Youth leaders and marriage associations have urged the government to introduce a childbearing grant, sparking debate among politicians and experts over population growth.
This comes after Swapo Party Women’s Council secretary Fransina Kahungu two weeks ago encouraged Namibians of childbearing age to have more children, saying a larger population could contribute to economic development.
National Unity Democratic Organisation Youth League secretary general Veparuara Kandirikirira says the government should introduce a grant for mothers with more children, provided it is financially sustainable and properly monitored.
“The government should introduce the grant, but it must be carefully designed and financially sustainable,” he says.
Kandirikirira says the grant could help low-income families meet their basic needs such as food, education and healthcare, but warns that clear eligibility criteria and safeguards would be needed to prevent people from having more children solely to access the benefit.
He says the grant should be introduced on a targeted basis, with clear eligibility requirements and safeguards to prevent misuse.
The government should also regularly assess whether the programme is achieving its intended purpose, particularly in improving children’s health, education and future opportunities, the youth leader says.
“The grant should not only provide financial relief to families, but should also be measured against the outcomes it creates for children, including their health, educational progress and future opportunities,” he says.
Kandirikirira says the programme could also help narrow the gap between children from higher- and lower-income households by giving disadvantaged children better opportunities to develop and participate fully in society.
Former Namibia National Students Organisation president Dorthea Nangolo says the government should establish a grant for single parents or needy families if it wants to encourage people to have children.
“People cannot be encouraged to have many children when they don’t have support to take care of their offspring,” she says.
The Ministry of Finance in March announced that the government added N$447 million to social grants for the 2026/27 financial year, bringing the total allocation to N$7.3 billion to support vulnerable communities.
Namibia Marriage Council executive director Paulus Hawanga says the government could provide grants to mothers, but such support should have clear criteria.
“The support and the grant should be tailor-made in such a way that the children are catered for and they should have access to quality life, most importantly education,” he says.
Hawanga says mothers should also have a responsibility to ensure children are properly cared for, while government support should ultimately help raise children who can contribute to the economy when they become adults.
‘MORE SEX’
Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani says a grant would encourage people to have more sex.
“Do they want more sex? Do they want more open defecation? We can’t manage the current population,” he says.
Venaani says Namibia should first address the socio-economic conditions facing the population it already has, including schools, hospitals, housing and employment.
“We are too few to be poor. Yet we are poor,” he says.
“No one can argue for a bigger population if we are not fixing schools, if we are not fixing hospitals, if we are not fixing housing, creating jobs.”
Venaani asks where the resources required to support a growing population would come from. He says the government needs to ensure stronger socio-economic conditions and safety nets for citizens.
Venaani in 2023 tabled a motion proposing measures including subsidised utilities and public transport to create better safety nets for single mothers.
Independent Patriots for Change parliamentarian Lilian Luthuezi says Namibia does not adequately provide for already born children.
She says women should not be encouraged or pressured to have children for economic purposes, arguing that reproductive decisions should remain with women and couples.
“Before we call for more children, are we doing enough for the children we already have?” she asks.
Luthuezi says Namibia continues to face poverty, unemployment and food insecurity, while children experience malnutrition and public services remain under pressure.
Economist Omu Kakujaha-Matundu describes the issue as a “catch-22” situation, asking what Namibia is doing with the children it already has and how much the country is prepared to invest in a larger population.
He says Namibia would need to plan and invest in education, healthcare and other services if it wants to benefit from a larger population.
“We need to overhaul the economic model, where the majority owns the economic resources. With the lopsided development that we see in this country, the population project wouldn’t work,” Kakujaha-Matundu says.
The call to make more babies comes a few years after experts warned that Windhoek’s population could reach over 700 000 people by 2030, straining an already stretched infrastructure and city services that are struggling to provide residents with land.
National Organisation of Parents in Education acting spokesperson Salome Kambala, however, supports the call for a larger population, saying Namibia is a large country with relatively few people.
“More people, more activities and more economic growth,” she says.
Kambala, however, says people should prioritise their health and ensure children are born healthy.
According to the Namibia Statistics Agency, Namibia’s population was recorded at three million during the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
The debate over population growth is not new in Namibia.
In 2009, former president Sam Nujoma also called on Namibians to have more children and increase the workforce, arguing that Namibia was a large country with a small population.
“We are about two million people in this country. This country is a large country with few people. I challenge you to contribute to building our nation and its people,” he said at the time.
