info_e12wt4cs – Page 636

23 Jun

PM wants Namibians to take ownership of NDP6

info_e12wt4csNational 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

info_e12wt4csNational 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

info_e12wt4csNational 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

info_e12wt4csNational 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

info_e12wt4csNational 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

info_e12wt4csNational 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

info_e12wt4csNational 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…

23 Jun

Approach your bank before defaulting on your payments

info_e12wt4csOpinionsApproach your bank before defaulting on your payments

Josef Kefas Sheehama This article will give you information and advice if you are behind with your monthly installments. From personal experience of 22 years as a Senior Credit, Credit Manager, and Bank Branch Manager, I have discovered that banks are always willing to take what they can get, giving you one last chance to get back on your feet. It is never too early or too late to contact your personal banker. You may be worried about talking to the bank. Hence, your first move should be to speak to your bank if you’re going through financial difficulties. It…

23 Jun

Quo vadis regions in Namibia?

info_e12wt4csOpinionsQuo vadis regions in Namibia?

Kae Matundu Tjiparuro Gobabis, known as the capital of the Cattle Country, as the region is popularly known whether the cap fits it or not, has lately been an atypical hustle and bustle. Inhabitants of the region, including the youth, converged on the town in what could turn out a pioneering initiative in creating for the youth in the region jobs. From which other regions could well take a leaf or two. Currently the region is said to be third on the entire country’s unemployment log. The scorch of unemployment in the country among the youth is well known with…

23 Jun

615 suicides recorded between January and April…Men topping the suicide rate

info_e12wt4csMain615 suicides recorded between January and April…Men topping the suicide rate

Hertta-Maria Amutenja At least 615 suicides were recorded by the Namibian police between January 20-22 and April 2023. Of these staggering statistics, 485 are adult men while 107 are adult women. The figures also indicate that 18 male juveniles and 5 female juveniles died by suicide during the same period. The Inspector General of the Namibian Police, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo revealed in an exclusive interview with the Windhoek Observer that the Omusati Region has the highest recorded suicide rate with 121 cases while the //Karas region reported the lowest with eight suicides. The Ohangwena Region reported 94 cases, Khomas…