Namibia is a country located on the South Western part of Southern Africa. The country shares borders with Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, and Angola. The country of 2,5 million people has an economy that is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 25% of GDP, the rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the world’s fourth-largest producer of uranium. It also produces large quantities of zinc and is a small producer of gold and other minerals. The mining sector employs only about 3% of the population. Namibia normally imports about 50% of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the region, hides one of the world’s most unequal income distributions, as shown by Namibia’s 70.7 GINI coefficient. The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar pegged one-to-one to the South African rand. Until 2010, Namibia drew 40% of its budget revenues from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). Increased payments from SACU put Namibia’s budget into surplus in 2007 for the first time since independence. SACU allotments to Namibia increased in 2009, but dropped in 2010 and 2011 because of the global recession, reducing Namibia’s overall SACU income. The dramatic decline in demand for diamonds during the global financial crisis resulted in higher costs of producing metals. A rebound in diamond and uranium prices in 2010 and the reopening of copper mines in 2011 provided a significant boost to the Namibian mining sector. Namibia’s political landscape is fairly stable, with strong institutions and no issues with regards to the handover of power. If Namibia is to carry on its growth trajectory, it will have to maintain the social cohesion that has prevailed since its independence.