Opinions – Page 2 – Windhoek Observer

08 Sep

Bridging the Gap: Windhoek’s Journey to Localize the SDGs

ObserverOpinionsBridging the Gap: Windhoek’s Journey to Localize the SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Vivian !Nou-/Gawaseb In the years 2015 and 2016, the United Nations unveiled the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a global agenda for a sustainable future.For Windhoek, Namibia, these goals represent a transformative vision, but the journey towards localizing them comes with a unique set of challenges. Localizing SDGs is crucial because it tailors global sustainability goals to local contexts, ensuring that communities’ unique needs and challenges are addressed effectively, ultimately driving meaningful progress towards a sustainable future at the grassroots level. Windhoek’s distinctive path towards SDG localization is marked by a scarcity of data, resistance to universally imposed goals, and the…

01 Sep

Lest we take projects like Green Hydrogen on face value!

ObserverOpinionsLest we take projects like Green Hydrogen on face value!

CAN more jobs creation, and even what one may consider increased investment flow lead to increased, better and/or requisite socio-economic transformation that Namibia craves for, and has been even since independence been so much desirous of and for, which indeed was, is and must be the essence of independence? Yours Truly Ideologically cannot but raise this pertinent question, especially at the backdrop of the recent oil and gas conference last month, where some Namibian ministers delivered what they presented. But their deliveries at the said conference, more than charting the way forward, in terms of the country’s let alone the…

30 Aug

Set aside by sjambok: labour law onviolence and harassment in the workplace

ObserverOpinionsSet aside by sjambok: labour law onviolence and harassment in the workplace

Fedden Mainga In my preceding opinion piece (volume 27), I addressed the constitutional violations of the practical joke involving some employees at Rundu service station who were beaten for loans. In the employment context, this ‘joke’ brought to the fore some worrisome realities of the state of labour laws because the Labour Act 11 of 2007 only provides for sexual harassment. Even though the Ministry of Labour is reportedly busy with amendments that will include violence and harassment in the workplace, the current Labour Act does not provide for incidents like the one in question. According to Ohms Kayama, an…

29 Aug

Mining Industry Has Potential to Drive Namibia’s Economic Fortunes

ObserverOpinionsMining Industry Has Potential to Drive Namibia’s Economic Fortunes

Josef Kefas Sheehama The mining sector of Namibia remains a key driver of sustainable economic development. Indeed, this sector contributes a lot to exports as well as having crucial inter-linkages with other sectors of the economy. The mining sector is critical for carrying out mineral exploration, extraction, processing, and marketing because Namibia lacks enough capital and technological resources to finance such capital-intensive large-scale. It is noteworthy that in 2023, the sector contributed about 12% of GDP. Namibia’s mining sector recorded a year of strong growth of 21.6% in 2022 compared to 11% in 2021, on the back of good performance…

28 Aug

BRICS: New Dynamics and Global Governance Reform

ObserverOpinions

Patience Masua The landscape of global governance is undergoing a seismic shift as the BRICS bloc welcomes six new members: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This expansion underscores the BRICS’ commitment to reshaping the international order, challenging Western dominance, and reforming global institutions. As these new entrants join the ranks of emerging economies, a comprehensive analysis is crucial to unveiling the potential implications of this transformation and how it aligns with the BRICS’ reformative ambitions, particularly in fortifying the voice of multilateralism. At its core, BRICS was conceived as a platform to champion…

25 Aug

Indigenous’ initiative to indigenise must Fully, purposefully applauded, supported

ObserverOpinionsIndigenous’ initiative to indigenise must Fully, purposefully applauded, supported

YOURS Truly Ideologically in last week’s column raised the pertinent question as to what extent regions like Omaheke and Otjozondjupa, hailed and praised for being cattle rearing regions, if not meat producing ones, actually in any way meaningfully benefit from cattle rearing (husbandry)? Lest this columnist is misconstrued and misinterpreted if not altogether misunderstood and not understood at all, reference here is not with regard to both regions generally but specifically to the rural areas of these two regions, and many others who may be in the same boat. Like Erongo and Kunene, some parts thereof of which are known…

25 Aug

A joke of a thousand constitutional violations

ObserverOpinions

On Sunday, 26 February 2023, news broke that some employees at Rundu service station were beaten by their ‘boss’ in exchange for loans. Videos later emerged showing some employees getting whipped by one person, the apparent boss.Two of these employees were clearly elderly men. According to the Namibian of 27 February 2023, one employee anonymously said that being beaten was the only way to borrow the much-needed money to support his kids. The beatings were allegedly done daily to ‘put the employees’ hearts in the right place’ – from the buttocks to the chest. The employer in question denied these…

24 Aug

Bank of Namibia keeps repo rate unchanged: What does it mean to Namibians.

ObserverOpinionsBank of Namibia keeps repo rate unchanged: What does it mean to Namibians.

Josef Kefas Sheehama The annual inflation rate recorded for July 2023 was 4.50%, a steep decrease compared to 5.30% recorded in June 2023. Keeping the repo rate steady is particularly motivating for aspiring, first-time home buyers, whose appetite for home ownership remains consistent. The Bank of Namibia has left its key interest rate unchanged. The monetary policy committee (MPC), voted unanimously to keep the benchmark repurchase, or repo rate unchanged at 7.75 per cent. With no change in the policy rates there will be no immediate impact on the consumer monthly commitments such as home loan, car loan and personal…

23 Aug

Circular Economy: A Sustainability Promise

ObserverFeatured, OpinionsCircular Economy, Circular Economy: A Sustainability Promise

Vivian !Nou-/Gawaseb and McClay Thikusho The need of adopting the circular economy’s principles becomes evident when we try to reimagine a sustainable future for Namibia. The circular economy is an economic model that emphasises the recycling and repurposing of materials and goods, particularly as a strategy to maintain ecologically responsible or sustainable production.It offers a paradigmshifting strategy that not only encourages economic development but also ensures social advancement and preservation of the environment. Prioritising and allocating resources to theprogress of circularity is becoming more and more important, especially in the context of Namibia. This specifically applies to important industries including…

22 Aug

Rising Against Giants: The Essential Disruption in Namibia’s Business Landscape

ObserverFeatured, OpinionsHosea Kutako International Airport, Menzies, Paragon Aviation, Rising Against Giants: The Essential Disruption in Namibia's Business Landscape

Nrupesh Soni, Facilit8 Namibia The unfolding saga at Hosea Kutako International Airport is more than a mere corporate dispute—it encapsulates a broader issue that reverberates throughout Namibia and indeed, the wider African continent. The tension between Paragon Aviation, a local entity, and Menzies, an international behemoth, over the airport's ground handling tender , goes beyond a mere contractual disagreement. Instead, it sheds light on the uphill battle local businesses face when striving to navigate the labyrinth of corporate colonialism. A persistent, if paradoxical, sentiment exists in parts of Africa, including Namibia: the belief that local firms, by virtue of their…