Observer – Page 271 – Windhoek Observer

23 Jun

Losing AGOA status could see SA losing N$44b

ObserverObserver MoneyLosing AGOA status could see SA losing N$44b

Chamwe Kaira …. Impact on Namibia to be minimal …. Weakened rand would affect Namibian dollar …. Weak rand could pressure interest rates The biggest risk that South Africa faces with over its neutral stance regarding the Russia/Ukaraine conflict is possibly being kicked out of the AGOA pact and having its exporters lose preferential access to the US market. “This would affect around N$44 billion of our export revenue, making up almost 25% of the total exports to the US,” economist at Stanlib South Africa, Ndivhuho Netshitenzhe told Observer Money. Netshitenzhe said while this doesn’t mean that South Africa won’t…

23 Jun

IATA to improve aviation safety in Africa

ObserverObserver MoneyIATA to improve aviation safety in Africa

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is launching the Collaborative Aviation Safety Improvement Program (CASIP) to reduce the accident and serious incident rate across Africa as part of the Focus Africa initiative. Launch partners in the program are: The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), The African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing, The Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA). Together, the CASIP partners will prioritise the most pressing safety concerns on the continent and rally the resources needed to address them. The benefits of improving aviation safety in Africa will be spread across the economies…

23 Jun

NEFF worried about visa-free entry for Chinese

ObserverFeaturedNEFF worried about visa-free entry for Chinese

Stefanus Nashama The Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) Leader, Epafras Mukwiilongo, yesterday said the visa-free entry for Chinese nationals in Namibia for 30 days will affect the Namibian business industry and increase the high unemployment rate among the youth of the country. Mukwiilongo said he understands that the Chinese are protected by their government in Namibia while the Namibian Government is sleeping on duty to protect its citizens in China. He stressed that the visa-free entry for Chinese nationals is not in the interest of Namibians, that it is in the interest of the Chinese themselves because Namibian citizens do…

23 Jun

PM wants Namibians to take ownership of NDP6

ObserverNational NewsPM wants Namibians to take ownership of NDP6

Martin Endjala Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has urged all Namibians to take ownership of the Sixth National Development Plan, stating that it should be a rallying call for all Namibians to achieve what they want. She made these remarks yesterday during the Launch of the NDP6 formulation process in Windhoek, which will be officially launched in March 2025. The first consultative conference is slated for May next year and the second conference with the wider public is slated for September next year. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila emphasized that the NDP6 serves as the developmental goal framework which creates great significance to Namibia’s planning,…

23 Jun

Kandjeke declares Zambezi CRO’s employment illegal

ObserverNational News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The extension of the employment contract of the Zambezi Chief Regional Officer, Regina Ndopu-Libunda which was effective from March 2016 until February 2021 was unlawful, Auditor General, Junias Kandjeke found. Kandjeke made the finding in a report on the accounts of the Zambezi Regional Council for the financial year which ended in March 2020. The report was submitted in parliament this week. Ndopu-Lupinda is still employed as the Chief Regional Officer of the region. According to Kandjeke, the extension of the contract was not recommended by the Public Service Commission and there was no evidence to provide if…

23 Jun

Current export value of agronomy product at N$311.3

ObserverNational News

Stefanus Nashama The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), in its statistical bulletin, says during the first quarter of 2023, the total export of agronomy products was valued at N$311.3 million, while the import bill for the same period amounted to N$518.3 million. NSA Statistician-General and Chief Executive Officer, Alex Shimuafeni released this in the quarterly agriculture, and fishing indicators statistical bulletin, this month. According to him, the NSA indicates that Maize was exported to the value of N$311.1 during the review quarter, mainly for export. In terms of import of agronomy products, Maize and Wheat contributed the highest to the import…

23 Jun

Close corporation amendment bill tabled

ObserverNational NewsClose corporation amendment bill tabled

Martin Endjala The Minister of Industrialization and Trade Lucia Iipumbu yesterday tabled an Amendment Bill to the Close Corporation Amendment Act No. 26 of 1998 in parliament after Namibia underwent her second peer-review evaluation by the Eastern and Southern African Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The outcomes of the peer review necessitate a piecemeal amendment of the Act to avoid Namibia from being greylisted. She said that while the government is prioritizing the findings from the peer review, the government is also cognizant of the fact that the review of the law should be…

23 Jun

Namibia must change laws to avert food insecurity

ObserverNational NewsNamibia must change laws to avert food insecurity

Niël Terblanché The Meat Industry Act of 1981 should be amended to include poultry, dairy and pork to foster growth in production and to protect producers of all meat and related products. In this regard, certain amendments to the act have already enabled the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform to rename the Meat Board of Namibia as the Livestock and Livestock Products Namibia Board. New amendments tabled in Parliament by the agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein aim to regulate pork, dairy and poultry. “The inclusion of dairy and dairy-related products as well as the poultry and poultry-related products including…

23 Jun

Occupancy rate slowed to one percentage point

ObserverNational NewsOccupancy rate slowed to one percentage point

Martin Endjala The Occupancy Rate which is referred to as the percentage of occupied rooms in a house at any given time has slowed by a meagre one percentage point in May 2023, from 51.8 percent in April to 50.8 percent in May 2023. However, on an annual basis, occupancy rates have improved by 11.4 percentage points from 39.4 percent in May 2022, still indicative of a recovery in the sector. This is according to the May 2023 Simonis Storm Economist Theo Klein. He said that Namibians have been facing a notable surge in travel expenses, with prices nearly doubling…

23 Jun

SADC police chiefs gather to address transnational crime

ObserverNational NewsSADC police chiefs gather to address transnational crime

Niël Terblanché Member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are experiencing an increase in transnational crimes of a deadly serious nature that will negatively impact the sub-region. The SADC Chiefs of Police Sub-Committee (SARPCCO) of the Inter-State Defence and Security Committee (ISDSC) gathered in Swakopmund to discuss the regional crime threat assessment. The assessment for the SADC showed that trafficking of illicit small arms and light weapons as well as explosives, cash in transit heists, trafficking in illicit drugs, infrastructure and environmental crimes, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants and illegal mining, among others are negatively impacting…