So what is Local Economic Development (LED)? According to a definition by the Namibian White Paper on LED, ‘Local Economic Development is a process by which actors within urban and rural areas work collectively with public, business and non-governmental sectors to create better conditions for economic growth, employment generation and community wealth in order to enhance the quality of life for all in the community.’ LED White Paper; February 2008, Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development.
The framework for LED in Namibia was set with the establishment of The Ministry of Regional, Local Government and Housing and Rural Development (MRLGH) in 1990. As the ministry responsible for the advancement of LED in Namibia, the MRLGH’s work with local authorities and government was essential in cementing democracy after the harsh apartheid regime that divided the population and made unity a far long future dream. Before the advent of independence, the divisions created by apartheid were not able to create an enabling environment for communities and individuals to enhance their economic and social lives.
Bridging the Gap of Social and Economic Inequality
As time moved on, it became apparent that in order for LED to be effective in Namibia, local government and authorities would need to have their own establishment of resources and mandate to carry out their own agendas, depending on their locality. This paved the path for the decentralization policy that was adopted in 1997, providing a mandate for line ministries to entrust political and administrative accountability and liability for the delivery of services functions to regional councils and local authorities.
While Namibia is still dealing with bridging the gaps of social and economic inequality, the trend of rapid urbanization has changed the landscape of LED; local authorities are now not only experiencing an increase of markets linking various goods, services, social capital and people, but also have to deal with the implications of providing adequate services to the new numbers of a population putting strain on the already over utilized resources in a given locality.
Developmental Interventions at a Local Level
While the goals of LED in Namibia have been created with the objectives of increasing self sufficiency in communities by promoting entrepreneurship, and the creation of an enabling environment that will encourage job creation and make small and large businesses more competitive, one of the most challenging aspects for local economic development at a local level is to bring together support for the practice, and encourage the implementation of projects that will create a more sustainable blueprint for the development of LED.
More significantly, a culture of people needs to be built that is participatory, involved and understands the nature of economic development in terms what LED is and what it is trying to achieve. The categorization of poor urban people in Namibian society has caused them to become inactive witnesses to the process rather than important resources in the betterment of their societies. Any successful LED intervention must start at the building of social capital in terms of human resources in order to cement any LED process. Building skills, capacity and equipping civil servants, businesses and the community at large to be able to contribute to improving their quality of lives could speed up the success of the ownership of any LED intervention.
Local Economic Development as a Social Policy
Reorientation of economic and social policy by Namibian government has become one of the key patterns which are now in play. With a realignment of development strategies from a top down approach to a more bottom up, community grassroots approach, the move has become less than arguable in the face of the rapid changes in the local and global economic environment. At the local level, this will mean the creation of a better understanding of what social and economic factors, both local and regional, hold a locality together, whilst building on the comparative advantages of the town in its regional context; in terms of marketing, investments, tourism, and the support of and attraction of businesses.
The practice for local economic development in Namibia is not going to fix the economic and social challenges that are plaguing the country overnight; this process is one that will take time. The first point of success in any LED process will be to change the mindsets and attitudes of the people in their communities; to make them understand why they are an important commodity to their environment and how they view themselves in the context of the development and improvement of their lives; without the buy-in and ownership of the process by the people and the community, the local economic development process will just be another shot in the dark that will reap nothing but long forgotten white elephants.
Sources:
White Paper on local economic development tabled in Parliament, CATHERINE SASMAN, 08.04.2011
http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=80247&no_cache=1
LED White Paper; February 2008, Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development
Sharon Kasanda - Sharon Kasanda Suite 101.com Contributing Writer Sharon Kasanda is a contributing writer on Suite 101.com. She completed her ...
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