Lessons Learned and Expectations From Namibia's National Employment Policy

Namibia continues to face many economic and social hurdles such as high unemployment rate, poverty, and inequalities. The National Employment Policy (NEP) is one of the government's policy interventions to address these issues. Namibia is in the process of developing a third National Employment Policy, as the preceding two policies were deemed to have failed. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the NEP. The objectives of this study were to analyse failures of the preceding policies, examine the lessons learned that can be used for future policy success, explore the expectations of young and indigenous entrepreneurs in Windhoek, Namibia, and to recommend measures for successful future policy implementation. The study collected data through survey, face-to-face interviews, and analysis of literature. The study revealed that the preceding NEPs failed due to flaws in implementation. It is recommended that future policies should be aligned to NDPs, targets should be measurable, there is a need to establish a steering body, and there is a need for the adequate publication of the policy.