President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has said Namibia's Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) prioritises unemployment through industrialisation.
Dr. Nandi-Ndaitwah made the announcement during the launch of the last stretch of the development plan, which will serve as a blueprint for the 8th administration.
The NDP6 document marks the last national planning phase before the country's Vision 2030 deadline, outlining strategic priorities to intensify economic recovery, inclusivity, and resilience for sustainable development.
Therefore, NDP6 aims to propel industrialisation through mineral resource beneficiation and value addition to stimulate economic growth and development.
"With only 4 and a half years remaining to Vision 2030, this NDP6 is the final installment, aiming to achieve our objective of transforming Namibia into a developed and industrialised nation. With the Namibian population currently just over 3 million people and expected to reach 3.5 million by 2030, it predominantly comprises young adults of working age. This youth population presents an opportunity and not a burden for the Namibian economy. Under the theme "Fostering Economic Growth, Inclusiveness, and Resilience for Quality Sustainable Development", the NDP6 is designed to promote sustainable economic growth and address the underlying challenges of poverty, unemployment, and inequalities."
The development plan is under the four pillars, which are economic growth, human development and economic resilience, environmental sustainability, good governance, and effective public service delivery.
The formulation of NDP6 is informed by Vision 2030 and midterm review, the Swapo Party manifesto implementation plan, regional consultations, and guiding international development frameworks.
"Under the theme of Fostering Economic Growth, Inclusiveness, and Resilience for Quality Sustainable Development, the NDP6 is designed to promote sustainable economic growth and address the underlying challenges of poverty, unemployment, and inequalities."
Dr. Nandi-Ndaitwah further added that the reclassification of Namibia from an upper-middle-income to a lower-middle-income country by the World Bank is beneficial to the country's developmental agenda.
"Based on this revised classification, Namibia will be more eligible to access grant funding and financing instruments on more affordable terms. This is beneficial to our developmental agenda and ambitions to foster inclusive growth and shared prosperity. This does not mean, however, that there are no challenges to the reclassification. We must commit to hard work and grow the economy to take our people out of poverty."
The development agenda is shaped by the National Planning Commission, which finalised the NDP6 through an inclusive and consultative process and approved by Cabinet in June 2025.