WINDHOEK, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Namibian economy shrank by 2 percent in the first quarter of this year, the country's statistics authorities said on Thursday.
Alex Shimuafeni, statistician general of the Namibian Statistics Agency, said the the economic shrinkage was mainly caused by performance declines in key sectors including tourism, agriculture and forestry as well as manufacturing.
"The decline in the agriculture sector was pushed down by the effects of drought as you know the country is experiencing a serious drought which has severely cut down on growth," he said.
He added that the Namibian economy continues to suffer setbacks despite efforts to turn around its performance by key stakeholders.
Shimuafeni also worried about continued shrinkage in mining, citing policy shortage to drive value addition.
