An advantage of Namibia's late attainment of independence is that it can benefit from the experience of other African countries that achieved independence some thirty years earlier. Hence Namibia is unique in that it is the only country in sub-Saharan Africa that at the time of attaining independence already provided for constitutional rights for its local languages. The major policy document of the then liberation movement SWAPO, Toward a language policy for an independent Namibia (United Nations Institute for Namibia 1981), which was published in Lusaka by the institute (UNIN) as proceedings of a seminar held in 1980, essentially set the trend for the policies pursued since independence in 1990.
KÔNZ, Peider (dir.). Trade, Environment and Sustainable Development : Views from Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. A Reader. Genève, International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development & The United Nations University, Institute of Advanced Studies, 2000, 445 p.
