Editorial

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s commissioning of seven new heads of mission signals an important moment for Namibia’s diplomatic future. The appointments, to Nigeria, Belgium, Zambia, Ghana, Japan, Egypt, and Zimbabwe, arrive at a time when the nation is recalibrating its foreign policy to centre economic diplomacy, investment attraction, and strategic global partnerships.  The President’s message was clear and firm: these envoys must prioritise national development interests and project a credible Namibian profile to the world. The newly appointed ambassadors deserve sincere congratulations. Walde Natangwe Ndevashiya, Alfredo Tjirimo Hengari, Goms Menette, Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata, Rosina //Hoabes, Weich Murcle Uapendura Mupya, and David Thomas…

The African Development Bank’s approval of N$30.3 billion for Namibia under its 2025–2030 Country Strategy Paper is, without question, one of the most significant financial commitments the nation has seen in recent years. Headlines have naturally celebrated the investment as a major win; “economic transformation”, “human capital development”, “strategic infrastructure”, and other familiar phrases have again taken centre stage. But as with all large-scale development financing, the real question for Namibians is simpler and far more urgent: What, exactly, will this money do, and for whom? The language surrounding the allocation is predictably polished. The AfDB highlights “inclusive growth”, “economic…

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s commissioning of the national task forces on economic recovery, health, and housing & land marks one of the clearest early signals of the 8th Administration’s intention to break from business-as-usual governance. The speech delivered was measured, sober, and deliberately forward-looking. It struck the necessary chords of unity, urgency, and institutional alignment. Yet, as with any initiative built on lofty ambition, the real test lies not in the unveiling but in the doing. The President’s framing of Namibia’s current challenges – rising living costs, constrained job creation, underperforming service delivery, a strained health system, and the persistent burdens…

Windhoekers are tired, tired of the pretence, tired of the empty rituals, tired of the political musical chairs that masquerade as leadership in the capital city of Namibia. Every year, like clockwork, city council stages its tired spectacle: elect a new mayor, parade them in front of cameras, hand them a chain with great ceremonial pomp, and then immediately strip them of any meaningful authority. Annual election, zero executive powers. A new face, the same impotence. The same bureaucracy, untouched and unbothered. It is governance by Groundhog Day, a classic definition of doing the same thing again and again while…

The dust hasn’t quite settled on the 2025 Regional Councils and Local Authorities elections, but the political mood across Namibia already feels unmistakably familiar. Swapo, after its stumble in 2020, has found its footing again. The opposition, meanwhile, looks scattered and winded. Add to this the drag of a low-turnout election, the kind that almost always tilts toward incumbents, and the picture that emerges is one of a democracy revealing not just its choices but also its frustrations. What we are witnessing is a shift in how Namibians are engaging with politics: less animated by party colours, more shaped by…

Allexer Namundjembo Youth participation in the regional and local authority elections remained low, with many young voters not visible in the queues at the polls on Wednesday.  This is despite more than 643 000 youth registered to vote, making up about 42% of the 1.49 million voters on the final voters register released by the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN). The regional and local authority elections took place on 26 November 2025.  Landless People’s Movement (LPM) Youth leader Duminga Ndala says the low youth turnout in yesterday’s Regional and Local Authority elections signals a serious disconnect between young people and…