2008 Tutu Fellow Eunice Ajambo has drafted a United Nations policy brief titled COVID-19: An Emerging Development Challenge, but opportunity for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Namibia. The policy brief examines economic transformation in the context of COVID-19 and analyses how Namibia is currently fairing. It provides a socio-economic impact assessment for short, medium- and long-term recommendations in addressing COVID-19. She makes the point that crises can be an opportunity to prioritize economic transformation.

Eunice is the Economic Affairs Officer with the Macroeconomics and Governance Division of the UN Economic Commission for Africa.  Her work on economic policy spans economic governance, development finance, and public sector management.

Eunice leads and contributes to high-level policy development and programme implementation through instruments such as the flagship Economic Report on Africa; the African Governance Report; and other non-recurrent policy studies.  This policy brief is in line with other work she does.  It identifies economic transformation in the context of the pandemic in Namibia. She says that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the interconnected nature of socio-economic challenges. This in turn, prompts integrated responses, as was envisioned by the Agenda 2030 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For Namibia to recalibrate its economic policies, it could mean a strengthened commitment to diversifying sources of revenue. It also means enhancing economic diversification through beneficiation, the natural resources value chain, and a range of complementary policies such as human capital development and economic governance.  Her recommendations include both public and the private sector development. "For economic transformation, employment is the cornerstone of the links between economic growth and social development,” she said.

You can read the summary of her policy brief on the UN Namibia website. It also provides a link to the full 12-page report as a downloadable PDF.