Observer

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Environment and making investment decisions

Environment and making investment decisions

Bank Windhoek’s sustainable finance and environmental, social and Governance analyst, Joachim Komeheke says Namibia cannot deny the importance of protecting the environment as these are aspects that determine the modality and functionality of any economy across the globe. “The European Commission defines Sustainable Finance as the “process of taking Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations into account when making investment decisions in the financial sector, leading to more long-term investments in sustainable economic activities and projects”. Komeheke says for a greater part of human’s existence on earth, especially since the industrial revolution, humans have primarily focused on extraction and growth,…
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Police confiscate drugs worth N$617 475 in June

Police confiscate drugs worth N$617 475 in June

Niël Terblanché Large quantities of illicit drugs such as crack cocaine, cannabis and mandrax have been confiscated by the Namibian police during focused operations in June. According to Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, the head of the Namibian Police’s Public Relations Division, the combined value of the confiscated drugs is estimated at N$617 475. She said that officers managed to arrest 153 suspects in June. She said that 148 of the suspects were identified as Namibians, while one Angolan, one Congolese and three Zambian nationals were found to be in possession of illicit drugs. The suspects had cannabis worth N$555 455,…
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//Hoebes defends Swapo

//Hoebes defends Swapo

Martin Endjala The Minister of Presidential Affairs in the Presidency, Christine //Hoebes has come to the defence of the ruling party Swapo, saying that it has ensured that corruption is non-endemic or non-systemic in Namibia. She said this in response to a motion tabled by the Popular Democratic Movement leader, McHenry Venaani last month on the investigation into the purported power struggle and impropriety at NAMCOR. //Hoebes now wants the PDM’s motion dismissed. She stated that Venaani made several assertions that can only be referred to as incendiary and misguided. “His claim that the inability of the Swapo Party government…
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NSFAF management grilled over ‘wasted’ N$15 million

NSFAF management grilled over ‘wasted’ N$15 million

Stefanus Nashama The Namibia Students Financial Assistant Fund (NSFAF) said it paid a total N$15 million to Onecall Solutions, a company that failed to deliver services to the fund for a period of four years. Appearing before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts yesterday, NSFAF’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Kennedy Kandume said upon investigating, it was found that OneCall Solutions was failing to deliver as per the agreement. Kandume who became the Acting CEO of NSFAF in April 2018 said they paid the company and had to terminate the contract with the company after it had failed to honour…
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Calls for Amushelelo’s release increase

Calls for Amushelelo’s release increase

Stefanus Nashama Calls for the immediate release of arrested activist and member of Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEEF), Michael Amushelelo have gradually increased on social media, with many young people warning of another mass action at national level. Many young people expressed that they are uncomfortable with the way the Magistrate Court is handling and dealing with Amushelelos’ criminal cases. According to social media comments associated with the call for Amushelelo’s immediate release, the youth believe that Amushelelo’s continued incarceration is a ‘planned hidden agenda’ that prevents him from opening the public’s eyes to the many things he knows while…
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Over 100 000 stateless people live in Namibia

Over 100 000 stateless people live in Namibia

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Namibian Government estimates that there are at least 141 048 stateless and undocumented people residing in Namibia. This was revealed by the Minster of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security, Albert Kawana this week during the tenth Cabinet decisions announcement, where the executive body approved four bills for the regularization of the status of stateless and undocumented people in Namibia. Currently, the country does not have a law that deals with stateless individuals.The Namibian citizenship amendment bill, regularization of the status of certain residents of Namibia and their descendants’ bill, and statelessness determination and protection bill have…
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Empowering women through fishery operations

Empowering women through fishery operations

Niël Terblanché In an effort to address gender disparities and promote women’s empowerment within the small-scale fisheries sector in Namibia, a pioneering training workshop was held under the banner “Achieving Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Small-Scale Fisheries.” The workshop was hosted in Mariental three days and saw the attendance of 23 women, including fisherwomen, fish processors, and fish traders from across Namibia’s 14 regions. The attendees are members of the Namibia Women’s Fisheries Network (NAMFISHNET). NAMFISHNET is a non-governmental organisation that is independent of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Fisheries…
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Olufuko festival kicks off with a bang

Olufuko festival kicks off with a bang

Martin Endjala Founding President Sam Nujoma has called on Namibians to uphold their culture and never abandon their values to simply conform to Western cultures. “We must learn from our past to inform our future because a nation without culture is like a tree without roots,” he said. He said that Namibians should resolve, among other things, to preserve their history, and write the country’s present account. The Founding Father also advocated for the erasure of distortions about the African people from the literature. “We should do historical research, interpret and record the historical and contemporary knowledge into new conceptions…
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Covid-19 burials torment Kavango East Regional Council

Covid-19 burials torment Kavango East Regional Council

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The Kavango East Regional Council has been dragged to court by a construction company that dug graves that were to be utilized for burial by persons whose loved ones succumbed to the Covid-19 virus. WFA Construction CC is claiming that the Regional Council owes them a total N$641 820 for the rental and use of a Tractor-Loader Backhoe (TLB), for the digging of the graves, and the rental and use of a bulldozer for the clearing and cleaning of 20 hectares of land in September 2020. According to documents filed at the Windhoek High Court, the Regional Council…
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Elevated prices and interest rates weigh on private consumption

Elevated prices and interest rates weigh on private consumption

Martin Endjala Namibians have not been spared by the rapidly rising inflation and interest rates experienced across the globe over the past year and a half. Undue pressure on disposable incomes has raised concerns about household consumption dynamics. “Weakening household consumption spending bodes ill for overall economic growth as consumer spending constitutes 78 percent of GDP,” economist,”Economist Ruusa Nandago said. Nandago says weaker consumer spending is expected to persist based on various economic indicators such as elevated inflation and interest rates, high unsecured credit uptake growth, high levels of indebtedness and residential property weakness. Nandago pointed out that the 2022…
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