Windhoek Observer – Page 2 – Windhoek Observer

04 Mar

Companies cut debt despite lower interest rates

Observer Money

Staff Writer Corporates continued to make net repayments in January 2026 despite lower lending rates and contained inflation, reducing overall credit uptake, according to Standard Bank Namibia economist Helena Mboti. Private Sector Credit Extension (PSCE) slowed to 4.2% year-on-year in January, down from 4.4% in December 2025. Mboti said the slowdown reflected subdued demand rather than tighter financial conditions. Business credit growth declined by 1.0 percentage point to 3.8% year-on-year in January. Household credit edged up by 0.3 percentage points to 5.8%. Inflation eased from 3.6% year-on-year to 3.4% in November 2025. Lending rates also declined under an accommodative monetary…

04 Mar

Digital social grant payments set for launch

Opinions

Staff Writer Bank Windhoek has reaffirmed its commitment to Namibia’s financial modernisation agenda following its participation in a high-level engagement on the rollout of Government-to-Person (G2P) payments under the national Instant Payment Programme (IPP). The meeting brought together minister of finance Ericah Shafudah, Bank of Namibia governor Ebson Uanguta, deputy governor Leonie Dunn, Bank Windhoek managing director James Chapman and other industry participants forming part of the first cohort implementing the IPP. Discussions focused on alignment, operational readiness and progress on the G2P digital payments rollout through Instant Payments Namibia (IPN), the entity established to operationalise the country’s instant payment…

04 Mar

NSI wraps up talks on new standards rules

Observer Money

Staff Writer The Namibian Standards Institution (NSI) has concluded stakeholder consultations on the review and formulation of the standards regulations. The consultations took place in the Khomas and Erongo regions. They form part of a national process to strengthen Namibia’s standards and regulatory framework and ensure it responds to economic changes, technological developments and international regulatory practice. The current standards regulations were promulgated in 2013 after the Standards Act of 2005 came into effect. Since then, Namibia’s economic and regulatory environment has changed. Trade integration has increased. Industrial activity has expanded. Expectations for stronger regulation and market oversight have grown.…

04 Mar

Credit cycle moderating in an orderly manner

Observer Money

The January 2026 money and banking data show that the credit cycle is slowing in an orderly way. Liquidity conditions are normalising on a seasonal basis. The monetary environment remains supportive of growth. Private Sector Credit Extension (PSCE) growth eased to 4.2% in January from 4.4% in December. Simonis Storm said this does not signal a change in the underlying credit trend. Corporate credit growth softened but remains positive in most major sub-sectors, except commercial property finance. Borrowing patterns still point to investment in productive assets rather than speculative activity. Household credit has started to improve after a long period…

04 Mar

Rich tomorrows start with brave todays

Observer Money

Christopher Freygang There’s something almost magical about the early years of adulthood. Everything is new, everything is possible, and the future still feels wide open. But that same freedom can also make money feel like something you’ll “figure out later". It’s easy to think wealth is something older people build, once careers are settled and life feels less unpredictable. The truth is the opposite. Your younger years give you one of the most valuable financial assets you’ll ever have, and it’s not a fancy salary or an investment plan. It’s time. Wealth isn’t built overnight. It grows quietly, almost invisibly,…

04 Mar

Truth must be faced head on: Power, terror and the crisis of moral consistency

Opinions

Paul T. Shipale (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) “If the truth is not faced head on, the lie will not disappear. It will destroy everything.” In the short story The Suit (1963) by Can Themba, a betrayal is symbolised by an object left in plain sight. No one confronts it. No one removes it. It remains in the room silent, heavy, and corrosive until it destroys the household. Today, the international order feels like that room. A narrative sits at the centre of global politics: that powerful states act primarily in defence of freedom, stability, and global security…

03 Mar

Sports betting: Why government must act now

Editorial, Featured

Psychologists are sounding the alarm: online gambling is rising sharply among young people, with a notable increase among young women. They warn that smartphones and social media have normalised gambling in a generation already weighed down by unemployment and financial pressure. In Namibia, this is not an abstract concern. It is a flashing red light. We have seen this movie before. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Namibia witnessed the rapid proliferation of shebeens across the country. At the time, the argument was framed as progressive and economically empowering. Legalising and tolerating informal bars was presented as a pragmatic…

03 Mar

Namibia’s restricted fishing zone not gazetted

Main, National News

Renthia Kaimbi The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR) has confirmed that the official coordinates of Namibia’s 200-metre isobath restricted fishing zone have never been formally gazetted. The 200-metre isobath restriction has been in place since 1990. It prohibits trawling and longlining in shallow waters along Namibia’s coast. The measure protects juvenile hake and horse mackerel, limits sardine bycatch, and preserves bottom habitats that serve as biodiversity hotspots. Unlike formally declared protected areas such as the Namibian Islands Marine Protected Area (NIMPA), established through detailed coordinates in Government Gazette No. 4210 of 16 February 2009, the isobath…

03 Mar

Pensioners disappointed by N$100 grant increase

National News

Staff writer Pensioners have expressed disappointment and frustration at the N$100 increase in the monthly old-age grant, saying it does little to ease rising living costs. Finance minister Ericah Shafudah announced in the 2026/27 budget last week that the pension will increase from N$1 600 to N$1 700 from 1 April. The government said the adjustment reflects fiscal constraints and competing national priorities. Beneficiaries in Windhoek and the Zambezi region say the increase will not stretch far. “A N$100.00 cannot even afford enough electricity to last a day; it cannot even afford to buy enough food,” said 72-year-old Mary Nyambe…

03 Mar

Women, youth grapple with online gambling

National News

Staff Writer Online gambling is becoming a growing concern among young people, with more women affected as betting platforms expand through smartphones and social media. Psychologists and counsellors say easy access to betting apps and online advertising has normalised gambling among youth, many of whom face unemployment and financial pressure. Psychologist Margaret Liswaniso said the pattern of gambling has shifted in recent years. “What we are seeing is not just casual betting anymore,” she said. “For some young women, gambling has become a coping mechanism for stress and economic frustration. They are less likely to seek help early because of…