Namibia least connected globally – DHL index

The DHL Global Connectedness Index has ranked Namibia as the 100th most globally connected country in the world. Namibia was one of 125 countries from five continents which were ranked as part of the index, covering the period 2005 to 2010.
In Africa, following Namibia (100th) is Cameroon (105th), Uganda (108th), Mali (112th) and Senegal (115th).  Of the West-African countries surveyed, Ghana leads the way at position 55, followed by Nigeria (59), Niger (77), Côte d’Ivoire (80) Togo (92), Guinea (96), Mali (112) and Senegal (115).
“As with other emerging economies, such as Asia, Africa is regarded as a growth-market and there is enormous potential for intra-African and inter-African trade. The results clearly indicate the importance of regional infrastructural development, which acts as a catalyst for economic growth by improving integration within the region and with the rest of the world,” said Charles Brewer, managing director for DHL Express in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The top 10 connected countries are The Netherlands, Singapore, Ireland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Sweden, Belgium, Hong Kong, and Malta.
“These leaders in terms of global connectedness are a diverse set of countries, spread across Europe and Asia, and ranging from the world’s sixth largest economy, the United Kingdom, to one of the smaller independent nations, Malta,” the study notes.
The leaders on the depth dimension of global connectedness are: Hong Kong (China), Singapore, Luxembourg, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Estonia, Malta, and United Arab Emirates.
The leaders on the ‘breadth’ dimension are the UK, followed by France, the US and The Netherlands.