National News

Niël Terblanché Namibia's Drought Relief Programme has a shortfall of approximately N$482 million and will need help from outside the borders to bridge the funding gap. President Nangolo Mbumba, in his address to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) extraordinary summit, which was convened virtually on Monday to discuss the El Niño-induced drought and floods affecting member states, appealed for assistance from member states, bilateral, and international stakeholders to bridge the gap. According to the president, Namibia's drought relief program will cost a total of about N$1.3 billion. “So far, the government has allocated N$825 million, leaving a considerable deficit,”…

Stefanus Nashama The Office of the Prime Minister has noted a sharp increase in the number of households registered to benefit from the drought relief food programme. According to I-Ben Nashandi, the executive director at the Office of the Prime Minister, the drought relief food programme, based on the vulnerability assessment, was originally intended for 172,252 households. “The estimated number of households as per the vulnerability assessment was 172,252 households. But currently, registered beneficiaries' households are over 331,009,” he said. He stated that all 14 regions are entitled to benefit from the drought relief food programme. Nashandi explained that the…

Niël Terblanché Representatives from 24 countries convened in Swakopmund this week to deliberate on the 2022-2025 regional strategy of the World Customs Organization East and Southern Africa (WCO ESA). The Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) is hosting the 39th Regional Steering Group (RSG) meeting, which will be followed by the 30th Governing Council (GC) meeting, which will be a series of discussions for customs administrators in the region. The 39th Regional Steering Group (RSG) meeting of the World Customs Organisation East and Southern Africa (WCO ESA) commenced in Swakopmund on Monday. The meeting was officially opened by Neville Andre, the Erongo…

Moses Magadza The SADC PF Standing Committee on Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR) is meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa in preparation for the 55th Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC PF scheduled for 1 to 7 July 2024 in Angola. The meeting is being held under the theme: “Promoting Climate Action in Parliaments to Strengthen Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture; Enhance SRHR Outcomes; and Govern Natural Resources Effectively.’’ FANR programme manager, Rachel Mundilo said the committee’s mandate is to deal with matters related to agriculture, fisheries, forestry and wildlife, water and environment, energy, transport, tourism, ICTs, meteorology, food security…

Niël Terblanché Namibia is on the brink of a significant digital transformation, with the near completion of its comprehensive digital strategy. Modestus Amutse, the deputy minister of information and communication technology, has outlined the ambitious plan, which is set to guide the country's digital development over the next five years. He said the strategy, described as a blueprint for digital advancement, aims to foster an inclusive digital government, enhance access to government services, and bridge the gap between citizens and public services. "Inclusion is a fundamental principle in advancing our digital agenda," Amutse said. According to the deputy minister, a…

Niël Terblanché Deputy Prime Minister and minister of works and transport, John Mutorwa announced progress on the construction of the Impalila Island airdrome. He emphasised the importance of developing both road and air transport infrastructure in the region, stating that the project, which includes a paved runway and other essential facilities, is progressing well and has received funding from the national budget at a cost of N$27 million. Mutorwa, who was on a visit to the Zambezi Region last week, stressed the strategic importance of Impalila Island, noting that its development has been long overdue. He urged residents to support…

Martin Endjala Ben Bertolini, the managing director of M&G Investment Southern Africa, asserts that failing to address the quality of education is akin to a ticking time bomb. He said this last week in Windhoek, in collaboration between M&G Investment and the Bank of Namibia, in an effort to address the education crisis. “This is according to the University of Science and Technology's recent statistics prepared on behalf of the United Nations Educational Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Since then, I have had sleepless nights. Having only one-third of ten-year-olds who can read and write, for me, education is sitting…

Ester Mbathera The portraits of the late President Hage Geingob will remain hanging until a directive is issued for their removal. Spokesperson in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), Shoki Kandjimi, said on Tuesday that the Cabinet will soon announce the way forward. “The Ministry would like to inform the public that Cabinet will soon make a public pronouncement on the availability and hanging protocols associated with the presidential portraits of the seating president vis-à-vis the former presidents including protocols of the late president. For now, the status quo remains the same as announced by the MICT minister…

Niël Terblanché The Group of Seven (G7) nations; the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada, are planning to introduce further sanctions on Russia that would have a further negative impact on Namibia’s ability to trade in diamonds. These measures proposed by the G7 nations are part of broader efforts to reduce Russia's revenue, which is believed to be financing its conflict in Ukraine. Brent Eiseb, the Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Diamond Trading Company, said that in addition to market challenges, the diamond industry must contend with the impact of the G7 restrictive measures against…