National News

Staff Writer  The Namibia Airports Company (NAC) made a gross profit of N$23 million leading to the declaration of a dividend of N$7.7 million to the government, marking its first dividend payment in 20 years and the highest since the company was established. The dividend was declared at the company’s Annual General Meeting held on Friday, 30 October, at the ministry of works and transport headquarters in Windhoek. NAC board chairperson Rosalinde Nakale said the company recorded a net profit of N$23 million, of which approximately one-third was declared as a dividend to its shareholder, the government. She said the…

Patience Makwele The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has called on local authorities to move away from measuring activities towards tangible results, warning that council leaders must take responsibility for their performance and be transparent about their commitments to residents. Executive director and acting accounting officer in the OPM, Petrus Sindimba, said local authorities must shift from activities to results, excuses to accountability and secrecy to transparency. “Our citizens have the right to know what their Local Authorities have committed themselves to achieving and whether those commitments are being fulfilled,” he said. Sindimba was speaking on Monday during the…

Elvis Mboya Namibia’s exports to the European Union (EU) reached N$17.57 billion in 2025, but trade remains heavily concentrated in six of the bloc’s 27 member states, raising questions about market diversification and export resilience. According to the October 2026 report, EU-Namibia Trade: A Partnership That Works, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and Germany accounted for approximately N$16.70 billion, representing 95.1% of Namibia’s EU exports. Spain was the largest destination, receiving goods valued at N$5.68 billion, followed by France at N$5.26 billion and the Netherlands at N$3.05 billion. Italy accounted for N$1.47 billion, while Belgium and Germany received approximately…

Staff Reporter Namibia will host an international autism congress this week, bringing together researchers, health professionals, educators and advocates to discuss ways of improving support for people on the autism spectrum. The sixth World Autism Organisation (WAO) Congress will take place in Windhoek from 3 to 5 November, with organisers saying the gathering comes at a time when the country’s autistic community remains underserved. Petra Dillmann, founder of the Autism Association of Namibia, said the country needed to create more opportunities for autistic people to speak for themselves and influence conversations about their needs. Dillmann, who has been involved in…

Patience Makwele Workers covered by the Government Employment Redress Programme (GERP) are seeking a settlement of outstanding employment claims as the government moved to end the initiative, with their union asking for negotiations to continue beyond the programme’s scheduled closure. The Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction Workers Union (MMMCWU), which represented workers from more than 13 fishing companies, petitioned the ministry of agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform over unpaid overtime, night-shift allowances and severance pay. The grievances affect workers, some of whom lost their jobs following industrial action in 2015 and were later accommodated under GERP.  Introduced in 2020,…

Patience Makwele A 2023 agreement between the City of Windhoek and Innovate Group to mobilise private-sector funding for the rehabilitation of Zoo Park has lapsed without delivering the planned upgrades, the municipality has confirmed. The municipality told the Windhoek Observer that despite engagements with potential private-sector partners, no formal financial commitments were secured and the required letters of intent from prospective funders were never submitted. “Consequently, the agreement lapsed without the implementation of the envisaged upgrade works,” the City said. The municipality is now pursuing a separate rehabilitation initiative, which will require Zoo Park to close to the public for…

Renthia Kaimbi The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security has issued a public warning against individuals impersonating ministry officials and making fraudulent telephone calls to members of the public, including foreign nationals, promising to fast-track the processing and issuance of official documents in exchange for money. In a public notice issued on 30 October and signed by the ministry’s executive director, Nghidinua Daniel, the ministry said it had become aware of individuals falsely presenting themselves as ministry employees to solicit payments from unsuspecting members of the public. The scammers allegedly target people seeking immigration and other government services…

Namibia has reported N$66.85 billion in investment across 28 projects, but how much has materialised from President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s international trade missions? Elvis Mboya President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has made economic diplomacy a prominent feature of her presidency, leading international engagements aimed at attracting foreign investment, opening export markets and strengthening Namibia’s commercial relationships. Since taking office in March 2025, she has pursued partnerships across Africa, Asia, USA and other international markets, accompanied by government officials and business representatives seeking opportunities in mining, energy, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and infrastructure. The engagements have produced cooperation agreements, business forums and new market-access opportunities.…