Uncategorised – Page 82 – Windhoek Observer

24 Jul

GIPF investee harvests first blueberry crop

UncategorisedGIPF, Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF), Mashare Berries, Rundu

Staff Writer The Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) has announced the first large-scale Namibian commercial blueberry harvest, produced by the Mashare Berries project, which forms part of the Spitz Capital Fund anchored in the GIPF unlisted investment programme. The fund has invested N$90 million into the blueberry production project that is situated 50km east of Rundu on the banks of the Kavango River. This aims to harvest an estimated 150 tons of blueberries between July and October 2020. In a statement, the GIPF announced that the blueberry project supports its investment strategy of selecting high value crops for export to…

22 Jul

Kids become Young Defenders of their environment

Uncategorised//Huab, Conservation Travel Foundation (established by Ultimate Safaris), Doro !Nawas, Namibian Chamber of Environment (NCE)., Young Defenders

Two groups of Young Defenders from the //Huab and Doro !Nawas conservancies were hosted at the //Huab Under Canvas Ultimate Safaris Camp for an immersive wilderness experience. Each group enjoyed a free four-day conservation course during the month of July, made possible by a partnership between Conservation Travel Foundation (established by Ultimate Safaris) and the Namibian Chamber of Environment (NCE). The communal conservancies in north-west Namibia are a conservation success story, as communities have embraced the concept of wildlife and habitat conservation for the benefit of current and future generations. This is why the first two courses of this kind…

22 Jul

Bank Windhoek releases Green Bond Impact Report

UncategorisedBank Windhoek, Namibia, NSX

Staff Writer Bank Windhoek this week published its first Green Impact Report. The Report details projects that received funding from its NSX listed Green Bond proceeds and highlights the core environmental impact indicators on a project level basis. The impact indicators according to the bank are derived from the bank’s Green Bond Framework and the International Capital Market Association’s Green Bond Principles. Green Bonds are one of the most prominent capital raising innovations in the area of sustainable finance over the past decade and the majority of applications for green financing was for solar energy projects to generate electricity to…

22 Jul

NWR records N$22 million profit

UncategorisedAmbassador Leonard Iipumbu, Annual General Meeting (AGM), Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR)

Staff Writer Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) Chairperson Ambassador Leonard Iipumbu has announced that the hospitality group has managed to record a N$20 million profit, more than 20 years after its creation. "After more than 20 years, we managed to record a profit for the first time since our creation in 1999. This past financial year saw us record a N$22 million profit, which is a N$41 million improvement on the 2018 financial year. We achieved this by increasing our revenue by 11 percent compared to the 2018 financial year and by keeping our operating expenses flat, despite inflationary pressures," Iipumbu…

22 Jul

Introspection: Will the Swapo party recognize its mirror image?

UncategorisedCentral Committee, Opposition Parties, Swapo Party

Citizen Nahas Angula The Central Committee of the SWAPO-Party joined by leaders from the structures is due to meet in Windhoek from 25-26 July 2020 to conduct what President Hage Geingob describes as an introspection of its own conduct. The Party will examine itself with the view of finding out whether it still represents the interest of the broad masses of the Namibian people. The Presidential and National Assembly election results of 2019 clearly demonstrated that there is widespread feeling of disillusionment, especially among the youth, in the way the Party is running the affairs of the country. Many voters…

21 Jul

Make minimalist habits the new normal

Uncategorisedlockdown

...declutter and be minimalist to keep it that way Jackie Wilson Asheeke Last year, I wrote about my decision to de-clutter my life. After a year, I can report that I have reached most of my goals. I have taken up minimalism to keep from sliding back into the bad ‘ol days of consumerism and directionless living. I have saved lots of money; I feel free of ‘stuff’; and I feel that everything near me is what I choose to have in my life. You can achieve that too. My previously jam-packed storage rooms are neatly organized and nearly empty,…

21 Jul

Credit Guarantee Scheme gazetted

UncategorisedCredit Guarantee Scheme (CGS), Namibia Special Risks Insurance Association (NASRIA)

Staff Writer The long awaited Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS), which aims provide collateral cover to qualifying SMEs, was gazzetted last month. The CGS which will be rolled-out in collaboration with the Namibia Special Risks Insurance Association (NASRIA) under the Namibia Financial Sector Strategy, with a N$100 million allocation, for which N$2 million will be dedicated to the establishment of a database for SMEs. The facility size will be scaled up over the medium-term through greater public and private sector support. Although SMEs and entrepreneurs will still continue to apply for credit at commercial banks, it is the financial institutions which…

21 Jul

FNB branches revert to rotational operations model

UncategorisedCovid-19, FNB Namibia

Staff Writer FNB Namibia has announced that their branches will revert to the rotational operations model for the foreseeable future. “This means that every branch will operate on a 50 percent staff capability only, in order to curb branch activities, thereby assisting government in containing the spread of the virus,” said Rodney Forbes, FNB Executive Officer: Points of Presence. “The spread of COVID-19 is still ongoing and even increasing in some parts of the country. As a responsible corporate citizen, we wish to play our part in limiting the exposure of both our clients and staff to the possibility of…

21 Jul

Civil Rights Icon, advocate for Namibian Independence, dead at age 80

UncategorisedNamibia, Namibians, SWAPO

… Representative John Lewis passes on Jackie Wilson Asheeke So many Namibians today have never heard of John Lewis. And yet, he and many other members of the US Congressional Black Caucus in the pre-independence days had heard of Namibia. Representative Lewis and many US legislators made speeches regularly denouncing US political and economic support for white supremacy in Africa. Now, John Lewis’ time is passed and he has gone home to a well-earned rest. In the several times I met him during the height of my group’s anti-apartheid work in Washington, DC back in the day, I found him…

17 Jul

Couch kitten: Behind closed doors

UncategorisedCouch Kitten

Wetumwene Shikage Everyone has identity besides the obvious: your name, last name, hair type, culture, race, skin colour or even family. Well that's not the identity that sticks. One's true identity is found within the mind, soul, personality and way of life. Who are you when you are with yourself? How are you behind closed doors? Recently I read a post on Instagram which said “check on your strongest friends. Are they happy when you are not there?” I realized that this essential. Our friends are not just who we see when we go out. There is more to them…