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The capital is buckling under the weight of urbanisation, yet Namibia continues to concentrate opportunity, services and economic activity in one city. If government wants to ease the pressure on Windhoek, it must stop treating decentralisation as a slogan and start making it work. There is something deeply troubling about the City of Windhoek having to explain to Parliament that it cannot keep pace with the influx of people into the capital. It is not merely a municipal problem. It is an indictment of how Namibia has organised its development since independence. When the capital’s Chief Executive Officer, Moses Matyayi,…

Patience Makwele Young Namibians entering the job market may increasingly need to demonstrate that they can use artificial intelligence (AI), with education deputy minister Dino Ballotti highlighting digital competence as an important skill for the next generation of workers. Speaking at the UNESCO-KFIT cross-country workshop in Windhoek on Monday, Ballotti said young people currently in classrooms would enter an economy shaped by digital tools, including artificial intelligence. “For these learners, digital competence, I would say, is fast becoming mandatory,” he said. Ballotti shared that when he hired his assistant, one of the first questions he asked was whether she was…

…as Optimistic Media Group premieres its latest  Patience Makwele  Optimistic Media Group is setting its sights beyond Windhoek as it prepares to premiere Shortcut Part 3, with plans to take the film to four other towns and eventually rural communities across Namibia. The film will premiere at Ster-Kinekor, Maerua Mall, on 7 November before opening at both Maerua Mall and Grove Mall on 13 November for an initial two-week cinema run. In an interview with Young Observer, producer Gustav Nuuyoma said the company has confirmed plans for additional screenings in Swakopmund, Lüderitz, Rundu and Ongwediva, with dates to be announced…

Why does the City of Windhoek still have a Parks Department if it cannot maintain the only park left in the capital? And while we are asking uncomfortable questions, why are the Tintenpalast Gardens still closed to the public after more than a decade, ostensibly because of vaguely stated “security concerns”? The Windhoek Observer in an earlier article wrote at length about that.  These are not merely questions about grass, gardens and flower beds. They are questions about what kind of city Windhoek wants to be, how public money is being used and whether public spaces are still regarded as…

In this interview, Wet Landed Small Pelagic Association (WLSPA) chairperson Johny Johnson Doëseb (JJD) calls for science-led management of Namibia’s horse mackerel fishery, cautioning against increasing total allowable catches (TACs) without clear evidence of sustainable stock recovery. He discusses concerns over low juvenile abundance, actual catches falling well below allocated quotas, the economic importance of the wet-landed sector, quota allocations, bycatch management and international market access. Doëseb also highlights the need for stronger collaboration between government, scientists, economists and industry to balance marine conservation with local employment, processing and economic value addition. Q: Chairperson, recent survey results showed an increase…

Patience Makwele Young people have called for a seat at the green industry table, saying Namibia’s emerging industries need skills beyond engineering and that young people must be included in conversations about the country’s industrial future. The call was made at the Green Industries Youth Forum, held in Windhoek on Friday, where students, young professionals and industry representatives discussed career opportunities and how young people can contribute to sectors such as renewable energy and green hydrogen. Teofilus Shaduka, a young founder of cybersecurity start-up Principia Works, shared that the opportunities extend beyond those directly trained in energy-related fields. Shaduka said…

Namibia must find a way to preserve traditional leadership without financing tribalism, rewarding succession battles or turning cultural titles into gateways to state resources. When six traditional authorities received vehicles valued at N$4.29 million in Otjiwarongo this week, the handover was presented as an investment in traditional leadership and community development.  The vehicles, supplied by Oonani Investments Group, the business arm of the Namibia Traditional Authorities Trust, were valued at N$715,000 each.  The minister of urban and rural development, James Sankwasa, attended the ceremony. The initiative is supported by revenue from government fishing quotas allocated to the trust.  There is…