal.

The country is also unlikely to meet the under five mortality rate target of 45 deaths per 1 000 live births. Currently 69 deaths per 1 000 live births are reported.

Infant mortality and under five mortality, which are under the reduce child mortality goal have increased because of the HIV/AIDS and under nutrition, while maternal deaths have almost doubled from 225 deaths per 100 000 live births in 1993 449 deaths per 100 000 live births to date. The target for 2012 is 337 deaths per 100 000 live births.

Angula noted that many children under five die of opportunistic infections because they are undernourished, urging the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry to produce more nutritious food.

He said maternal deaths in a population of about 2 million is acceptable and something should be done to reverse the trend.

"Something must be done. Even if it means training young people to train their fellow young women on prenatal care and Traditional Birth Attendant to assist with deliveries, we should do it," he said.

Angula added: "If we are having problems of maternal deaths and under fives, then we have serious problems."

He said Namibia is guided by principles of good governance, equity, inclusiveness, prudent use of resources and accountability, which play an important role in determining the plight of Namibians and steer the country into the right direction to achieve the MDGs by 2015.

While this is the case, the Prime Minster also noted that the global financial crisis is reversing gains made in the country as well as others in the world, resulting in job losses and other gains.

He said most countries will as a result face the negative effect on growth, trade, financial flows, and poverty as well as on Official Development Assistance.

Meeting all the targets by 2015, Namibia will have to achieve a GDP growth of five to six percent or higher.
Namibia's economic growth is estimated at about three percent per year for 2008 and forecast at 0.6 percent for 2009, a performance that is attributed to the global financial crisis.

Acting United Nations Resident Coordinator Joyce Mends-Cole said Namibia, like other African countries, was not insulated from the adverse effects of the current crisis and indications are that dramatically declining commodity process is negatively affecting the country's economy, which is in turn reducing growth, incomes and employment.

"This will directly affect our efforts of achieving Goal Number one with a cascading effect to other goals. In comparison with past performance, the poor unemployment picture suggests that the rate of progress will even be slower," she said.

Mends-Cole congratulated the Government on the targets that have been achieved but urged the country to prioritise the targets where progress is slow and where it is likely that the targets may not be achieved at the current rate.

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