NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, March 16, 2012

It goes without saying that Chinese companies, be it a trade company, or a construction company or a service provider, or a manufacturer, are one of the contributors to Namibian socio-economic development with respect to poverty reduction, infrastructure improvement, employment creation, business vision, technical know-how, market and commodity competition system and working ethics among others.

China is the main source of ordinary consumer goods-everything from consumer electronics to toys to household gadgets or appliances of every kind, tools, shoes, and increasingly, furniture and clothing.

While some business people run the trade business of daily necessities which is closely related with the livelihood of Namibians and also a very important factor of livelihood improvement, some other Chinese companies, on the other hand, are manufacturers of and investors in textile products, mattresses and building materials such as red clay bricks, which are increasingly popular in Namibia as can be easily witnessed in its being used everywhere in Windhoek.

Undoubtedly, Chinese companies in general are contributing to the improvement of the livelihood of Namibians.

In Chinese culture, there are three elements which influence the basic human life: clothing, food and shelter- three basic human rights. These basic human rights are the important but inevitable access ladders to enable human beings to reach and realize other rights they are entitled to, such as rights to freedom, work, education, security, democracy among others. In that spirit, Chinese companies assist Namibians in their efforts to enjoy their basic human rights.

As the most important biological right of human beings, shelter is an indication of human civilization and eco-social development.

Shelter is also a social stabilizer securing, encouraging and stimulating social cohesion and eco-social development.

Like other African countries Namibia is also facing a severe sheltering challenge. The increasingly rocketing prices of land, houses and potentially bigger demands of houses has long put the shelter issue into the limelight in Namibian life, worrying both the government and residents.

Rooted in a culture of other interests and other-face-concerned, two Chinese nationals took the Namibians’ interests and needs into consideration and embarked upon an enterprise called Nami Prefabricated Housing cc, the only Namibian registered company manufacturing panelised houses with daily production capacity of 18 two-bedroom houses.