To increase economic activity in the country, and revive its Covid-19-affected tourism sector, the Namibian government will implement a new initiative to attract professionals.

Last week, the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) launched the Namibian Digital Nomads Visa (DNV)  to welcome “smart tourists” to the country. The move aims to capitalize on the country’s digital assets to boost the tourism sector, which contributed 61.3% to GDP since August 2022. 

Speaking at the launch of the Visa, Nangula Uaandja, CEO and chairperson of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, said the new visa aims to unlock opportunities that will improve the population’s living conditions. "We have identified that there is an opportunity to attract and gain economic benefit from people who want to work, live and travel in Namibia, without absorbing Namibian jobs," he said.

The Namibian visa for digital nomads is valid for six months and can be granted to any national or international individual. According to the NIPDB, applicants must meet several criteria, including proving their monthly income is equal to or exceeds US$2,000 and justifying health or travel insurance to cover risks during their stay in Namibia. 

The country's other digital assets are clustered in a digital ecosystem conducive to remote work, although Internet costs are still very high in Namibia. In its report "Worldwide mobile data pricing 2021. The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 230 countries," Cable.co.uk ranks Namibia 49th in sub-Saharan Africa estimating that  1 gigabit (GB) costs US$22.37 in the country. 

According to DataReportal, Namibia’s internet penetration was 51.0% in early 2022. “Ookla’s data reveals that the median mobile internet connection speed in Namibia increased by 5.91 Mbps (+42.3 percent) in the twelve months to the start of 2022,” it adds. 

In addition, Namibia has a high e-government development index (HEGDI) and is ranked the 6th African country with the highest level of public service digitization. 

By launching this initiative, Namibia becomes the 4th country in Africa to offer this special visa after Mauritius, Seychelles, and Cabo Verde. According to 2021 statistics from "A Brother Abroad", there are about 35 million digital nomads in the world, representing a global economic value of US$787 billion.  

Samira Njoya