Editorial

On Wednesday night, Namibia lost not just a police officer but a son of the soil, a protector, and a man whose devotion to duty shone through even in his final moments. Sergeant Eustance Simasiku Matongo, aged only 34, was gunned down in Walvis Bay while responding to an armed robbery. His death is a painful reminder of the risks our men and women in uniform face every single day, often with little appreciation, and sometimes with outright hostility from the very society they serve. The weight carried by police officers The Namibian Police Force, like many across the world,…

Namibia this week hosts the inaugural Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) Global Policy Forum. James Chapman, managing director of Bank Windhoek, has marked the moment with an essay celebrating his bank’s role in expanding access: rural branches, cellphone banking, local-language ATMs, digital apps, and fee-free accounts. These steps are commendable. But Namibia cannot afford to confuse corporate milestones with national transformation. Financial inclusion is not a marketing slogan; it is a matter of economic justice. And justice, if it is to mean anything, must be enforced through political will, not polished through corporate press releases. The ghosts of exclusion Before…

This past week, Namibians were once again confronted with an image that should never have existed 35 years after independence: children sitting under trees, trying to learn. The scene was Ndama East Primary School in Kavango East, where 552 learners, yes, five hundred and fifty-two children, are being taught under the shade of trees. Each tree is a “classroom”.  There are more than twelve such “classrooms”, manned by fourteen qualified teachers doing their utmost with nothing but chalk, voices, and hope. The man who brought this story to the national consciousness was not a government minister, not an education inspector,…

When the vice president Lucia Witbooi, travels to Algiers in September to represent President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at the Intra-Africa Trade Fair (IATF2025), she carries more than a delegation badge.  She carries Namibia’s opportunity to shape its place in a continental market of 1.4 billion people, underpinned by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The fair, themed “A Gateway to New Opportunities”, is not just a showcase of trade. It is a laboratory for Africa’s economic future. The AfCFTA, established in 2018 and operational since 2021, is the largest free trade agreement since the formation of the World Trade Organisation.…

Namibia’s diplomatic service has historically been framed around political solidarity, liberation credentials, and the maintenance of good neighbourly relations. These have been important foundations. But the times have changed. The 21st century demands that diplomacy be primarily economic. Today’s ambassadors should not only attend receptions and negotiate communiqués; they should be Namibia’s chief salespeople in foreign capitals. If the Ministry of International Relations and Trade is serious about trade, then returning diplomats should be evaluated not only on how many bilateral agreements were signed, but on whether they facilitated investment, opened markets for Namibian products, or created opportunities for Namibian…

There is an old Nigerian saying that goes, “You cannot stand next to the river and wash your face with saliva.” In other words, when abundance is at your feet, it is an insult to go thirsty. That proverb captures perfectly where Namibia stands today. Our nation sits on fertile soil, blessed with rivers, rainfall, and arable land that has for too long been left underutilized. It is against this backdrop that President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s recent visit to the green schemes of the Kavango East Region takes on profound meaning. On Thursday, she walked the fields of Shadikongoro, taking in the sunflowers…

When Air Namibia was grounded and liquidated in 2021, the decision was framed as bold fiscal discipline. After all, the airline had swallowed more than N$11 billion in government bailouts over two decades without ever finding sustainable profitability. To many, pulling the plug seemed the only sensible choice. But history has a way of exposing short-term decisions for what they truly are: costly miscalculations. Today, as President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah signals her government’s intention to reintroduce a national carrier, we are compelled to ask ourselves: was closing Air Namibia the right move? The answer is an emphatic no. In fact, the…

Prime minister’s kindness: time for a rethink? When President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah took the oath of office, she pledged inclusivity and fairness as guiding principles for her administration. “No special treatment” was her rallying cry, meant to signal a new era in which the government would lead by example, not by exception. Yet, one long-standing tradition continues to sit awkwardly alongside that promise: the so-called prime minister’s kindness. This is the practice of allowing public servants to leave work early, sometimes at 10h00, sometimes at 14h00, on the eve of public holidays. The reasoning has always been straightforward: give workers a…

Namibia’s oil and gas sector is standing on the edge of history. For decades, we dreamed of “the big find,” and now that dream is reality. Oil is no longer a rumour off our shores, it’s here, commercially viable, and promising to change the face of our economy forever. But here’s the catch: how we manage this industry from day one will determine whether Namibia becomes a success story or just another African country that struck oil and ended up poorer for it. That’s why leadership matters. The people at the top set the tone, negotiate the deals, and decide…