A comparative assessment of the benefits of income generating activities to the beneficiaries funded by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare in Namibia
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Date
2021
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Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
Income Generating Activities (IGAs) are utilised globally to create employment and
improve livelihoods, Namibia is no exception. This study was set out to comparatively assess the benefits of Income Generating Activities to the beneficiaries funded by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare (MGECW). The study is distinct as it was conducted from a gender perspective and attempts to narrow the knowledge gap by providing Gender Disaggregated Data (GDD) on IGAs. The study used a sequential triangulation of quantitative and qualitative research methods, to collect primary and secondary data, which included secondary analysis case studies. Semi-structured interviews were the main data collection method used, supplemented by observations. Key findings revealed that from 2004 to 2016 employment was created for 1571 IGAs’
main beneficiaries from all 14 regions of whom 1010 (64.3%) were females and 482
(30.7%) males. However, this employment is in the lower tier of the informal
economic sector, thus supporting the views of the Dual Labour Market Theory
(DLMT). The outcome of the Chi-Square goodness of fit test failed to reject the null hypothesis, x2(28) =37.52, p≥.05. The results revealed that women are generating more income than men. The income was analysed against Namibia’s upper – bound poverty line as per the Geni-coefficient, 2003/2004-2015/2016 of N$ 262.45 - N$ 520.8 and the average monthly turnover of unregistered businesses in the informal economic sector of N$ 2,100.00. The analysis indicates that less than half of the IGAs’ main beneficiaries 350 (19.5%) out of 1571 generate an average monthly turnover, which is comparable to the upper bound poverty lines and the average monthly turnover for unregistered businesses. It is recommended that the MGECW must collaborate with relevant stakeholders to devise strategies that would aid IGA beneficiaries to formalise their businesses and reap the benefits. More importantly, MGECW must leverage existing policies to facilitate the value addition of IGA products and services to maximise access to markets.
Description
A research thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of he requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Gender and Development Studies)