National News

Allexer Namundjembo The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security has been accused of issuing a duplicate national identity document (ID) to the wrong person.  Windhoek resident Werner Kanana told the Windhoek Observer that he recently visited the Home Affairs office in Windhoek to collect a replacement ID after losing his original last year, only to discover that the duplicate had already been collected by someone else. “Last year I lost my national ID, and recently I went to Home Affairs to apply for a replacement. However, I was told that I could not be issued a new ID…

Patience Makwele Education experts and policymakers have raised concern over the growing disconnect between university qualifications and labour market demands.  They warned that Namibia’s higher education system risks producing graduates for unemployment rather than economic participation. The concerns were raised during the Redefining Education Summit hosted by the University of Namibia (Unam) in Windhoek on Wednesday, where academics, students and policymakers debated the future of higher education and the need to shift towards skills-based and innovation-driven learning. Discussions at the summit focused on the growing mismatch between university training and labour market realities, particularly as graduate unemployment continues to rise…

Patience Makwele President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called for urgent investment in agriculture, rural development and youth participation in farming.  She said the country's long-term economic transformation will depend heavily on its ability to modernise agriculture while preserving cultural identity. Nandi-Ndaitwah said development should never come at the expense of tradition and heritage. “One of the greatest mistakes any nation can make is to believe that development requires abandoning its identity,” she said at the official opening of the Omaludi Agricultural Festival in Okongo on Wednesday.  “Development and culture are not contradicting each other.” Nandi-Ndaitwah said agriculture remains central to Namibia’s…

Staff Writer  Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) has committed N$624.9 million towards upgrading telecommunications and digital infrastructure during the 2025/26 financial year. The investment was announced during the ICT High-Level Stakeholder Engagement held in Oshakati and forms part of the company’s broader plan to strengthen connectivity, improve network performance and expand digital services across the country. MTC chief brand, marketing, communications and sustainability officer Tim Ekandjo said the funding will support several infrastructure and technology projects aimed at modernising the network and preparing for future digital demands. “This capital allocation is supporting initiatives such as network optimisation and modernisation, information and…

Justicia Shipena  The Okandjoze Chiefs’ Assembly on Genocide (OCAG) has called on the Namibian government to adopt a “business unusual” approach in dealing with genocide, apology and reparations.  OCAG said years of discussions have produced little action. Namibia will mark its second Genocide Remembrance Day on Thursday in memory of tens of thousands of Ovaherero and Nama people killed during German colonial rule between 1904 and 1908. Cabinet declared 28 May as Genocide Remembrance Day and approved it as a public holiday in 2024. The first official commemoration took place last year at Parliament Gardens.  Some Ovaherero and Nama leaders…

Patience Makwele Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture Sanet Steenkamp has warned that Namibia risks future instability if young people continue to be excluded from governance, economic opportunities and national decision-making. Speaking at the opening of the dual capacity-building programme on Namibia’s National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security in Windhoek on Tuesday, Steenkamp said Namibia’s future stability depends on how the country responds to the realities facing young people. Steenkamp said about 37% of Namibia’s population is under the age of 15. “That is not background information. That is the central fact around which everything…

Allexer Namundjembo Swapo says it supports the One-China policy and recognises Taiwan as part of China’s territory. The party’s secretary general, Sophia Shaningwa, made the remarks in a statement issued last week. Shaningwa said Swapo considers the One-China principle important for international stability and cooperation. "The Swapo party fully recognises that there is but one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory and that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China,” she said. She said Namibia and China share a long relationship that…

Patience Makwele Government and church leaders have warned that growing hopelessness, mental health pressures, substance abuse and unemployment are placing many young Namibians at risk. Speaking on behalf of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah during the National Prayer Breakfast in Windhoek last week, vice president Lucia Witbooi said Namibia continues to face serious social challenges despite decades of peace and stability. “These challenges include gender-based violence, violence against children, substance abuse, rising road fatalities, youth unemployment, family breakdown, mental health pressures, corruption and increasing levels of hopelessness among some of our young people,” Witbooi said. The concerns come amid rising public debate…