Observer Money

CHAMWE KAIRA Namdeb Diamond Corporation (Namdeb) is proposing the development of the Kerbehuk Ridge Wind Farm, a 34MW Wind Energy Facility (WEF) located approximately 50km north of Oranjemund, within the Southern Coastal Mine area covered by Mining Licence 43. The development and operation of the Namdeb Wind (Phase 1) project are contingent upon receiving an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT). Granting of the ECC is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which is being undertaken by SLR Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd (SLR). Namdeb is jointly owned by the government and…

The City of Windhoek recently said the current estimates indicate that the Central Area of Namibia (CAN) will not have an adequate water supply to bridge the next two rainy seasons. Observer Money asked Namibia Dairies how it plans to cope with the situation. Observer Money (OM): What has Namibia Dairies done since the last drought to conserve water? Namibia Dairies (ND): Considering the challenges posed by recurrent drought conditions in our region, Namibia Dairies, a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) group, has been unwavering in our commitment to water conservation. This dedication is not only a reflection…

South Africa remains Santam Limited most significant contributor to Gross Written Premium (GWP) at 84% (2022: 85%), with GWP from this market increasing in line with inflation by 5% to R31.5 billion (2022: R30 billion). GWP from outside South Africa, written on the Santam Ltd and Santam Namibia Ltd licences, made up 16% (2022: 15%) of total GWP and grew by 7% to N$5.8 billion (2022: N$5.5 billion). Santam said growth in the proportion of business written outside of South Africa was hampered by the cancelled business at Santam Re. Santam said it once again demonstrated its resilience, achieving strong…

Government guarantees extended to public enterprises are expected to increase slightly to N$9.3 billion in the 2024/25 financial year compared to the revised estimate of N$9.1 billion in the 2023/24 financial year. Of these guarantees, N$2.2 billion was issued to domestic financial institutions while N$7.1 billion is issued to foreign lenders. For the subsequent years of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), total government guarantees are expected to rise to N$9.8 billion. The newly issued guarantees in the 2023/24 financial year were in support of entities such as Meatco and Namcor for business rescue and recapitalisation, and the Namibia Student…

CHAMWE KAIRA Namibia’s electricity’s supply is expected to have an additional 110MW locally generated supply by 2025. “This will be supported by more than three renewable energy power project expected to come-on stream by the end of 2025 with a combined power supply of around 110MW,” budget documents showed. The water and electricity sector is set to grow in 2024 and 2025. There are some developments around the solar powered storage-battery system pilot project to cater for the intensity of the UV rays in Namibia, as the current battery systems are not suitable to the Namibian climate as well as…

Following the successful capital raise in July 2023 and the completion of the Dunes Mall acquisition, Oryx Properties’s total asset base has increased to N$3.78 billion. Despite the challenging micro- and macroeconomic conditions, Oryx Properties have maintained its optimism regarding Namibia’s future and are unwaveringly advancing toward fulfilling its strategy to expand the Oryx property portfolio. Ben Jooste, CEO of Oryx Properties Limited said that the group believes that the strategy and expansion of the Oryx portfolio will lead to increased shareholder value and distributions over the medium to long term. Profit for the period ending 31 December 2023 increased…

CHAMWE KAIRA The aquaculture sector produced about 1,253,807 in 2023 as compared to 1,355,000 target and distributed about 779,359 compared to 931,000 target of fingerlings of both distribution catfish and tilapia fish species at five aquaculture centres, according to the 24/25 – 2026/27 fiscal strategy for the medium term expenditure framework. The number of fish farmers and students supported was 257 fish farmers compared to the target of 100 target through training, advisory and extension services, provision of fish feed and fingerlings distribution. In terms of fingerling production and distribution, the programme met 94%, and 84% of the planned targets…