National News – Page 378 – Windhoek Observer

29 Jul

Fourth Industrial Revolution report ready for submission

ObserverNational News4IR Task Force Chair, Anicia Peters, Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Task Force

Tujoromajo Kasuto The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Task Force, which has been tasked with conducting a country assessment to determine Namibia’s readiness for 4IR and making recommendations for a coordinated and coherent policy and legislative framework, is expected to submit its report to Cabinet by the end of July 2022. According to 4IR Task Force Chair, Anicia Peters the assessment has been completed and is ready for submission. I don’t know when exactly the report will be released to the public but around the end of July we will hand in the final report. However, when those recommendations will be…

Omuthiya Festival started<br>…council ignores legal threats

29 Jul

Omuthiya Festival started
…council ignores legal threats

ObserverNational NewsJohannes Ndeutepo, Omuthiya Othithiya, Peya Mushelenga, Shinedima

Obrein Simasiku The Omuthiya Town Council has steamed ahead with the idea of hosting the Omuthiya Othithiya despite legal threats from someone who claimed intellectual rights to the festival. There was uncertainty whether the event would materialise following a legal tussle between, an aspirant host of a similar event, Samuel Shinedima, who threatened to litigation in the High Court, claiming that council had copied his idea, after he had initially made a presentation back in 2019, to which the local authority went mute on him. Regardless of the threats, the town mayor Johannes Ndeutepo who has been championing the festival,…

29 Jul

Experts call for local business growth

ObserverNational News4th Africa Youth in Tourism Summit, Africa Youth in Tourism Summit and Challenges, Experts call for local business growth

Martin Endjala Experts attending the 4th Africa Youth in Tourism Summit have called on local businesses to partner with international companies for the growth of local products. The local business industry has for many years lived in the shadows of multinationals, with experts stressing that the Africa Youth in Tourism needs to start finding new solutions in reinvigorating a normal buy-stander into buying locally made products particularly in the tourism sector that has been heavily impacted by Covid-19. Virtual and online businesses are seen as fast emerging options that local business needs to start considering in order to grow and…

29 Jul

Shifeta appointed first SoN patron

ObserverNational NewsMinister of Environment and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta, Shifeta appointed first SoN patron

Staff Writer Minister of Environment and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta became the first Patron of Scouts of Namibia (SoN).In a ceremony held at his office in Windhoek, Shifeta received a framed appointment certificate, terms of reference for the patron position, and a national Scout scarf from SoN’s president and Ministry of Information, Communication and Techonology executive director Audrin Mathe. SoN that serves more than 4000 scouts, is the national scouting organisation of Namibia.Shifeta who is an advocate for youth involvement and empowerment since 1988, welcomed the opportunity to support youth development, youth citizenship and nation-building through Scouting.He noted that two of…

27 Jul

Schools shut for strike ballot…voting over two days

ObserverNational NewsNAPWU and NANTU, Schools shut for strike ballot, Utoni Nujoma

Tujoromajo Kasuto and O’Brien Simasiku The Ministry of Education Arts and Culture has closed schools for tomorrow and Friday to allow civil servants to take part in a vote to decide on whether to strike after the government, NAPWU and NANTU, reached a deadlock in wage negotiations. The government states that it has no fiscal space to manoeuvre to increase cash salaries, while unions demand raises in line with skyrocketing costs of living. The transparent balloting process is set to begin tomorrow, July 28th, and will last until July 29th, 2022, at 150 polling stations across the country in places…

27 Jul

African countries urged to champion energy solutions

ObserverNational NewsAfrica Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI), African countries urged to champion energy solutions, Egypt, n Cairo, president Hage Geingob

Martin Endjala President Hage Geingob has urged fellow African leaders to champion solutions for African problems by collaborating with each other for it to be successful and realize the ambitions of the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) to achieve the objective of creating additional 300 Gigawatts renewable energy. Geingob was speaking virtually yesterday at the opening of the African renewable energy forum underway in Cairo, Egypt, where he pointed out that policy convergence and regulatory reforms in the African energy governance architecture is crucial to unlock the potential of renewable technologies in green hydrogen, wind projects, solar power and other…

27 Jul

Grootfontein municipality sued by contractor

ObserverNational NewsGrootfontein Town Council, Kisco Sinvula, Otjomuise Construction

Tujoromajo Kasuto Grootfontein Town Council is being sued by Otjomuise Construction for allegedly failing to pay over N$1.4 million for the resealing and maintenance of selected roads in the town this year. According to court documents, the construction company is suing for payment in the amount of N$878,940.53 and interest calculated from 18 March 2022 to date of final payment. Additionally, payment in the amount of N$ 647 095.83 and Interest, calculated from 8 April 2022 to date of final payment. According to court papers, the council issued a public invitation for bids for the award of the contract for…

27 Jul

Kawana irked by unscrupulous senior officers

ObserverNational NewsImmigration, Kawana irked by unscrupulous senior officers, Minister of Home Affairs, Namibian Police Force, Safety and Security, unscrupulous behaviour among senior police officers

Obrein Simasiku The Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Albert Kawana is seriously concerned about what he observes as an unscrupulous behaviour among senior police officers who engage in criminal activities by stealing and aiding criminals to steal firearms and other government properties. Kawana castigated the officers for running to the media to air their grievances deliberately avoiding existing internal channels, which have set rules of how to deal with any such concerns. “I am concerned about the deteriorating level of discipline among members of the Namibian Police Force, regrettably including some senior officers. Although these elements are…

27 Jul

Gender mainstreaming vital in fighting climate change

ObserverNational News(IREMA Kunene Project), Gender mainstreaming vital in fighting climate change, Green Climate Fund (GCF), Kunene region Khorixas

Martin Endjala Smallholder farmers in the Kunene region Khorixas under severe conditions of climate stress in the Sesfontein, Fransfontein and Warmquelle areas are advised to iron out issues pertaining to gender equality inclusion in projects. The Improving rangeland and ecosystem management practices of smallholder farmers (IREMA Kunene Project) conducted a training of trainers workshop on gender mainstreaming recently in Opuwo and Khorixas. The project, is funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), implemented by the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF) in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR). It is aimed at strengthening the capacity…

27 Jul

Iipinge calls for inclusion of ICT studies in schools

ObserverNational News4IR, Hofni Iipinge, ICT subjects, Iipinge calls for inclusion of ICT studies in schools

Martin Endjala Swapo Youth League secretary for education Hofni Iipinge has called for the inclusion of information technology studies in the school curriculum for Grade 4-7, as well as subjects related to the 4th Industrial Revolution as he believes that with the evolving world, grass roots educational development on ICT and 4IR is pivotal to the countries vision of becoming an industrialized country. “The need for early exposure of our learning community to the 4IR cannot be overemphasized as evident in speeches of most, if not all, national political leaders,’’ Iipinge pointed out. The absence of ICT subjects at basic…