As a Namibian entrepreneur, I have a complicated reaction to Fransina Kahungu’s call for Namibians to have more children.
My first reaction is economic: yes, we need more Namibians.
My second reaction is the one that comes from running a business in this country every day: but can we afford to raise them?
This is not an academic question for me. It is a business question.
Every entrepreneur knows the frustration of operating in a country with enormous potential but a very small domestic market. You can develop a good product, build a decent service, employ talented people and invest in marketing, only to discover that your addressable market is simply too small.
Three million people spread across a vast country is not an easy market to build scale in.
For a Namibian business, population matters. More people potentially means more customers, more demand, more entrepreneurs, more employees, more taxpayers and a larger domestic economy. It means that a business selling food, clothing, financial services, entertainment, technology or professional services has a larger pool of people to serve.
That is why, from a purely economic perspective, I understand Kahungu’s argument.
But there is another Namibia I encounter every day.
It is the Namibia of people who cannot afford what businesses are selling.
It is the Namibia where unemployment remains stubbornly high, particularly among young people. It is the Namibia where income is distributed extraordinarily unevenly. It is the Namibia where a business can have an excellent product but still struggle because too many potential customers simply do not have sufficient disposable income.
And this is where the conversation about having more children becomes complicated.
Namibia is one of the most unequal societies in the world. We cannot seriously discuss population growth without discussing poverty and inequality.
As an entrepreneur, I do not want merely more people. I want more people participating meaningfully in the economy.
I want more Namibians who can earn an income, buy products, start businesses, pay taxes and contribute to the communities in which they live.
That is the difference between population growth and economic development.
A country can have more people without becoming richer.
In fact, if population growth outpaces job creation, housing, education and healthcare, it can make existing problems considerably worse.
We have examples elsewhere.
Japan, South Korea and Singapore are desperately concerned about declining birth rates because they face ageing populations and shrinking workforces. They have discovered that once fertility falls dramatically, reversing the trend is extraordinarily difficult, even when governments offer substantial financial incentives.
China is confronting similar demographic pressures after decades of population-control policies.
But Namibia is in a different position. We are not yet facing the demographic crisis confronting those countries. Our challenge is to ensure that any population growth becomes an economic dividend rather than another burden on an already unequal society.
For that to happen, government cannot simply tell Namibians to have more children.
It must make having and raising children economically sustainable.
As a businessman, I know what it costs to employ someone. But I also know what it costs a family to raise a child. Food, clothing, transport, school fees, healthcare, accommodation and childcare all cost money.
And then there is the ultimate question: what happens when that child becomes 18? Where is the job? Where is the affordable housing? Where is the opportunity to start a business? Where is the market?
This is why I would turn Kahungu’s proposition around.
Instead of simply asking Namibians to have more children, let us ask what we can do to make Namibians confident enough to have the children they want. Build affordable housing. Improve public schools. Expand vocational training. Make childcare accessible.
Create an environment where small businesses can survive and grow.
Make it easier for young people to access capital.
And, critically, create an economy in which the children being born today can find productive work tomorrow.
Because there is a tremendous economic opportunity here.
A larger population would give Namibian businesses something we desperately need: scale.
It could support local manufacturing, agriculture, retail, entertainment, technology, financial services and countless other industries. A bigger domestic market could make it easier for entrepreneurs to build businesses that are less dependent on government contracts or exporting into neighbouring countries. But population growth alone will not create that market. People need purchasing power.
And purchasing power comes from productive employment.
That is why inequality is such an important part of this discussion. If we increase the population while leaving wealth and opportunity concentrated in the hands of a relatively small segment of society, we will simply create a larger population of economically excluded Namibians. That is not development.
So I support the idea of a bigger Namibia, but not simply a more populous Namibia.
I want a Namibia with more entrepreneurs, more skilled workers, more consumers, more manufacturers, more farmers, more innovators and more people with the purchasing power to participate in the economy.
And there is one important principle we should never lose sight of: having children is a personal decision. Government can support families and create conditions conducive to family formation, but it should never dictate how many children Namibians should have.
The entrepreneur in me sees the opportunity in a bigger population.
The Namibian in me sees the responsibility.
If we want more children, let us build better schools.
If we want bigger families, let us create affordable housing.
If we want a bigger workforce, let us create more businesses.
If we want a bigger market, let us create more purchasing power.
And if we want Namibia’s future generations to prosper, let us tackle the inequality that prevents too many Namibians from fully participating in our economy.
So yes, Fransina Kahungu, I understand the argument.
As an entrepreneur, I would welcome a bigger Namibian market.
But before we ask Namibians to produce more customers, workers and taxpayers, let us make sure we are building a country in which those children have a genuine opportunity to become all three.
That, ultimately, is the population policy Namibia needs: not simply more Namibians, but more prosperous Namibians.
