Windhoek Observer

12175 Posts
FIC boss warns against leaving illicit finance fight to NamRA alone

FIC boss warns against leaving illicit finance fight to NamRA alone

Justicia Shipena  Illicit financial flows (IFFs) cannot be left to the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) alone, Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) director Bryan Eiseb has warned.  He said treating IFFs as a narrow tax issue would be “a myopic approach” in today’s “business unusual” environment. He stressed that IFFs are a national development threat that requires coordinated action from all key institutions. Eiseb made the remarks on Thursday during the graduation ceremony of Namibia’s first cohort under the EU-funded SecFin Africa project.  The one-year programme trained officials from the Bank of Namibia (BoN), NamRA and the FIC to address tax losses…
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Welwitchia University celebrates 1 500 graduates

Welwitchia University celebrates 1 500 graduates

Allexer Namundjembo Welwitchia University capped 1 500 graduates during its eighth graduation ceremony on Friday at the Mercure Hotel in Windhoek.  Welwitchia University chancellor and co-founder Scholastika Iipinge said the ceremony reflected the university’s growth and its role in developing Namibia’s workforce.  “It is with immense pride and profound joy that we celebrate the achievements of 1 500 graduates. Your training has equipped you to drive purposeful and sustainable transformation in your fields and communities,” she said. The 2025 cohort included students from the faculty of health sciences and the faculty of law, commerce and education, as well as the…
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Nandi-Ndaitwah presses G20 to prioritise developing nations

Nandi-Ndaitwah presses G20 to prioritise developing nations

Justicia Shipena President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has warned that global economic recovery will remain uneven if international governance systems do not become more inclusive and responsive to the needs of developing countries.  She made the remarks during the G20 Leaders’ Summit on Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth in Johannesburg, South Africa over the weekend. Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised the recognition of Africa's role in the global economy and the need to approach development priorities from an African perspective.  “We cannot emphasise enough the growing recognition of Africa’s role in the global economy and the importance of addressing development priorities from an African perspective,”…
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SADC backs Namibia’s Nainda for top Interpol post

SADC backs Namibia’s Nainda for top Interpol post

Justicia Shipena  The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has endorsed major general Anne-Marie Nainda of Namibia as its candidate for president of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). The endorsement was delivered on Friday through Kula Theletsane, the director of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs. Theletane expressed SADC's honour by endorsing Nainda, hailing her as a respected law enforcement leader with decades of service, integrity, and professionalism. He said her [Nainda's] background in policing, security cooperation, and combating transnational crime makes her well suited to lead the world's largest police body. The election will take place…
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Africa tops global climate funding support list

Justicia Shipena  Africa is receiving the largest share of support from four global climate funds, according to new data from the Multilateral Climate Funds.  The report shows that the continent benefits more than any other region from climate adaptation, nature protection and renewable energy investment. The joint results report from the Adaptation Fund, Climate Investment Funds (CIF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), and Green Climate Fund (GCF) states that Africa accounts for 58% of all people supporting strengthening climate resilience.  This represents more than 216 million people.  The report provides the clearest view to date of collective progress across four shared…
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OBSERVER DAILY | A nation decides: Local elections to signal public confidence in NNN

As Namibia approaches the regional and local authority elections on 26 November, the nation finds itself at a critical democratic crossroads. These elections, often overshadowed by the glamour and political theatre of general elections, carry an undeniable weight. They are, in many ways, the most intimate reflection of the people’s voice. This is where political rhetoric meets the hard reality of service delivery; where promises collide with potholes, housing backlogs, sanitation failures, and bread-and-butter governance. What makes this year’s elections particularly consequential is the timing. We are only nine months into the Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah administration. For a presidency still defining…
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TURNING POINT | Banking while black: A reflection on power, ownership and the financial future we must build

TURNING POINT | Banking while black: A reflection on power, ownership and the financial future we must build

My recent conversation with a close Afrikaner friend left me sitting with a question that is as uncomfortable as it is necessary. While discussing business and finance, he looked at me, without malice, yet with the kind of bluntness that forces self-reflection, and asked, “Why is it that you black people are not able to start, maintain, and manage a successful black-owned bank? How long are you going to blame us Boers for lack of financing?” The question struck me not because it was racist, but because it touched the uneasy space between the ambitions of black Namibians and the…
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Dealers of hope: Eleven years on the road of struggle and faith

Dealers of hope: Eleven years on the road of struggle and faith

George Hidipo Hamba Kambala It has been eleven years since we gathered in Klein Windhoek to make a stand. We were young, restless and determined to be heard. We had no money, no power and no certainty about what the next hour would bring. All we had was conviction. We believed that the land question, and the exclusion of young people from decision-making, could no longer be ignored. That morning was not just a protest. It was a promise. It was the first loud beat in a drum that has never stopped. It was the beginning of what the country…
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A just energy transition for Namibia (Part One)

A just energy transition for Namibia (Part One)

Eline van der Linden The world talks about the need for a Just Energy Transition (JET). What could or should JET look like in Namibia?   I work in the Green Hydrogen (GH2) and Green Industrialisation space.  Oftentimes, I am asked by journalists and representatives from civil society organisations how it can be “just and fair” to export a source of energy when 50% of Namibians have no connection to the electricity grid.  It is a fair question that has a reasonably simple answer. Not all energy sources are suited for the power grid, and access to electricity is more closely…
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Financial system remains stable and sound

Financial system remains stable and sound

Chamwe Kaira The Macroprudential Oversight Committee of the Bank of Namibia (BoN) met last week for its second review of the year to assess risks in the financial system. BoN deputy governor Ebson Uanguta said the committee found the system stable after assessing global and domestic developments.  “After a thorough assessment of the global and domestic macro-financial developments and their potential impact on domestic financial stability, the committee concluded that the domestic financial system remains sound and stable, and it continues to operate without disruptions. Both the banking and non-banking financial sectors remained sound and well capitalised with sufficient levels…
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