Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira The Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) posted mixed results during the week ended 6 February 2026, as gains in some sectors were offset by declines in others. The NSX overall index closed at 2,254.46 points, slightly down from 2,259.63 points the previous week. This represents a decline of 0.23%.  Despite the weekly drop, the index remains 5.28% higher than its December 2025 level. The dividend yield stands at 3.54%. The NSX Local Index performed better. It rose by 0.15% to close at 812.39 points, up from 811.16 points the week before. Since December 2025, the index has gained 0.57%.…

Chamwe Kaira Rosh Pinah Zinc and Appian Capital Advisory Limited, the investment adviser to long-term private capital funds, have commissioned a new paste fill plant at the Rosh Pinah mine as part of the RP2.0 expansion project. The plant is the first commissioned paste backfill operation in Namibia. It reduces mining dilution, lowers the volume of tailings deposited on the surface and improves ore recovery. The RP2.0 expansion project is now more than 85% complete and remains on schedule and on budget.  Once completed, the project will almost double the mine’s processing capacity to 1.3 million tonnes per year.  Completion…

Staff Writer TotalEnergies has signed agreements to acquire a 42.5% operated interest in the PEL104 exploration licence offshore Namibia from Eight Offshore Investments Holdings and Maravilla Oil & Gas. Once the transaction is completed, TotalEnergies will operate the licence with a 42.5% interest, alongside Petrobras with 42.5%, Namcor with 10%, and Eight Offshore Investments Holdings with 5%.  The PEL104 licence is located in the Lüderitz Basin and covers about 11 000 square kilometres offshore Namibia. “After the acquisition in December of a 40% operated interest in the PEL83 licence, TotalEnergies further strengthens its position in Namibia by entering this new…

Staff Writer Standard Bank Namibia has appointed Helena Mboti as its new group economist. Mboti brings ten years of experience in central banking and commercial banking. Her background spans macroeconomic policy, financial markets and balance-sheet risk. She previously worked at the Central Bank, where she served as an economist in the research department before moving to the financial stability department as an analyst. Her work covered monetary and financial statistics, macroprudential analysis, systemic risk assessment; and financial stability monitoring. This exposed her to monetary policy formulation and risk assessment across Namibia’s financial system. Mboti later joined the FirstRand Namibia Group,…

Namibia’s newly established Upstream Petroleum Unit (UPU), operating directly under the Presidency, has confirmed its participation at the 8th Namibia International Energy Conference (NIEC), taking place from April 14 to 16 in Windhoek.  As Namibia edges closer to first oil, the Petroleum Unit’s involvement signals the government’s commitment to shaping upstream policy, fostering investment and promoting partnership between regulators and industry. The UPU, led by Kornelia Shilunga, Special Advisory and Head, and Carlo McLeod, Special Advisor and Deputy Head, is responsible for overseeing the country’s upstream petroleum sector. Established within the Presidency, the Unit develops regulatory frameworks, monitors compliance and…

Staff Writer The South African wine industry has gathered for the annual Wine Harvest Commemorative Event to honour excellence, heritage and innovation.  The event also marked the blessing of the 2026 grape harvest and commemorated 367 years since the birth of the country’s wine industry. South Africa remains unique among wine-producing nations because it can trace the exact origin of its wine industry to a diary entry dated 2 February 1659.  The entry reads: “Today, praise be to God, wine was made for the first time from Cape grapes.” Clifford van der Venter, chairperson of the Groot Constantia Trust, said…

Chamwe Kaira The continued occurrence of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Southern Africa is a major concern, the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) has said. The union says FMD poses a serious risk to livestock, livelihoods and the wider economy. Namibia’s cattle herd is estimated at about 1.2 million head, with 800 000 south of the veterinary cordon fence and 400 000 north of it. The livestock sector, including sheep and goats, has remained under supply pressure. Marketing volumes have fallen due to a shortage of market-ready animals across key channels.  The situation is worsened by FMD outbreaks in South Africa, Namibia’s…

Chamwe Kaira Namibia’s diamond production fell by 21% to 500 000 carats in the fourth quarter of 2025, mainly due to scheduled maintenance on two vessels and extended in-port time to install a next-generation subsea crawler on the Benguela Gem diamond recovery vessel. The decommissioning of two vessels earlier in the year, a response to current industry conditions, also contributed to the decline. Debmarine Namibia produced 286 000 carats during the quarter, while Namdeb land operations produced 173 000 carats. The figures are contained in the production report for the quarter ended 31 December 2025. Anglo American, which owns De…

Chamwe Kaira TotalEnergies says offshore oil production in Namibia could begin around 2029 or 2030, subject to regulatory approvals and the timing of a final investment decision. The timeline was outlined by Gabin Poizat, press officer for exploration and production at TotalEnergies SE Corporate Communications, who said the start date will depend on how quickly key approvals and project decisions are completed. Poizat told Observer Money that following a transaction announced in December, TotalEnergies will hold operated interests in three offshore petroleum exploration licences in Namibia’s Orange Basin. The company will own a 40% operated interest in PEL 83, which…

Chamwe Kaira Namibia recorded a trade deficit of N$393 million in December 2025, a sharp improvement from the N$4.4 billion deficit recorded in November 2025. On a year-on-year basis, the country posted a trade surplus of N$297 million, according to data released by the statistician general and chief executive officer of the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), Alex Shimuafeni. South Africa remained Namibia’s largest trading partner during the period, accounting for the largest share of both exports and imports. Exports in December were driven mainly by the mining sector. Non-monetary gold, precious stones (diamonds) and uranium dominated the export basket.  Fish…