Blog – Page 31 – Windhoek Observer

17 Nov

Pay your water bills to keep taps running — Nandi-Ndaitwah

National News

Justicia Shipena President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has urged citizens to pay their water bills on time, saying the sustainability of the country’s water services depends on it. Local authorities were found to owe NamWater about N$3.5 billion, according to urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa. NamWater reported earlier in March that local authorities, municipalities, town councils, individuals, village councils and rural water communities owed N$2.4 billion. The figure marked a 16% increase from the N$2.1 billion recorded in June 2024, with local authorities carrying the biggest share of the debt at N$889 million. “Moving forward, we must remember that water…

17 Nov

UCOM network taken down for operating illegally

National News

Justicia Shipena The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) has shut down UCOM Mobile Namibia and confiscated its radio equipment after repeated violations of the Communications Act. Cran said UCOM continued transmitting illegally even after its spectrum licences were cancelled in February and December 2023. The cancellations were due to non-payment of fees and inefficient use of spectrum that resulted in hoarding. The regulator gave UCOM six months, until June 2024, to migrate its roughly 1 000 customers and close its operations. According to Cran, all services were meant to stop after that deadline. Cran’s executive for communication and consumer…

17 Nov

City council passes 20-year plan to improve water security

National News

Allexer Namundjembo The City of Windhoek has approved a 20-year Integrated Water and Wastewater Master Plan. The plan was adopted at the last municipal council meeting for the year, held last week. The move comes as the capital faces rising water shortages and growing climate pressures. The council said the master plan outlines how it will source, use and manage water over the next two decades, with a focus on securing supply, protecting the environment and upgrading ageing wastewater infrastructure. Windhoek continues to experience severe water stress. Dam levels at Von Bach, Omatako and Swakoppoort have dropped sharply in recent…

17 Nov

Namibia calls for fair trade rules to reward green economies

National News

Justicia Shipena Environment and tourism minister Indileni Daniel says the global trade and finance systems must reward countries that commit to low-carbon development. She said developing nations need fairer market access and trade rules that support climate action. Daniel delivered this message during a UNCTAD side event at the ongoing Conference of Parties (COP30) in Belém, Brazil. She told delegates that current systems often disadvantage countries that are pursuing green industrialisation. She said countries like Namibia are investing heavily in low-carbon production but face barriers created by outdated trade rules and unpredictable carbon border policies. She cautioned that developing nations…

17 Nov

Frantz Fanon’s impact on the life of African liberation and the father who coined the decolonisation word

Featured, Opinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) When Frantz Fanon died in 1961 at the age of thirty-six, he left behind no army, no party, no flag, only words. Yet those words ignited the conscience of a continent and became the moral compass of an awakening people. As Angola celebrates fifty years of independence, we are not merely marking the passage of time. We are standing before a mirror. In that mirror, we see our history, the courage, the pain, and the triumph, but we must also ask, what have we done with the vision that brought…

17 Nov

TURNING POINT | Black entrepreneurs and the curse of the value chain

Featured, Opinions

Namibia’s loss of nearly 30,000 employers in just five years is not a statistic to glance at and move on from. When placed alongside labour figures showing that only about 550 000 Namibians hold formal jobs and just 115 000 are registered taxpayers, the story becomes more troubling. It reveals an economy that not only struggles to generate employment but also fails to sustain the businesses expected to create those jobs. As a Black Namibian entrepreneur, I read this not as a collapse of imagination or ambition, but as evidence of deep, long-standing structural weaknesses in our economic foundation. The…

17 Nov

OBSERVER DAILY | Quo Vadis, NIPDB?

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

The impending departure of Nangula Uaandja from the helm of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) marks yet another twist in the turbulent journey of an institution that has, from its very inception, been mired in confusion, political tug-of-war, and chronic uncertainty. As the nation reflects on what this means for investment promotion and economic governance, one uncomfortable truth demands confrontation: Namibia continues to create institutions without the clarity, stability and legislative backbone required for them to thrive. From the moment NIPDB was launched under the administration of the late President Hage Geingob, optimism was tempered by unease.…

17 Nov

NAM assets under management reach N$22.2 billion

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Namibia Asset Management (NAM) reported growth in key financial indicators for the year ended 30 September 2025, reflecting steady performance in a difficult economic period. Operating profit increased to N$16.1 million from N$13.7 million the previous year. Fund management earnings rose to N$10.7 million, compared to N$9.4 million in 2024. Total comprehensive income reached N$12.4 million. Shareholders also saw stronger returns. Basic and headline earnings per share increased to 7.89 cents from 6.99 cents in 2024. Net asset value per share improved to 21.48 cents. NAM’s assets under management grew by 9.9% to N$22.2 billion. The company said…

17 Nov

Santam premiums and profits rise sharply

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Santam Limited reported strong results for the nine months ending 30 September, delivering growth across key areas and beating its long-term targets. The company recorded double-digit growth in gross written and net earned premiums. Its underwriting margin stayed above the targeted 5 to 10% range, and its annualised return on capital exceeded 30%. Net income growth remained in line with the first half of the year. On 7 April 2025, Allianz Europe BV acquired 8.59% in SanlamAllianz. This resulted in a final shareholding split of 51% for Sanlam and 49% for Allianz. Sanlam Life Namibia was sold to…

17 Nov

Namibia gets N$876m from Germany for new clean energy projects

Observer Money

Staff Writer Germany will provide Namibia with €43.8 million (about N$876 million) for new projects in green energy, vocational training, sustainable urban development and natural resource management. The support was confirmed during intergovernmental negotiations between the two governments held on Thursday in Lüderitz. The funds will assist Namibia in meeting targets under the sixth National Development Plan (NDP6). Namibia aims to raise electricity access from about 59% today to 70% by 2030 and reach universal access by 2040. Germany will support efforts to expand affordable, reliable and clean energy. This includes improving planning and strategy, strengthening infrastructure for decentralised energy…