Today, Malaysia’s unemployment rate is below 3.4 percent, and its poverty rate stands at 3.6 percent. Thirty-seven years ago, the poverty rate in Malaysia was 50 percent, and in 1987, the poverty rate stood at 20 percent. This is one of the countries, I believe, against which we should benchmark ourselves.
It is imperative that financial inclusion becomes a high priority in our national agenda. We cannot afford to ignore the major role of financial inclusion in facilitating our efforts, policies, and strategies of achieving the ideals of Vision 2030. In this regard, the Bank of Namibia has identified financial inclusion to be an important thrust in the Bank’s developmental role.