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A golden buffer or gilded gamble? Bank of Namibia’s strategic bet on local gold

The decision by the Bank of Namibia to begin purchasing gold from local producers marks one of the most consequential shifts in the country’s reserve management strategy since independence. By targeting gold to make up approximately 3% of Namibia’s net foreign exchange reserves, the central bank has signalled a deliberate and strategic recalibration of how it intends to shield the economy from global turbulence. At face value, the move appears prudent. Central banks worldwide have been reassessing their exposure to foreign currencies in an era marked by geopolitical tensions, persistent inflationary pressures and volatile capital flows. Gold, historically regarded as…
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“No more plundering” call meaningless without ideological belief, conviction!

“No more plundering” call meaningless without ideological belief, conviction!

We are no longer interested in exporting raw materials, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema recently told the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Hinting that Africa has “now awakened and is no longer interested in exporting raw materials but yearn for discussions that lead to adding value to its economies”. Adamant and boasting that the continent is now speaking one language and wants everyone including ordinary citizens to feel the benefit of its mineral endowment. “We don’t want to talk and keep attending conferences and yet the man in the street can’t feel the benefit of the mineral endowment that we…
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Designing Namibia’s oil future: Power, accountability and the constitutional middle ground

Designing Namibia’s oil future: Power, accountability and the constitutional middle ground

Paul T. Shipale (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) Namibia stands on the brink of a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Billions of dollars could flow from oil and gas resources, but who controls that wealth, and how it is managed, will determine whether this opportunity becomes a blessing or a curse for generations to come. This week, the National Assembly debated the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Amendment Bill, a law that proposes shifting authority over the oil and gas sector from the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy to the Presidency. Supporters argue that centralising power ensures faster decisions, coordinated leadership,…
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YOUNG OBSERVER | Namibia’s oil moment and the question of generation

YOUNG OBSERVER | Namibia’s oil moment and the question of generation

Namibia stands at a quiet but breathtaking turning point in its national story. For years, conversations about offshore oil belonged to the language of possibility and distant projection. Today, with major discoveries confirmed in the Orange Basin, that language is giving way to something far more immediate. The country are no longer speaking about what might be. It is beginning to confront what is. History offers a simple lesson in moments like this. Natural resources alone do not build nations. Many countries have discovered wealth beneath their soil or sea and still struggled to translate it into shared prosperity. The…
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YOUNG OBSERVER | What does nation building mean for a post independence generation?

YOUNG OBSERVER | What does nation building mean for a post independence generation?

In the quiet corridors of the National Archives, the history of Namibia is etched in black and white, photographs of liberation struggle heroes, the ink of the 1990 Constitution, and the echoes of a transition from apartheid to freedom. But for those born after the first hoisting of the Namibian flag, nation building is not a memory of what was fought for. It is an active, often exhausting, daily construction project. For the post-independence generation, nation building has shifted from the heroic act of liberation to the complex bureaucratic and economic act of transformation. We are the architects of the…
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YOUNG OBSERVER | When the future goes online: Why digital readiness is now a national question

YOUNG OBSERVER | When the future goes online: Why digital readiness is now a national question

There was a time when development could be measured in roads, railways, and physical infrastructure. A nation advanced when it built bridges across rivers and schools across regions. Today, another kind of infrastructure is quietly determining the direction of societies. It cannot always be seen with the eye, yet it shapes opportunity as profoundly as any highway. This is the infrastructure of the digital age. Across Namibia, daily life is already being reorganized by technology. Payments move through mobile phones rather than bank queues. Classrooms stretch beyond walls into online platforms. Businesses advertise to customers they may never meet in…
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YOUNG OBSERVER | Understanding cervical cancer: A comprehensive health guide

YOUNG OBSERVER | Understanding cervical cancer: A comprehensive health guide

Cervical cancer remains one of the most significant yet preventable threats to women’s health globally. For young people navigating the transition into adulthood, understanding the biological mechanisms, risk factors, and modern preventative measures associated with this disease is a vital component of long-term wellness. Unlike many other forms of cancer that are linked primarily to ageing or unpredictable genetic mutations, cervical cancer has a clearly identified primary cause: the human papillomavirus (HPV). By stripping away the stigma and focusing on the clinical facts, we can view cervical cancer not as an inevitable shadow but as a manageable health challenge that…
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YOUNG OBSERVER | #UNMUTED 

Nations are not built in moments of celebration. They are built in the long stretches of ordinary time that follow. Flags are raised, constitutions are signed, and history marks these events as turning points. Yet the true test of freedom begins after the applause fades, when a people must decide what to do with the future that has been placed in their hands. Namibia now lives firmly within that quieter chapter of its story. More than three decades have passed since independence transformed the political destiny of the country. A generation has grown up knowing freedom not as a dream…
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BoN eyes gold and retail bonds to boost stability

BoN eyes gold and retail bonds to boost stability

Chamwe Kiara  The Bank of Namibia (BoN) says it is close to finalising agreements under its gold accumulation strategy as it moves to diversify the country’s foreign exchange reserves. Nicholas Mukasa, director of financial markets, said the central bank remains committed to the gold acquisition programme as part of efforts to strengthen economic stability amid global uncertainty. “We are fairly advanced in concluding the agreements that will allow us to execute the accumulation of gold. We are close; we are very advanced with the gold acquisition programme,” Mukasa said. He said the bank has engaged local mines and approved refineries…
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Celsius to delist from NSX 

Celsius to delist from NSX 

Chamwe Kaira  Celsius Resources Limited will terminate its secondary listing on the Namibia Securities Exchange (NSX) after receiving approval from the exchange’s listings division. The company, registered in Namibia as an external company under Registration No. F/ACN 009 162 949 and trading on the NSX under the share code CER (ISIN: AU000000CLA6), said the decision forms part of a strategic shift in its operations. In a notice to shareholders, the board said the company’s primary focus is now in the Philippines and that maintaining a secondary listing on the NSX is no longer financially feasible. “The board of directors of…
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