Observer – Page 744 – Windhoek Observer

24 Jul

GIPF investee harvests first blueberry crop

ObserverUncategorisedGIPF, 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…

24 Jul

Local venture uplifts Nauaspoort, Groot Aub communities

ObserverObserver MoneyCrewfield Investments, Groot Aub, Nauaspoort

Staff Writer A local business entity, Crewfield Investments has pledged to establish community gardening projects and a medical centre which will uplift the Nauaspoort and Groot Aub communities. Crewfield Investments Chief Operating Officer, Honest Madzivadondo speaking after meeting Windhoek Rural Constituency Councillor Penina Inga-Iita on Wednesday to discuss the two projects, said him and his partners plan to construct a health centre in Groot Aub area as well as encourage food production in Nauaspoort through gardening projects. “It is so painful to observe that millions of dollars are being spent on food imports in the process thus tempering with employment…

24 Jul

Cabinet announces EDs reshuffle

ObserverObserver MoneyDr Moses Maurihungirire, George Simataa, Secretary to the Cabinet

...as Uiras is removed after less than four months Staff Writer Secretary to the Cabinet, George Simataa has announced the appointment of new Executive Directors and transferal of some to other government offices, ministries and agencies. Of note is the removal of Dr Moses Maurihungirire as Executive Director of the Ministry of Fisheries and transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister, assigned to the Public Service Commission Secretariat. Maurihungirire is a former Fishcor board member and was Executive Director during the tenure of former Fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau when cases of corruption are alleged to have occurred. Wilhencia Uiras…

24 Jul

Namibia investigates 5G rollout

ObserverObserver Money5G, City of Windhoek, Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), Namibia

Staff Writer Namibia has started the process of investigating the possibility of rolling out 5G technology in the country, with cabinet recently directing the environment ministry to conduct a thorough environmental assessment. “Cabinet directed the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism to ensure that a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is undertaken and that proper assessment is made, prior to the possible introduction of 5G technology in Namibia,” information minister Peya Mushelenga said. A strategic environmental assessment is a systematic decision support process, aiming to ensure that environmental and possibly other sustainability aspects are considered effectively in policy, plan and program…

22 Jul

Kids become Young Defenders of their environment

ObserverUncategorised//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

ObserverUncategorisedBank 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

ObserverUncategorisedAmbassador 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?

ObserverUncategorisedCentral 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…

22 Jul

Banning alcohol solves nothing

ObserverNational Newsalcohol, Church, Police

Ever since South Africa re-banned alcohol in their country, noises about doing the same in Namibia are louder. We disagree with the clamor. Bans are not solutions; they only reveal your fears. Banning anything is the lazy man’s governance path. It is harder to investigate a problem from the bottom-up and delve into the ugly side of life; so, people avoid doing it. And, empty state coffers make such programs nearly impossible these days. Prohibition will not work; it has already been tried and failed over and over again. And yet, the police and church groups keep demanding that everyone…

22 Jul

Erongo teachers, learners defy ministry directive

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Ministry of Education, NANTU

Andrew Kathindi Teachers and learners in the towns of Walvis Bay, Arandis and Swakopmund have defied the Ministry of Education’s directive for schools to reopen this week for face-to-face learning for grades 11 and 12. This comes after Windhoek Observer reported that schools in the regions were unlikely to open after the Education ministry and the Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU) failed to reach a consensus on the modalities of returning to schools, due to concerns over the rising cases of COVID-19 in the region. It appears the Ministry may have overestimated the level of united positions amongst all schools…