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Prime Minister hails importance of vocational education

Prime Minister hails importance of vocational education

Tujoromajo Kasuto AT a consultative workshop this week, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila called for a shift in the public perception of vocational training as inferior to the academic stream and therefore less prestigious. Vocational training, she said, plays a dynamic role in addressing many current problems such as underemployment and unemployment and poverty alleviation particularly among young people. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila emphasised that technical and vocational skills are vital to make in poverty reduction, economic recovery and sustainable development. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) can also play a role in ensuring the transferring local knowledge and skills between generations, thus…
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Shaningwa tells Otjozondjupa mobilizer to “back off”

Shaningwa tells Otjozondjupa mobilizer to “back off”

Eba Kandovazu SWAPO Secretary General Sophia Shaningwa has written a letter to Otjozondjupa regional mobilization officer Clive Kavendjii, requesting that he desists from acting as the party’s leader in the region while the regional coordinator Susan Hikopua is still in office. The regional executive committee suspended Hikopua in December on allegations of abuse of party finances and properties among others. Hikopua, according to Kavendjii, also orchestrated demonstrations against the leadership of the party in the region and acted outside the party’s constitution. Kavendjii also alleges that Hikopua is sowing division among Swapo members in the region and therefore has been…
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Study permit application deadline extended

Eba Kandovazu THE Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security has announced the extension of the deadline for foreign students to submit applications for student permits from 28 February to 31 March 2022. The ministry’s Executive Director Etienne Maritz said all applicants should comply with all the stipulated requirements when applying for students permits. “Moreover, students must be in possession of valid legal status in Namibia at the time of applying for their students' permits. Failure to provide valid status would be in contravention of Section 29 of the Immigration Control Act (Act No. 7 of 1993). Furthermore, foreign…
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Outreach NC program concludes on positive note

Outreach NC program concludes on positive note

Martin Endjala The two week outreach program of the National Council’s (NC) chairperson Lukas Sinimbo Muha was concluded on Saturday in the Kavango East Region at Omega in Mukwe constituency in positive spirits, NC secretary advocate Tousy Namiseb told the Windhoek Observer in a wide ranging interview. He said the lack of information about what the National Council does as one of the legislative arms of the State is worrying, he said. Namiseb described the outreach program as fruitful, and believes that its objective has been achieved. ''What is left now is to write a detailed report and hand it…
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Mining to spearhead 2022 economic recovery

Mining to spearhead 2022 economic recovery

Tujoromajo Kasuto The Namibian economy is expected to improve this year and 2023 building on the moderate recovery it showed in 2021. Its performance will be aided by improved growth in the mining industry and most tertiary industries. According to the Bank of Namibia's February economic outlook report, diamond mining is predicted to grow substantially in 2022 and 2023, as the new Debmarine N$7 billion mining vessel is expected to begin production in the second quarter of 2022. The diamond mining industry was expected to rise by 2.3 percent in 2021, and then by 26.2 percent and 16.5 percent in…
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MTC’s ‘we race together campaign’ draws in other cooperates

MTC’s ‘we race together campaign’ draws in other cooperates

Martin Endjala The 'WE RACE TOGETHER CAMPAIGN' launched last Month by MTC has been joined by other corporates to fight social issues hampering the growth of a strong Namibian community. Namib Mills, Shoprite and MTC have both registered their participation with contributions of N$120 000 each, while the Erongo Marine Enterprise pledged N$90 000 and the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA), Namibia Airports Company and Namport each pledging N$ 30 000 at a MTC press conference yesterday. MTC Public Relations Officer Erasmus Nekundi said the initiative is a way of establishing cultural togetherness and raising money for charitable causes…
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Census not about pulling figures from documents

Census not about pulling figures from documents

Eba Kandovazu Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) Chief Statistician, Alex Shimuafeni says that suggestions to retrieve population data from the Home Affairs Ministry and hospitals data will not give an accurate picture of the intended outcome of the Population and Housing Census. Pulling figures from Home Affairs and hospital data, Shimuafeni warned, will exclude critical groups such as the homeless, people who are not registered anywhere and foreigners or visitors who live in the country. Yesterday, the NSA announced that it would no longer carry out the Population and Housing Census, which was scheduled for August this year. Spokesperson Sakaria Iipumbu…
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New Typhoid outbreak in Windhoek….three cases detected

New Typhoid outbreak in Windhoek….three cases detected

Tujoromajo Kasuto NAMIBIA appears to be prone to disease outbreaks in informal settlements. In recent years, the country has seen outbreaks such as the Hepatitis E plague, Covid 19, malaria and most recently another occurrence of Typhoid fever. At a press conference today, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Minister of Health and Social Services, confirmed three Typhoid Fever cases in the Goreangab residential area in Windhoek, while he also announced the end of the country's Hepatitis E outbreak. Both Hepatitis E and Typhoid are bacterial diseases and thrive in unhygienic conditions. The Ministry confirmed a case of Typhoid Fever in the Windhoek…
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Economic integration key to prosperity

Economic integration key to prosperity

Tujoromajo Kasuto Vice President, Nangolo Mbumba called for the redoubling of efforts for regional economic integration in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic that has disrupted efforts toward economic recovery in Namibia and other SACU member states over the last two years. He made this call during a visit to the Southern African Customs Union headquarters in Windhoek, where he was informed of how the fallout from the pandemic depleted SACU revenues. The VP asserts that It is therefore imperative that the governments together with all its stakeholders, including SACU, redouble efforts and work together to strengthen the fight towards…
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Reinstated IPC councilor challenges Itula’s powers

Reinstated IPC councilor challenges Itula’s powers

Eba Kandovazu THE reinstated chairperson of the Erongo Regional Council, Ciske Smith-Howard says that Dr Panduleni Itula has no power to meddle with elected councilors, saying that he is not the president of the Independent Patriots of Change, in terms of its constitution. Smith-Howard, who has been reinstated into her position after three months suspension, said in an interview with the Windhoek Observer newspaper that Itula is an autocrat. "I am not here for the IPC leadership. They can be as hostile as they want to. There are so many issues to deal with. We have a massive health problem…
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