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Chamwe Kaira  The government plans to include nuclear energy in Namibia’s long-term power expansion as part of efforts to increase electricity supply and reduce reliance on imports. The plan forms part of the ministry’s 2025/26 to 2029/30 strategic framework, which sets out steps to expand local power generation and improve energy access. Officials say nuclear energy will form part of a broader energy mix that also includes renewable energy and improved grid systems. The aim is to provide reliable and affordable electricity for households and industry. Namibia plans to increase its installed electricity generation capacity from 734 megawatts in 2024…

Chamwe Kaira  Fraud losses in Namibia’s banking sector have risen sharply over the past five years, reaching N$73.9 million in 2025, according to new data from the central bank. In 2021, total fraud losses stood at N$13.3 million. Card fraud was the main driver at N$6.8 million, followed by e-money fraud at N$3.6 million and EFT fraud at N$2.9 million. In 2022, losses more than doubled to N$31.5 million. EFT fraud increased to N$14.5 million and became the largest contributor, overtaking card fraud. The rise continued in 2023, with total fraud reaching N$46.7 million. EFT fraud accounted for N$17.4 million,…

The Financial Institutions and Markets Act (Fima) is being implemented under Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa) supervision following a formal directive from the minister of finance.  This marks a decisive step toward stronger governance, financial stability, and consumer protection in Namibia, according to Namfisa. According to Namfisa, Fima strengthens Namibia’s non-banking financial sector by promoting consumer protection, transparency, and sound governance. Importantly, the Act will be implemented effectively without the regulation on the preservation of retirement benefits, ensuring regulatory progress continues while safeguarding the public interest. Observer Money talks to Carmen Diehl, the senior manager for risk management &…

Staff Writer  The Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) has disbursed N$1 billion to support the development of healthcare infrastructure in Namibia. The funding forms part of the government's RoadMap initiative led by the Ministry of Health and Social Services and aligned with the medium-term expenditure framework. The programme supports national priorities under the sixth National Development Plan (NDP6).  It is led by the Ministry of Finance, in partnership with the National Planning Commission (NPC) and the Ministry of Health and Social Services. DBN said it mobilised the financing to support the programme. The N$1 billion will fund the construction and…

Staff Writer International reserves fell to N$51.7 billion at the end of February, according to the Bank of Namibia. The decline of 0.3% from January was driven by net outflows of South African rand and withdrawals of foreign currency by customers. Despite the drop, reserves remained adequate. They provided import cover of 3.3 months, or 3.7 months when excluding oil and gas-related imports.  The reserves were also equal to about 9.8 times the currency in circulation, supporting the Namibian dollar’s peg to the South African rand and the country’s ability to meet short-term obligations. At the same time, banking sector…