Observer Money

Staff Writer Windhoek is hosting a continental aviation gathering this week as Aviation Week Africa gets underway under the theme “Linking Africa: Partners for Growth". The four-day event runs from 21 to 24 April at the Windhoek International Convention Centre, with related activities at the Mövenpick Hotel Windhoek. The programme started on 21 April with arrivals, registration and accreditation. The official opening on 22 April includes remarks from industry and government leaders such as Aaron Munetsi, Indileni Daniel and Teofilus Shaende.  Other speakers include Namibia Airports Company (NAC) chief executive officer Bisey Uirab and representatives from Zambia. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah…

Staff Writer Nedbank Group says Namibia’s operating environment presents structural challenges, including exposure to climate risks such as drought. In its 2025 integrated report, the group said these risks increase the need for monitoring, especially in agriculture, water-intensive sectors, and rural areas.  It said it is focusing on sustainable finance and long-term planning in its regional operations, including Namibia. Nedbank operates in five countries outside South Africa, including Namibia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Eswatini and Zimbabwe. South Africa remains its main market, accounting for about 91% of total assets. The group said regional operations are becoming more important for growth and diversification.…

Staff Writer Bank Windhoek has recognised top dealer partners at the Northern Selekt Sales Awards held in Oshakati. The event honoured dealerships and sales professionals for their performance in 2025.  The awards highlight the bank’s focus on partnerships in the motoring sector and support for vehicle finance. Regional manager for the far north, Mire Christof, said Namibia recorded 14 494 vehicle sales in 2025, the highest since 2015.  She said the trend continued into 2026, with 1 005 units sold in January, the strongest January since 2016 and a 4% increase from a year earlier. She said demand remains strong…

Staff Writer Namibia’s financial sector is increasing efforts to mobilise climate finance as stakeholders call for stronger collaboration to address funding gaps and climate risks. The call came during a Namibia Sustainable Finance Alliance dialogue co-hosted by the Bank of Namibia (BoN) and Rand Merchant Bank. Policymakers, financial institutions and industry experts met to discuss ways to scale climate finance. The alliance, launched in October 2025, aims to integrate sustainability and climate resilience into Namibia’s financial system. FirstRand Namibia chief risk officer Teresa Louw said collaboration across sectors is key. “These forums matter deeply because they convene diverse institutions, perspectives…

Chamwe Kaira  Andrada Mining Limited has raised about US$11 million (approximately N$200 million) through a private placement to support its expansion plans in Namibia. The company, listed on the Namibian Securities Exchange (NSX) under the code ATM, issued well over 226 million new ordinary shares at 3.6 pence per share to investors. Zeus Capital Limited and H&P Advisory Limited acted as joint bookrunners for the transaction. Andrada, which operates in Uis in the Erongo region, said the funding comes as it moves to expand operations and take advantage of current commodity prices. Andrada chief executive officer Anthony Viljoen said the…

Chamwe Kaira  The feasibility study for the Trans-Kalahari Railway is expected to be completed by June 2026. The construction of the railway is planned to start around 2027. In December last year, Namibia and Botswana extended the completion timeline for the Trans-Kalahari Railway feasibility study by two months.  They said the project remains on track and is central to regional trade and logistics ambitions. The Trans-Kalahari Railway is a proposed 1 500-kilometre line linking coalfields and mineral areas in Botswana, including Mmamabula, to the Port of Walvis Bay in Namibia.  The project is estimated to cost more than US$16 billion.…

Chamwe Kaira  Namibia and Botswana plan to establish a joint national airline with support from a strategic partner, Botswana’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has announced. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Duma Gideon Boko first announced the plan during the Bi-National Commission held in Namibia in 2025. “The airline will cement our relationship in the transport sector – connect Windhoek and Gaborone directly to each other and to key regional and international destinations. Just as we lay rail across the Kalahari Desert, we will also lay flight paths across African skies together,” the airline said. At the same time, the Namibian government…

Chamwe Kaira  The Deposit Guarantee Fund by the Namibia Deposit Guarantee Authority (NDGA) delivered an annual return of 8.1% in 2025, outperforming its benchmark. The fund beat Alexander Forbes' short-term fixed interest three-month index, which returned 7.3%, resulting in an excess return of 83.5 basis points. It outperformed the benchmark in all four quarters. The performance was driven by portfolio management and investments in money market and short-term fixed-income instruments. The fund invested in floating rate notes and Treasury bills.  Floating rate notes benefitted from favourable spreads over the Johannesburg Interbank average rate, while treasury bills provided stability. Cash held…

Wandile Sihlobo  South Africa is unlikely to meet its maize export target for the 2025-26 marketing year, which ends this month. The challenge is not that we don’t have maize; we do. The demand is fairly weak due to ample global maize supplies. South Africa’s maize exports to Far East markets such as Vietnam, Taiwan, and South Korea, amongst others, have been rather weak this year. We have enjoyed better demand within the African continent. Between May 2025 and the first week of April 2026, South Africa exported 1.9 million tonnes of maize, out of the expected exports of 2.4…