Blog – Page 5 – Windhoek Observer

19 Mar

OBSERVER COASTAL | Walvis Bay engages Narraville on service delivery

National News

Renthia Kaimbi The municipality of Walvis Bay held a public meeting in Narraville as part of its 2026 engagement programme. The meeting brought together council members, officials and residents. It focused on service delivery issues and input for the 2026/2027 budget. The council shared updates on waste management. Five refuse trucks are currently in use. Two more compactor trucks are expected in April. An extra bin campaign has been introduced to support households that share bins. The municipality is also distributing 30 skip containers. Plans are underway to procure two more skip trucks. Officials addressed water and sewer services. They…

19 Mar

Sector revival signals hope for Namibia’s economy

Editorial

After a sluggish start to the year, Namibia’s construction sector is finally showing signs of life, and it could not have come at a more critical time. The increase in building plan approvals from January to February, coupled with a rise in the value of construction projects, offers a welcome indication that one of the country’s most important economic engines may be revving up again. This is more than just a statistical improvement. It is a signal of renewed confidence from investors, developers, and households in the direction of the economy. Construction is often one of the first sectors to…

19 Mar

Construction activity picks up

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Despite delays in major projects and limited public spending, Namibia's construction sector has begun to show signs of recovery in 2026. A report by Simonis Storm indicates that activity improved after a slow start to the year. The report says structural challenges continue to affect the sector. These include delays in green hydrogen and oil and gas projects, limited fiscal space and shortages of serviced land. In Windhoek, building activity increased in February. A total of 163 building plans were approved, up from 109 in January. This is a 49.5% increase. Compared to February 2025, approvals rose by…

19 Mar

Passenger cars drive February sales increase

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Vehicle sales increased in February, showing stronger demand in the market. A total of 1 165 vehicles were sold during the month. This is a 4.1% increase compared to February 2025 and a 15.9% rise from January’s 1 005 units. A report by Simonis Storm said the figure is the strongest February performance since 2016. Total sales for January and February reached 2,170 units, up 4.1% from the same period last year. Passenger vehicles drove the increase. Sales rose to 582 units in February from 495 in January. This figure is a 17.6% increase. Compared to February 2025,…

19 Mar

Consumers watching less for Pay-TV

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Pay-TV subscriptions declined in Namibia during the fourth quarter of 2025, reflecting changing consumer behaviour. Subscriptions dropped by 6%, from 147 508 in the third quarter to 138 109 in the fourth quarter. A report by the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) shows that the decline may be linked to competition from streaming platforms, the end of major sports seasons and cost pressures on consumers. Broadcasting revenue also fell by 2% during the same period. Advertising revenue remained stable and accounted for 12% of total revenue. The report shows mixed performance across telecommunications, broadcasting and postal services.…

19 Mar

Tsodilo closes N$12.6m financing to advance Botswana projects

Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira Tsodilo Resources Limited has raised 900 000 Canadian dollars (about N$12.6 million) through a private placement to advance its mineral projects in Botswana. The company said the funding will support its critical minerals and rare earth elements project, as well as the Xaudum Iron Formation project. Tsodilo confirmed that it issued 4.5 million units at a price of C$0.20 per unit. Each unit includes one common share and one share purchase warrant. Each warrant allows the holder to buy an additional share at US$0.20 within five years. The securities are subject to a holding period of four months…

19 Mar

BoN wins AI innovation award

Observer Money

Staff Writer The Bank of Namibia (BoN) has won the Artificial Intelligence Initiative Award at the Central Banking Awards. The award recognises institutions that use artificial intelligence in areas such as forecasting, payments oversight, regulation and fraud detection. The bank was recognised for using artificial intelligence and machine learning in its daily operations. Key projects include a non-performing loans predictive model, an inflation nowcasting system and a regulatory navigation tool. The non-performing loans model helps provide early insights into risks in the banking sector. The inflation nowcasting system produces near-real-time inflation estimates to support monetary policy decisions. The Regulatory Navigation…

19 Mar

Reflections on Namibia’s budget dialogue

Observer Money

Vusi Thembekwayo I stood in a room in Windhoek last week and asked one question that silenced the conversation: "Does the person who goes to bed hungry eat complacence?" I was invited to deliver the keynote at the Namibia Budget Dialogue 2026 alongside Finance Minister Ericah Shafudah, and what I saw in that room gave me hope and, with that, left me with some questions. I am a numbers guy, so let me tell you what hope looks like when backed by data. The resource The Orange Basin holds an estimated 11 billion barrels of light oil. TotalEnergies is moving…

19 Mar

No credibility or honour in erasing another man’s history: The political crisis of renaming, rebranding public infrastructure and the removal of statues

Opinions

Lazarus Kwedhi Public memory is one of the most powerful instruments in shaping a nation’s identity. The names of towns, streets, institutions and monuments are not merely administrative labels; they are historical markers that record the journey of a people. When such markers are erased or replaced, history itself risks being distorted or forgotten. For this reason, the growing practice of renaming and rebranding public infrastructure and institutions in Namibia deserves critical reflection. A lesson from local history illustrates this point. When my grandfather, Kwedhi kwa Shivute, who was then the headman of Eputa Village, passed away in 1956, Tk.…

19 Mar

Namibia and the emerging new world order: Strategic neutrality and non-alignment in an era of global power reconfiguration

Opinions

Paul T. Shipale (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) The international system is undergoing one of the most profound transformations since the end of the Cold War. Rising geopolitical tensions, technological rivalries, economic competition, and persistent regional conflicts are reshaping the architecture of global power. What many analysts increasingly describe is not simply a series of isolated crises, but the gradual emergence of a new world order. Within this evolving landscape, the diplomatic posture adopted by Namibia’s eighth administration deserves careful attention. By reaffirming a policy rooted in strategic neutrality, non-alignment, multilateral engagement, and pragmatic diplomacy, Namibia is positioning…