**3. Introduction to empirical part: the case of Namibia**

The sub-Saharan African country Namibia is a prime example of a country with diverse and extraordinary nature and culture but one that must overcome challenges. As a result of numerous drastic events in the past and the country's recent national independence, Namibia's government is facing several cultural and economic difficulties. Every 4–6 years a new *National Development Plan* (*NPD*) appears from the domestic government with different focuses. At this point of time, the fifth *NPD* has been introduced, describing the main goal in working together toward prosperity [1]. Similar goals are pursued also by the UNO: The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. The goals interconnect, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that each goal and target by 2030 are achieved. Similar goals have been recognized also by the *World Bank* in 2019, stating that Namibia is facing three major long-term objectives: the combatting of inequality, unemployment, and poverty within the nation. These are formally known as the *triple challenge* [2].

#### **3.1 Explanation**

Before the in-depth explanation of the Namibian culture and economy, the reader finds a brief summary of the main indicators, in order to understand the significance of such, in the following sections.

#### *3.1.1 Culture for Development Indicator Suite (CDIS)*

As a project of the *United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization* (*UNESCO*), CDIS has been established in 2009 with the help of the Spanish government. With the contribution of more than 300 partners, the aim is to promote and to protect the diversity of cultural expressions globally. It is a multimethodological tool that measures and visualizes data in seven interrelated policy dimensions, including 22 indicators. Especially, the following dimensions that will be used in this chapter, in order to achieve fact-based assessments, are *economy, education, gender equality, social participation, and heritage.* This multidimensional instrument is only one project of the *UNESCO*, accessing international comparisons among nations and their facts of development. *Culture for Development Indicator Suite* gives an insight into the enrolment of culture in a nation's development. Additional results are indicating the potential of domestic sectors and exhibit obstacles hindering full potential. Namibia's government recognized the key factor of culture in its development process and introduced *CDIS* in November 2011 [21].

#### *3.1.2 Hofstede six-dimension model*

Between 1967 and 1973, the Dutch psychologist *Geert Hofstede* developed the origins of this model while conducting an international survey about national values for *International Business Machines* (*IBM*). He defined six dimensions that society needs in order to organize itself. A further purpose of *Hofstede's six dimension model* is to understand the contribution of national culture in habits and values in a professional environment. Global data manifest into six cultural dimensions, which enable comparisons among 76 countries, while Namibia is one of them. Especially the following three dimensions will be discussed within this chapter: *power distance, masculinity vs. femininity*, and *long-term orientation*. Those dimensions can be used most effectively for the clarification of cultural and economic correlations [22].

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*Namibia's Triple Challenge and Its Economic Development*

**4. Namibian government facing "triple challenge"**

individual degree of trade, governance, and cultural factors [23].

Namibia is known worldwide as having tremendous inequality conditions, which can be traced back to their past. The nation's history still has an effect on their

The Republic of Namibia has witnessed turbulent historic times, including colonization by several foreign powers, genocide committed by the German's, and

During the nineteenth century, Victorian Britain and Germany were the major players involved in the nation's colonialization [24]. In the early twentieth century, Namibia experienced the nation's first genocide. It was committed by the German general *Lothar von Trotha*, which killed more than 75,000 African primary residents and destroyed their tribal structures. Particularly the ethnic groups of Herero and Nama suffered the most from this event, which led to losses of approximately 80%

The previous influence of foreign policies in the twentieth century, e.g., the racial segregation formally known as apartheid, continues to impact the nation to this very day. Such events influenced the population in terms of behavior, structures, and their growth. However, these historic incidents have evoked societal

Although there is a lack of historical content from generation to generation, former leader of the ethnic group Nama has written controversially in his dagboek (*diary, English translation*): *"… no person, nor his money comes short in our way of living*" [24]. According to additional diary entries, it is liable that there have not been

The national independence obtained in 1990 was an important first step out of several dependencies toward an emerging national and societal self-perception. Nevertheless, Namibia suffered from a fragmented society in post-independent times: a gap between ethnic groups of the poor and rich arose. This created political

A new constitution was written with several different focuses, but the most intriguing was the empowerment of women and gender equality. It states that there

The nation's second president, *Hifikepunye Pohamba*, also made these issues to one of his major duties in his period from 2005 to 2015, as well as several National

According to data from the *World Population Review*, Namibia exhibits nine different ethnic groups. The largest ones are the Ovambo with 49.8%, followed by Kavango (9.3%), Herero (7.5%), Damara (7.5%), Whites (6.4%), Nama (4.8%), Caprivian (3.7%), San (2.9%), and Basters (2.5%). Whites are mainly consisting out of Portuguese, British, and German origin. The remaining 5.6% are assigned to a

major inequalities in at least one of the ethnic groups before 1905 [24].

These unequal conditions are affecting the 13 regions of the country in gender, education, health, wages, infrastructure, and a plethora of other aspects. When analyzing Hofstede's six dimension model, Namibia's ranking within the power distance dimension highlights these issues. It monitors to which extent power is distributed and how citizens of the analyzed country are satisfied with the distribution. Namibia currently reaches 65 out of 100, which indicates a hierarchical society with high inequalities [22].

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88638*

**4.1 Status quo of inequalities**

*4.1.1 Societal segmentation*

inequalities [24, 27].

and economic instability [28].

group of mixed races [29].

Development Plans that followed [27].

foreign administration by South Africa.

(Herero) and 50% (Nama) in their tribal size [25, 26].

should not be any discrimination because of sex [21].
