Allexer Namundjembo
The Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) has dismissed claims of media freedom violations and interference in the internal affairs of Network Media Hub (NMH) as baseless and illogical.
In a media statement issued on Tuesday, the NIPDB’s senior communications manager, Catherine Shipushu emphasised the board’s commitment to upholding media freedom as guaranteed by the Namibian Constitution.
“However, accountability is a two-way principle. Journalists also bear the professional responsibility to report accurately, fairly, and without bias,” she stated.
The statement follows a disciplinary hearing held by NMH last week against staff member Jemimah Beukes, who is alleged to have reported negatively on the Green Hydrogen Summit organised by the NIPDB last year.
Shipushu also clarified that the NIPDB had no role in the revocation of Beukes’ accreditation for the summit.
“The decision to revoke Ms. Beukes’s accreditation was made by NMH, without any request, directive, or interference from the NIPDB. We were informed by NMH after the decision had been made, following what, we assume, are their internal protocols,” Shipushu explained.
She added that the claim that NIPDB influenced NMH’s decision remains unsubstantiated, as no evidence has been provided to support such allegations.
“All our engagements with Ms. Beukes have been purely professional. Prior to the publication of her most recent article on 6 February 2025, concerning NIPDB’s internal affairs, we sought to understand the core issues and clarify factual inaccuracies,” Shipushu added.
She noted that all engagements with Beukes have been professional, including efforts to clarify factual inaccuracies in her reporting.
Contacted for comment on Monday, Beukes explained that the dispute stemmed from her questioning the involvement of British nationals in handling administrative tasks during the Global African Hydrogen Summit held in Windhoek last September.
The summit was hosted under the official patronage of the Government of Namibia, endorsed by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and held in partnership with NIPDB, supported by the Namibia Green Hydrogen Council and the Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme (NGH2P).
Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme’s spokesperson, Jona Musheko said on Monday that no directives had been issued regarding how journalists should report on green hydrogen initiatives.
“We have not issued any formal complaints regarding the journalist in question or any other reporters. Furthermore, we have no concerns regarding perceived negative reporting on the sector,” Musheko stated.
