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AI trade gains could lift low-and middle-income economies

AI trade gains could lift low-and middle-income economies

Justicia Shipena Artificial intelligence (AI) could drive growth in low- and middle-income economies if they invest in digital infrastructure and supportive policies, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) says in its 2025 World Trade Report. The report was launched on Wednesday, during the WTO Public Forum in Geneva, Switzerland.  It shows that under a “policy catch-up” scenario, low-income economies could see gross domestic product (GDP) rise by 11% and middle-income economies by 12.4% by 2040.  High-income economies are projected at 12.2%. With faster technology adoption, the gains could be even higher, reaching 15.3% for low-income and 14.4% for middle-income economies. Global…
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Ethiopian Airlines and SITA to develop travel solutions 

Ethiopian Airlines and SITA to develop travel solutions 

With air travel demand across Africa skyrocketing and passenger expectations shifting fast in a digital-first world, airlines face mounting pressure to deliver smoother, more efficient journeys while managing increasingly busy operations. At the same time, destinations like Ethiopia are rapidly emerging as hubs for tourism, investment, and trade, raising the stakes for national carriers and leaving a lasting positive impression on travellers. To meet these challenges head-on, Ethiopian Airlines and SITA have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to co-develop innovative solutions that strengthen the airline’s operations and enhance the passenger experience.  The collaboration will tap into startups, technology…
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Nasan Energies to acquire Vivo Energy assets 

Nasan Energies to acquire Vivo Energy assets 

Staff Writer  Nasan Energies Namibia (Pty) Ltd has reached an agreement with Vivo Energy Namibia to acquire 53 Engen and Shell-branded fuel service stations. The deal is still subject to approval by the Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC). In May 2024, Vivo Energy completed the purchase of Engen Limited from Petronas, which included Engen Namibia. As part of the regulatory process, the Competition Commission ruled that Vivo Energy had to sell a number of its service stations to maintain a fair market. “We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Nasan Energies, which not only fulfills the regulatory requirements to…
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Every Namibian voice matters: a call for a media support bill to strengthen rural coverage

Every Namibian voice matters: a call for a media support bill to strengthen rural coverage

Hidipo Hamata In Namibia, the right to information is guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, which ensures freedom of expression and the press. Likewise, many newspapers, including The Namibian, Namibian Sun, and Confidénte, struggle to report from rural areas due to limited resources. Covering town councils, urban crime, and government announcements is far cheaper than sending reporters hundreds of kilometres to remote communities, where roads are poor, fuel is expensive, and audiences are small. Consequently, rural issues remain underreported, investigative journalism suffers, and newsrooms increasingly rely on press statements, Facebook posts, WhatsApp messages, or court documents instead of original…
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Emotions live in the body 

Emotions live in the body 

Sybille Lindner Have you ever felt your shoulders pull up when you got a fright or your belly pull tight when you thought you had forgotten something important? Have you ever felt a current of restlessness in your legs when you really wanted to do something fun, or your heart expanding with joy when you realised someone had thought of you for your birthday? These experiences are so innately part of being human that we often forget that they are part of us every day. Our feelings and emotions are not just happening in our brains – they are felt…
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The burden of being a single mother and lessons for co-parenting 

The burden of being a single mother and lessons for co-parenting 

Monika Shafuda  Being a single mother is two-way traffic – meaning that you have to juggle household responsibilities alone, work and childcare and carry the weight of two parents at the same time. In Namibia we have brave women who endured the hardship of raising children alone, not simply because it is what they want, but because it appears to be caused by many circumstances which are sometimes uneasy to mitigate, such as untimely death, cultural norms, and laws like protection orders and divorce, just to mention a few. While the road of single motherhood is filled with love and…
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OBSERVER DAILY | NHE: Now or never to deliver on the dream of affordable housing

For decades, the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) has been the government’s principal vehicle to meet one of Namibia’s most pressing social needs: decent and affordable housing. Yet the promise of shelter for all has repeatedly been deferred. Backlogs have grown. Informal settlements have multiplied. The gap between aspiration and reality remains a national embarrassment.  With the ink now dry on a five-year collaboration agreement between the NHE and the Roads Contractor Company (RCC), the message is unmistakable: it is now or never for the NHE to prove that it can deliver on its founding mandate. The agreement signed this week…
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Plastic Packaging, union deadlock over salary talks

Plastic Packaging, union deadlock over salary talks

Allexer Namundjembo Industrial action broke out on Tuesday outside Plastic Packaging (Pty) Ltd in Windhoek after wage negotiations with the Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (MANWU) collapsed.  Workers began picketing at the company’s premises, demanding higher salary increases than those offered by management. Negotiations, which began in January 2025  have yet to yield an agreement.  The company confirmed the deadlock, saying it had tabled an above-inflation increase for employees but could not meet the union’s latest demands. Plastic Packaging’s managing director, Nico Du Plessis, said the company remains open to dialogue but must consider wider financial realities.  “We have…
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Father denied bail in child murder case

Father denied bail in child murder case

Allexer Namundjembo A 33-year-old man accused of killing his two children in Onkani village, Omuntele constituency, was denied bail during his first court appearance in Ondangwa on Tuesday. The accused, Thomas Sheya, faces two counts of murder after allegedly twisting the necks of his children, four-year-old Ruusa Sheya and two-year-old Andreas Sheya, on Sunday night.  Magistrate Nelao ya France  refused granting bail citing the seriousness of the case, public interest, and the early stage of investigations.  The case was postponed to 23 March 2026 as police await postmortem results and continue with investigations. Sheya has opted for a state-funded lawyer.…
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Residents demand ouster of Tsumeb’s acting CEO

Residents demand ouster of Tsumeb’s acting CEO

Renthia Kaimbi Tsumeb residents want acting chief executive officer Frans Enkali removed, saying his extended tenure is draining municipal resources. Enkali, a retired chief regional officer of the Oshikoto region, was appointed more than a year ago on what was meant to be a three-month contract to oversee the recruitment of a permanent CEO.  Despite interviews having been conducted before his appointment, the position remains vacant. The Tsumeb Concerned Residents Association, led by Lisken Claasen, is calling for his replacement by either a permanent CEO or an existing head of department. “We are tired of engaging a CEO that is…
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