National News

Patience Makwele  Industries, mines and energy minister Modestus Amutse has warned that Namibian businesses risk missing out on oil and gas opportunities if they do not prepare. He spoke at the upstream oil and gas local suppliers’ workshop in Windhoek on Tuesday, held by Petrofund.  Amutse said Namibia is nearing a final investment decision on offshore discoveries, and local firms must be ready. “Namibia is building this industry from the ground up. But participation will not happen by default. Our businesses must understand tendering processes, compliance requirements and operational standards if they are to compete," he said.  The workshop comes…

Justicia Shipena  More than 140 Namibian companies have submitted proposals for green industrialisation projects.  Green Hydrogen Programme interim head Joseph Mukendwa said the submissions followed a national call for proposals issued last year and closed earlier this year. “These proposals extend far beyond hydrogen production,” he said during the Climate Investment Funds Industry Decarbonisation Programme engagement in Walvis Bay on Tuesday.  Mukendwa said there were plans to decarbonise transport, produce green chemicals and fertilisers and support local manufacturing of renewable energy components. The call for proposals under the African Development Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa Green Hydrogen Programme closed…

Allexer Namundjembo The Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) and the Road Fund Administration (RFA) have signed a research collaboration agreement to address funding and sustainability challenges in Namibia’s road sector. The agreement was signed on Monday in Windhoek. RFA chief executive officer Ali Ipinge said the road sector faces a funding gap of about N$3.7 billion for the 2025/26 financial year. “While this reflects an improvement from the previous year, it remains at a level that we must consider alarming,” Ipinge said. He said a temporary 50% fuel levy reduction will reduce RFA revenue by about N$300 million…

Patience Makwele Swapo leaders say growing divisions could affect unity and preparations for the 2027 elective congress. The warning comes as the party marked its 66th anniversary on Sunday.  President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said the party must focus on delivering results to meet public expectations. “The times have changed and so have the expectations of our people,” she said. She pointed to jobs, land, housing, healthcare and education as key priorities and urged the party to remain “alert, forward-looking and grounded in service delivery".  Former president Hifikepunye Pohamba urged unity and discipline within the party. “You must work in harmony and…

Justicia Shipena  Ambassador Wilfried Emvula will continue as chairperson of the National Governing Council of the African Peer Review Mechanism following the appointment of a new council in Namibia. The third National Governing Council was inaugurated at State House on Monday by Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.  The council will serve a four-year term from February 2026 to January 2030. The council includes ambassador Elia Kaiyamo, Dr Betty Schroder, Professor Esau Kaakunga, Dr Roseta Nawases, Naita Hishoono, Rosemary Nalisa, Uhuru Dempers, Hakusembe Hakusembe and Salomo Hei. It will oversee governance processes, monitor standards and coordinate national programmes under the APRM.  It will also…

Allexer Namundjembo Telecom Namibia will work with the police to curb copper cable theft.  Telecom said copper theft has disrupted services across the country. Telecom chief executive officer Stanley Shanapinda said on Monday the company has launched the Penduka Project to increase patrols in high-risk areas such as Dorado and Wanaheda in Windhoek.  “We have received full commitment from the Office of the Inspector General in this regard. The root cause of copper theft is the scrap yards that are buying illegal copper and it must stop,” Shanapinda said. He said Telecom Namibia will support law enforcement efforts. “We know…

Staff Writer  South African advocate and senior counsel Muzi Sikhakhane has questioned whether ordinary Namibians are benefiting from the country’s legal and economic systems. Speaking at a public lecture in Windhoek last week, Sikhakhane said law cannot be treated as neutral or separate from politics, history and society.  He said justice must be understood within Africa’s history, especially the legacy of colonialism and apartheid. “A lawyer or judge emerges from a particular political history of the territory in which he or she practices,” Sikhakhane said. He said colonialism shaped legal systems across Africa and influenced how law is taught and…

Renthia Kaimbi The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security has dismissed social media claims that it plans to recruit foreign truck drivers.  On Friday, the ministry's executive director, Nghidinua Daniel, in a notice rejected a WhatsApp voice message claiming the ministry intended to hire 39 truck drivers from Zimbabwe and invite applications from Namibians. “The ministry categorically states that these allegations are entirely false, unfounded, and without any official basis,” said Daniel.  “At no point now or in the future does the ministry intend to recruit foreign nationals as truck drivers.” Daniel said the message is misleading and…

Allexer Namundjembo  United Nations (UN) climate change executive secretary Simon Stiell says global reliance on fossil fuels is driving rising costs and economic instability. He said dependence on oil and gas is exposing economies to repeated shocks. “Fossil fuels are driving a cost crisis for households, businesses and nations. Clean energy is the cure,” Stiell said on Monday.  He pointed to conflict in the Middle East as an example of the risks, saying it is disrupting energy markets and pushing up prices. “War in the Middle East has exposed a brutal truth: fossil fuel dependency undermines countries’ sovereignty and security,…