Sustainability requires more than facility maintenance. Sufficient staffing and material supplies are also critical to maintain the operations of the RSRC facilities. Staffing has been a long-running challenge for the RSRCs—in some locations more than others. The final evaluation attributes the problem to (i) the limited talent pool in Namibia; (ii) a low government pay scale; and (iii) library location. The staffing shortage was exacerbated by Namibia’s hiring moratorium in 2017-18. As noted in the first interim (i.e., “Component 1”) evaluation report, the number of people in Namibia with the experience needed to lead an RSRC was limited such that candidates had to be recruited from other countries. Some stakeholders hoped the University of Namibia (UNAM) would expand its library science program to accept more candidates or extend their program by a year in order to increase the competency level of graduates, but UNAM did not have the personnel to make these changes. MCA-N lobbied for higher salaries during compact implementation, but the evaluation noted an apparent lack of plans to continue trying to make RSRC positions more competitive post-compact. Supply chains were also a known concern before the compact ended, though RSRC staff were not supported in developing plans to address these weaknesses. It might still be possible for the Government of Namibia to resolve the staffing and supply challenges facing the RSRCs but such challenges need to be recognized as the real threats to success and sustainability that they are and addressed accordingly while MCC is still able to provide support.
Lesson Learned