National News – Page 120

11 Sep

Namibian youth urged to drive digital transformation

info_e12wt4csNational NewsNational ICT Summit

Niël Terblanché Namibia is making good progress in its journey towards becoming a digitally inclusive society and through sustained collaboration and investment in ICT infrastructure and human capital, the country is ready to unlock the potential of the next generation of innovators. The eighth National ICT Summit held in Windhoek concluded on Wednesday with a call for young Namibians to take centre stage in the country’s digital transformation journey. The Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Modestus Amutse, stressed the essential role that the youth must play in shaping Namibia's future within the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector,…

11 Sep

Maritime Museum inaugurated in Lüderitz

info_e12wt4csNational NewsFluksman Samuehl, Lüderitz Waterfront Development Company, Namibia’s maritime history, President Nangolo Mbumba

Niël Terblanché A landmark achievement in preserving Namibia’s maritime history was realised on Wednesday when President Nangolo Mbumba officially inaugurated the Namibian Maritime Museum in Lüderitz. President Mbumba stressed the museum's importance in documenting the role the ocean has played in Namibia's development. "Our coast, stretching 1,572 kilometres along the Atlantic Ocean, has been central to trade, exploration, and cultural exchange for centuries. This museum stands as a resource for discovering our rich maritime history and understanding the ocean’s economic significance," he said. He said that the new facility is more than a repository of historical artefacts, the museum will…

11 Sep

Namibia and Kenya focus on trade and cooperation

info_e12wt4csNational NewsTripartite Free Trade Agreement (TFTA)

Niël Terblanché Namibia and Kenya are both seeking greater leverage in regional and continental opportunities for improved economic growth, trade, and regional integration. The Namibia–Kenya political and diplomatic consultations held in Windhoek earlier this week resulted in a joint communiqué in which the countries stressed their commitment to deepening their bilateral relations, with a strong emphasis on economic cooperation and increased political engagement. The consultations related to a broad array of mutual interests were hosted by Namibia's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Peya Mushelenga, and Kenya's prime cabinet secretary and cabinet secretary for foreign and diaspora affairs, Musalia…

10 Sep

VP tells Junior Legislators to be a good influence on peers

info_e12wt4csNational NewsJunior National Council.

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Vice-President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah encouraged junior national council members to strive to promote good moral, ethical and professional values by influencing their peers to avoid bad social behaviour such as drug or alcohol abuse and abstain from unsafe sex. She was speaking during Tuesday's official opening of the third session of the Junior National Council. She said social ills have a detrimental effect on young people’s education and their future. They should remember that the government aims to create a knowledge-based society. She added that this goal can only be achieved when learners, teachers, and parents take education seriously.…

10 Sep

Namibia and Botswana slash roaming charges

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Niël Terblanché In an effort to enhance regional cooperation and reduce communication costs, Namibia and Botswana have announced a major reduction in roaming charges for cross-border communication. Calls within Botswana that previously cost Botswana Pula (BWP) 7.28 per minute will now be reduced to BWP1.85 per minute, a decrease of 75%. Similarly, calls to Namibia have dropped by 64%, from BWP10.48 to BWP3.80 per minute. Data usage costs have seen even greater reductions, with the cost per megabyte dropping by over 90%, from BWP19.41 to BWP1.85. This development follows high-level discussions between Namibia’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT)…

10 Sep

Gobabis residents threaten legal action over petition snub

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Hertta-Maria Amutenja The residents of Gobabis are threatening to take the municipality to court if their petition, which has been ignored for more than ten years, is not addressed. Community activist Veronia Mokaleng-Kuzeeko said the residents are growing frustrated with the lack of response from the municipality to several petitions submitted over the years. “We plan to take them to court because it’s been over ten years now that they are refusing to respond to our petitions. The municipality doesn’t even give us basic services. All that is there are issues of corruption. We cannot continue to organise demonstrations, and…

10 Sep

Namibians need to shift to a mindset of green industrialisation

info_e12wt4csNational NewsGlobal African Hydrogen Summit, Green Hydrogen Business Alliance (H2BA)

Ester Mbathera and Martin Endjala A recent study has recommended that Namibia needs to adopt a green industrialisation mindset across the policymaking landscape, encouraging a shift from traditional approaches. The report titled "Localising Green Industries in Namibia" was commissioned by the Green Hydrogen Business Alliance (H2BA) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and it was prepared by Systemiq between December 2023 and May 2024. The study was conducted at the request of Namibia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and Ministry of Industrialization and Trade (MIT), with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für…

10 Sep

Government defends animal culling initiative

info_e12wt4csNational NewsMEFT, Office of the Prime Minister

Niël Terblanché The government is facing mounting public concern following its announcement to cull 723 wild animals as part of an effort to manage drought relief and human-wildlife conflict in the country’s national parks and communal areas. On Tuesday, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) stated that the Drought Relief Programme is a secondary offtake beneficiary of the ministry's wildlife conservation management initiative, clarifying that responsibility for the culling operation lies with the MEFT. The OPM urged those with further queries on the culling process to direct them to the MEFT, stressing that the office is merely facilitating the…

10 Sep

BoN pledges to address soaring banking fees

info_e12wt4csNational NewsBank of Namibia, Dina //Gowases, Sandra Garises

Martin Endjala The Bank of Namibia (BoN) has committed to addressing the country's concerns about high banking charges amid public outcry. Sandra Garises, the bank’s acting spokesperson, told the Windhoek Observer last week that the bank is aware of the public outcry concerning high banking charges. “The bank is aware of the nationwide outcry about fees and charges and as the regulator of banking institutions, the bank has an obligation to ensure that fees and charges payable by customers for services rendered by banking institutions are determined in the public interest and are proportionate with the cost incurred in providing…

10 Sep

Botswana advocates for a single digital market with Namibia

info_e12wt4csNational NewsICT summit, Thulagano Segokgo

Niël Terblanché Namibia and Botswana hope to pave the way for a digitally interconnected future that will support sustainable economic growth and social development across the southern African region. In an address as a guest of honour at the ICT summit currently underway in Windhoek, Botswana’s minister of communications, knowledge and technology, Thulagano Segokgo, emphasised the potential for Botswana and Namibia to create a single digital market. He said that such a market would promote greater trade in digital products and services between the two nations and increase their global reach through shared digital infrastructure. Segokgo reiterated that this collaboration…