Namibian President Declares War

When Hage Geingob became Namibia's third President, he declared a 'war on poverty'. Since independence in 1990, the politically stable country has mended the rifts of conflict, held six successful national elections and invested in critical infrastructure. But despite strides in such areas as education and health care, the vast majority of its 2.2 million people remain poor. Geingob has appealed to the Namibian business community to support a 'solidarity wealth tax' on the most affluent citizens to be used for poverty eradication only. In his end-of-year statement, he reiterated poverty eradication in a list of six high-priority pronouncements this year.