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Justicia Shipena  The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has recruited 845 polling officials for the upcoming by-election in five constituencies.  The by-election is scheduled for next week in Grootfontein, Kabbe South, Kamanjab, Otjiwarongo, and Sesfontein. The ECN announced the recruitment on Tuesday, along with the start of training for the selected officials.  ECN corporate communications and marketing manager De Wet Siluka said the five-day training sessions began on Monday.  The training is taking place in Grootfontein, Katima Mulilo (for Kabbe South), Kamanjab, Otjiwarongo, and Opuwo (for Sesfontein). Siluka said the training will end on 14 June and covers electoral laws…

Justicia Shipena  Come October, researchers across Southern Africa will gain access to a new digital platform that centralises climate data.  The SASSCAL Climate Service Gateway, developed by Southern African and German researchers, will be unveiled at the SASSCAL 2.0 Research Programme conference in Luanda, Angola. The portal will house climate data sets and model projections tailored for the Southern African region.  It will include variables such as minimum and maximum temperatures, humidity, wind speed, as well as derived indicators like heat wave days, high fire danger days, drought indices, and precipitation events.  Researchers will be able to download complete or…

Niël Terblanché The Namibia Youth Energy Forum (NYEF) has taken a determined step toward increasing youth involvement in the country’s energy sector by engaging with the Presidency. On Monday, NYEF met with senior advisors at the State House. The meeting followed an invitation from President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and was hosted by the Upstream Petroleum Unit in the Presidency. NYEF representatives met with Cornelia Shilunga, special advisor and head of the unit, along with deputy head Carlo Lord Muhamed McLeodas and technical assistant Joseph Amakali. The NYEF delegation included Advisory Board Chairperson Miguel Hamutenya, Vice-Chairperson Gisela Sebastiao, Advisory Board Member Olavi…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The minister of home affairs, immigration, safety and security, Lucia Iipumbu, says the country is struggling with old and unsafe correctional facilities. Iipumbu made this statement during the fifth English-speaking Regional Workshop on Prison Infrastructure in Africa, which was held in Windhoek on Monday.  “We are grappling with old and dilapidated prison facilities, making them unsafe and inhumane to accommodate inmates,” Iipumbu said.  She said the Correctional Service Act of 2012 gives the legal basis for improving prison infrastructure.  “To support this shift, we have embarked on infrastructure projects at the Windhoek, Hardap, and Evaristus Shikongo correctional centres,”…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja The City of Windhoek has allocated about N$250,000 for a survey on the operations and socio-economic impact of shebeens across the capital.  The survey will run from June to September 2025 and will be conducted in partnership with the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust). City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya said the budget covers logistics such as fuel and transportation, advertising, public outreach, and compensation for the Nust researchers contracted to carry out the survey. The municipality said the survey aims to gather data to guide the development of a new Shebeen Policy.  This policy will support improved…