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President of Namibia
 * Hifikepunye Pohamba**

**The Country of** **Namibia**

Namibia is located in southern Africa and borders the Atlantic Ocean and occupies a total area of 824,292 sq km. The terrain of the country consists of mainly plateaus; however, the Namib Desert is positioned near the coast and the Kalahari Desert is situated in the east of the country. Economically, Namibia produces agricultural products such as millet, peanuts, grapes, and sorghum. Industries of the country include meatpacking, mining, fish processing, and dairy products. The main staple for Namibia's economy however, is the exportation of minerals. This can be recognized through the fact that Namibia is Africa's 4th largest producer of non-fuel minerals and the 5th largest exporter of uranium in the world. The population of the country sits at approximately 2,128,471 individuals. The social structure of these individuals is unique. Around 87.5% of the country is black, 6.5% is mixed, and whites, the minority, make up 6%. Roughly 80-90% of these people are of the Christian faith while the over 10-20% hold native beliefs.

**Background**

Hifikepunye Pohamba is the second President of Namibia. He came to office on March 21, 2005 after Sam Nujoma left office. Prior to his inauguration, Pohamba was a cofounder of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO); however he had to leave the country and exile himself after he was taken as a political prisoner due to his activism. In 1962 he became the organizer of the SWAPO but once again had to flee after he was a subject to house arrest. Then in 1966 Pohamba and his close friend Sam Nujoma (who became the country's first President) came back to Namibia to confront the authorities and argue that they had been "self-exiled." Like before, he was removed from the country. While outside of Namibia, Pohamba engaged himself in the SWAPO in East and North Africa, as well as Zambia. In addition, from 1977 to 1989 he was the SWAPO Secretary of Finance. During this time, Pohamba lead 40,000 exiles back to Namibia to challenge the "election campaign for a Constituent Assembly," which helped lead to Namibia's independence. He took the position of Head of Administration for the SWAPO throughout this time. He also held the positions of Minister of Home Affairs (1990 - 1995), Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources (1995 - 1998), Minister of Lands, Resettlement, and Rehabilitation (2001 - 2005).

**References**

__Sam Nujomar-__ Sam Nujomar was the first President of Namibia. When Pohamba returned to the Namibia to claim that he and other individuals had been “self-exiled,” Nujomar came with him and the two were both exiled. While they were exiled together, Pohamba and Nujomar became very close. Nujomar considered Pohamba to be his “most trusted colleague and confidante.”

__﻿South__ __Africa__ __(Jacob Zuma)-__ The economy of Namibia is related to that of South Africa. Namibia was liberated from South Africa so the two countries share similar qualities. 40% of Namibia’s profits come from the Southern African Customs Union. A large percentage of Namibia’s imports come from South Africa, therefore the two economies benefit from one another.

__Ghana-__ Ghana has a similar government approach to Namibia. Both are democratic republic governments therefore they hold similar values when it comes to political matters.

**Four Benchmarks**

__Safety and Rule of Law__

The safety of Namibia is above average for an African country. According to the 2010 Ibrahim Index of African Governance, Namibia received a score of 80 out of a possible 100, making the safety and rule of law in higher than that of many other African countries. The Namibia constitution states that the military of the country is responsible for "defending the territory and national interests." This shows the commitment of Pohamba and the government at attempting to make the country safer. After Namibia gained its independence, the country formed the National Defense Force to further improve the safety of the country. In addition, Namibia has set up defense cooperation’s around the globe and takes part in peacekeeping work. Additionally, Pohamba is helping Namibia to support greater regional integration.

//2010 Ibrahim Index of African Governance: Country Rankings and Scores// Safety and Rule of Law: 80 Personal Safety: 66 Rule of Law: 81 Accountability and Corruption: 78 National Security: 96

__Participation and Human Rights__

Pohamba supports the constitution of Namibia. Within the constitution, it states that individuals have the right to the private ownership of property as well as for their human rights to be protected. In 2006, under the leadership of Pohamba, the Anti-Corruption Commission was established to defend human rights. The Act was set in place to protect people who wish to express a concern or wrongdoing within a group or organization that they were a part of.

//2010 Ibrahim Index of African Governance: Country Rankings and Scores// Participation and Human Rights: 66 Participation: 58 Rights: 70 Gender: 69

__Sustainable Economic Opportunity__ After Namibia gained its independence, the government established free-market economy standards. This was set in place in order to advance commercial development and to assist the creation of jobs so that underclass individuals would have the opportunity to catch up economically. Pohamba and the government hoped to reach this goal through donor aid and foreign investment. The natural resources that the region holds also help the economy stay stable. Due to the fact that Namibia is located on the coast, fishing revenue is one aspect that funds the economy. Additionally, the mining that occurs in the country is significant. Diamonds, uranium, zinc, and copper are a few of the minerals that are exported from the country. Between 2000 and 2004 the economy rose at a rate of 4.5% annually. From 2005 to 2008, during Pohamba's presidency, this figure was able to be maintained and the economic increase of the country was upheld. Also from 2005 to 2008, the spending of the government increased by 3%, which may have slightly impacted the stability of the economy. Pohamba stated, "Namibia also offers a wide range of excellent investment opportunities across all sectors of the economy, including manufacturing, mining, fisheries and agriculture," which shows the possibility for economic success in Namibia.

//2010 Ibrahim Index of African Governance: Country Rankings and Scores// Sustainable Economic Opportunity: 63 Public Management: 70 Private Sector: 63 Infrastructure: 58 Environment and the Rural Sector: 62

__Human__ __Development__

Human development is increasing in Namibia. In 2008, nearly 91% of children were at one time enrolled in a schooling facility. At the end of grade 6 however, only 25% of the students gained the average skills needed to pass in English and Mathematics. Only 40% of the students were able to pass 7th grade without having to repeat a previous grade. It is estimated that Namibian learners need 13 years of schooling in order to pass the concluding examinations at the end of grade 10. These rates show that Namibia is taking steps to become further educated and innovative; however they are not quiet their yet. Additionally, Pohamba and the government issued the Kitma Mulilo-Linyanti water pipeline in 2006. The pipe was put in to provide clean drinking water to the citizens of Namibia. “This occasion symbolizes our government’s commitment of ensuring that all people enjoy east access to safe drinking water,” Pohamba stated in regard to the new pipeline. Pohamba also looked to create necessary sanitation facilities for all the citizens to use in order to abolish the bucket system.

//2010 Ibrahim Index of African Governance: Country Rankings and Scores// Human Development: 60 Health and Welfare: 63 Education: 56

African Media Barometer Namibia 2007 Report *2010 Ibrahim Index of African Governance: Country Rankings and Scores 9, February. "Namibia." U.S. Department of State. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. . "BBC News - Profile: Hifikepunye Pohamba." BBC News - Home. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. . "CIA - The World Factbook." Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. . "EISA Namibia: Presidency of Hifikepunye Pohamba (2005-2009)." EISA - The Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. . "Hifikepunye Pohamba." Namibia | Cardboard Box Travel Shop. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. . Pohamba positive about Namibia’s future UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. . World Databank. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. .
 * Works Cited **