Blog – Page 10 – Windhoek Observer

24 Oct

YOUNG OBSERVER | #UNMUTED

Featured, Opinions

Parliament recently revisited the long-delayed Mental Health Bill. The minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Esperance Luvindao, confirmed that the bill is in its final stages of review and will soon be resubmitted to legal drafters. This comes after years of delays in replacing the outdated Mental Health Act of 1973, a law that no longer reflects the realities of modern mental health care in Namibia. News outlets earlier in the week reported that employers would no longer be able to discriminate against mentally ill people; of course, that caused an uproar. While the discussion may seem technical or…

24 Oct

YOUNG OBSERVER | What the midterm budget review means for young people

National News

For many young Namibians, national budget week can feel like a distant ritual of suits, numbers and long speeches. Yet buried inside those tables and statements are quiet decisions that shape whether you can find work after graduation, launch a small business, afford the bus to campus or access decent health care when you finally go off your parents’ medical aid (by the way, can the age for this please be 25 because wow). The national budget is, in effect, the country’s annual values statement: it reveals what we choose to protect, where we are willing to take risks and…

24 Oct

YOUNG OBSERVER | Capturing the youth vote – Should we lower the voting age to 16?

National News

Every election cycle in Namibia, the same question returns with new urgency: how do we get more young people to register, to show up and to cast informed votes? With a median age under 25 and a growing cohort of first-time voters, the stakes are obvious. Some countries have responded by lowering the voting age to 16 for certain elections. Should Namibia follow suit? The debate is not simply legal but civic, educational and cultural. This article unpacks the case for and against lowering the voting age and asks a deeper question: regardless of the threshold, what would it take…

24 Oct

YOUNG OBSERVER | Discovering Namibia’s Gems: Gondwana’s Okapuka Lodge

National News

Fifteen minutes north of Windhoek’s city limit, the beat of urban life softens into savanna. Kalahari thorn trees punctuate golden grass, kudus watch from the treeline, and the sky pulls its favourite Namibian trick—an endless, impossible blue. This is Gondwana’s Okapuka Lodge: a safari lodge that sits close enough for a spontaneous day trip, yet vast enough to remind you why people fly across oceans to be here. For young professionals juggling deadlines and dreams, Okapuka offers a rare combination: restorative nature you can access between breakfast and a 3pm Zoom call, plus a gentle nudge into a slower, more…

24 Oct

YOUNG OBSERVER | The politicisation of hair

National News

Hair, in Namibia as elsewhere, is never just hair. It is a language of belonging, respectability, rebellion, faith, profession, and class. For black women in particular, hair carries a freight of history: colonial gaze, missionary discipline, workplace codes, school rules, salon economies, and intimate self-storytelling. For men, hair choices from clean fades to locs to dyed twists signal tribe and taste, sometimes risk. In recent years, several high schools, employers, and even sports associations have faced public scrutiny over hair policies that felt outdated or discriminatory. The debates were about rules on paper, but underneath they were about power: who…

24 Oct

YOUNG OBSERVER | Namibia’s tech wave – How young innovators are redefining the digital future

Featured, Observer Money

If you listen closely in Windhoek’s coffee shops, Keetmanshoop’s municipal offices, Walvis Bay’s port control rooms, and Oshakati’s school computer labs, you can hear it: a low, bright hum of ambition. Namibia’s tech wave is not a Silicon Valley clone; it’s a scrappy, practical movement of young builders who are using code, connectivity and common sense to solve local problems then scaling those solutions to regional markets. With 5G lighting up in major cities, universities investing in AI and robotics labs, and a growing ecosystem of angel meetups, hackathons and accelerators, this is a good time to place a bet…

24 Oct

Uaandja calls for unity to tackle economic challenges

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Namibia’s first Public-Private Forum (NamPPF), held this week, marks a new step in the country’s effort to achieve inclusive growth, job creation, and competitiveness, according to Nangula Nelulu Uaandja, chairperson of the NamPPF coordinating committee. Speaking at the opening session, Uaandja said Namibia’s economic challenges, including a 36.9% unemployment rate and 46% youth unemployment, demand stronger cooperation between the government and private sector. “Almost half of Namibians are either monetarily or multidimensionally poor. This forum exists because no single sector can solve these structural issues alone. We must co-create and co-own the solutions,” she said. Uaandja said the…

24 Oct

Nasria pays N$16 million dividend

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira The Namibia Special Risks Insurance Association (Nasria) has paid a dividend of N$16 million to the government after recording another strong year of financial and operational performance for 2024/2025. Nasria maintained its record of clean audits with another unqualified opinion, providing insurance cover against politically motivated and special risks not typically covered by commercial insurers. The company has achieved this every year since its establishment. Insurance revenue increased by 6%, rising from N$84 million to N$89 million, supported by policy renewals and new business across several sectors. However, the insurance service result fell by 23% to N$45 million…

24 Oct

Long-term insurance claims reached N$10.6 billion in 2024

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira The long-term insurance subsector maintained strong profitability in the first half of 2025, building on the momentum achieved in 2024 when gross written premiums rose to N$14.4 billion. According to the Bank of Namibia and the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa) in their joint October 2025 Financial Stability Report, the sector’s stability reflects several factors. These include inflation-linked premium adjustments, greater demand for life, funeral, and investment-linked policies, growth in the middle-income population, and successful product diversification. The report assessed the strength of Namibia’s financial system and its ability to withstand both internal and external shocks. The…

24 Oct

Swakop Uranium achieves net profit of N$562 million

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Swakop Uranium, operator of the Husab Mine, recorded a net profit of N$562 million in 2024, marking a strong turnaround from a loss in 2023. Total procurement for the year reached N$10.1 billion, with N$6.36 billion spent locally. The company said this reflects its continued support for Namibian suppliers and small businesses. In its 2024 sustainability report, Swakop Uranium highlighted key production achievements. The company mined 118 million tonnes of material and reached a record processing throughput of 1 720 tonnes per hour. Its workforce stood at 4 300 employees, representing nearly 18.5% of Namibia’s mining labour force.…