Observer Money

Staff Writer MTC Maris has signed an agreement with Kazang to expand access to mobile money services across Namibia, with a focus on underserved and hard-to-reach communities. Kazang brings a national network of more than 5 500 agents.  This network gives Maris wider reach in urban centres, informal settlements and remote rural areas. MTC Maris executive director Kayembe Ilunga said the partnership supports Maris’ goal of full financial inclusion. “Through this partnership, we will drive and accelerate our core mandate of ensuring that every Namibian, regardless of location or economic status, can access essential financial services through a trusted local…

Staff Writer The Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board has identified the Namibia Berries Blueberry Project as a driver of agricultural diversification, rural development, and job creation in the Kavango East Region. The project is located in Divundu and is being developed by Loxworth Capital, with facilitation by NIPDB in partnership with government ministries, including the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development.  It is the largest blueberry farming investment currently underway in Namibia. About N$400 million has been invested so far. Total planned capital expenditure is estimated at N$1.5 billion over seven years. The investment is expected to support long-term…

Chamwe Kaira The Chamber of Mines of Namibia says the outlook for the country’s mining sector in 2026 remains positive and optimistic, despite ongoing global economic uncertainty. The chamber said demand fundamentals for key commodities remain supportive.  Gold prices are forecast by some analysts to exceed US$5 200 per troy ounce, which could strengthen revenues and boost investment in the gold sector. Uranium demand is expected to increase further as more nuclear reactors come online worldwide.  Copper and tin are also set to benefit from steady demand linked to the global energy transition, supporting exploration and development activity in Namibia. …

Staff Writer Trustco Group Holdings Limited has issued a quarterly update to shareholders on matters linked to the suspension of its shares, outlining progress on its audit process and engagements with regulators. The group referred shareholders to its announcement of 15 October 2025, in which it confirmed that the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) had indicated it had no objection to Trustco appointing two separate audit firms.  Under this arrangement, a South African audit firm will work alongside the already appointed associated Namibian audit firm to audit the group’s annual financial statements. Trustco said this approach will result in two separate…

Chamwe Kaira Simonis Storm says credit and liquidity data for December 2025 show that monetary easing is continuing to filter through to the real economy, although at a measured and uneven pace as once-off liquidity effects linked to the Eurobond redemption fade. Private sector credit growth eased slightly to 4.4% year on year in December 2025, down from 4.5% in November.  This points to a gradual loss of momentum as the year came to an end. Despite the slowdown, Simonis Storm said credit growth remains well above the weak levels seen in 2023 and early 2024. This suggests an improvement…

Chamwe Kaira The Namibian Securities Exchange (NSX) overall index closed higher in the week ended 30 January 2026, rising 0.85% to 2 259.63 points from 2 240.49 the previous week, supported by gains across several sectors. The NSX Local Index also edged up, increasing 0.15% to 811.16 points. The index delivered an actual dividend yield of 8.54% and has shown limited movement since December 2025. In contrast, the JSE all share index declined over the same period. The index fell 1.83% week on week to 120 046 points from 122 281. Despite the weekly drop, it remained 3.64% above its…

Staff Writer Pepkor Holdings Limited reported a 12.9% increase in group revenue from continuing operations to N$29.9 billion for the three months ended 31 December 2025.  The growth was supported by acquisitions, strong credit growth, and improved trading across several divisions. Excluding acquisitions completed during 2025, group revenue increased by 8.3%.  Group sales rose by 10.6% for the quarter, or 5.2% excluding acquisitions, while like-for-like sales increased by 3.0%. In Southern Africa, excluding PEP Africa and Avenida, like-for-like sales grew by 2%. This followed a strong comparison base of 9.6% growth in the same quarter last year. Outside Southern Africa,…

Chamwe Kaira  Cattle marketing in Namibia fell to 192 300 head in 2025, the lowest level recorded since 2006, according to the Namibia Agriculture Union (NAU). The union said the decline does not signal weakness in the livestock sector but reflects decisions taken by producers in response to prolonged drought. “This decline should not be interpreted as a deterioration in the livestock sector; rather, it reflects a rational production response to prolonged drought conditions. Producers deliberately reduced offtake in order to prioritise herd rebuilding and restore productive capacity,” the union said. Cattle marketing had generally increased since 2006 and peaked…

Chamwe Kaira  The Bank of Namibia (BoN), acting as agent for government debt issuance and management, conducted its first treasury bills auction for 2026 last Thursday, with demand remaining firm across all maturities. The auction, held on 29 January 2026, attracted total bids of about N$2.2 billion, with N$1.512 billion allocated across four treasury bill tenors.  The bills covered 90-day, 182-day, 273-day and 364-day maturities and all settled on 30 January.  Bid-to-cover ratios ranged between 1.10 and 1.97, showing continued investor interest in short-term government paper. For the 90-day treasury bill maturing on 30 April 2026, the government allocated N$352…

Chamwe Kaira  Namibia’s stock of international reserves rose at the end of December 2025, supported mainly by net inflows of the South African rand and revaluation gains, the Bank of Namibia (BoN) has reported. Official reserves increased by 4.9% month-on-month to N$51.6 billion.  The rise was driven by strong net rand inflows linked to portfolio investment, as well as favourable price movements in some fixed-income securities held by the central bank. At this level, the international reserves were sufficient to cover an estimated 3.3 months of imports.  When oil and gas exploration and appraisal-related imports are excluded, import cover improves…