Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira The Oceana Group, which harvests horse mackerel in Namibian waters, says it plans to engage Namibian regulators to establish a sustainable industry framework. The group says concerns persist about the sustainability of the horse mackerel industry framework in Namibia. Oceana noted that the South African industry recorded good landings in the first half of the year against an interim total allowable catch (TAC) allocation of 35 000 tonnes.  The final TAC increased to 44 000 tonnes in November. In Namibia, the government issued a TAC of 10 000 tonnes as part of its policy objectives.  This marked the…

Chamwe Kaira Namibia remains strategic to Pepkor Holdings Limited, which has expanded its footprint in the country through recent acquisitions, including Choice Clothing. Pepkor’s annual financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2025 show that the group views Namibia as an important market within its Southern African operations, with further expansion expected beyond the 2025 financial year. The report states that Pepkor operates retail stores in Namibia across several business units.  These include clothing, general merchandise, furniture, appliances and electronics.  Namibia is listed among the group’s key foreign markets outside South Africa, alongside Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini, and contributes…

Staff Writer Namibia has recorded continued progress in strengthening its defences against money laundering and financial crime, according to the 2025 Basel Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Financial Crime Risk Index, Finance Intelligence Centre (FIC) director Bryan Eiseb has said. The country’s overall Basel AML Index score improved to 4.78 in 2025, from 4.89 in 2024 and 5.09 in 2023.  The index uses a scale from 0 to 10, where lower scores indicate lower risk. Namibia is ranked as the fifth best-performing country in Africa.  This places it among countries with the lowest exposure to money laundering and financial crime risks…

Staff Writer Bannerman Energy has reported progress across its sustainability objectives for the 2025 reporting period and outlined new targets for 2026, focusing on safety, community investment, environmental management and governance at the Etango Project in Namibia. According to the company’s 2025 Sustainability Scorecard, Bannerman achieved 16 consecutive years without a lost-time injury. The company said this reflects its focus on safety leadership, the management of construction-related hazards and the timely closure of incident investigations. During the period, Bannerman expanded its social and community initiatives. The Early Learner Assistance Programme grew to support 400 early learners in the Omaheke region.…

Staff Writer Koryx Copper Inc has reported encouraging assay results from nine drill holes totalling 4 007 metres at the Haib Copper Project in the south of the country. The drilling forms part of the company’s 2025 Phase 2 and 3 exploration programmes at the wholly owned project. Haib is an advanced open-pit porphyry copper-molybdenum-gold project. It is expected to produce copper concentrate through conventional crushing, milling and flotation, with potential additional output from heap leaching. Koryx Copper president and chief executive officer Heye Daun said, “The latest drill results reinforce the strong fundamentals of the Haib Copper Project. We…

Staff Writer South Africa's state-owned logistics company, Transnet, has reported improved financial and operational performance for the six months ended September 30, 2025, supported by higher volumes across its rail, port, and pipeline operations. Revenue for the interim period rose by 8.8% to N$45.2 billion, from N$41.5 billion in the same period last year. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation increased by 15.4% to N$15.7 billion. The loss for the period narrowed to N$1.8 billion from N$2.2 billion in 2024, a 17.7% year-on-year improvement. Transnet said the improved results were driven by higher volumes across the business. Rail volumes…

Chamwe Kaira Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) plans to expand its operations locally and enter regional markets.  Its managing director, Licky Erastus, said the company has spent the past year engaging neighbouring countries that need its services. He said MTC plans to set up a data centre and has invested heavily in its fibre backbone.  “We have a natural technology licence; we try to understand what the needs of customers are,” he said. MTC, Namibia’s first and largest mobile telecommunications operator, has grown into a communications service provider and aims to fully transform into a digital service provider. The company’s profit…

Chamwe Kaira Grindrod Limited, the JSE-listed freight and logistics company that recently opened a new warehouse at the Port of Walvis Bay, reported a steady performance for the 11 months ending 30 November 2025. The company achieved this despite operating in a turbulent commodities market. The company said global mining commodity markets remained under pressure during the period due to shifting supply and demand, rising geopolitical uncertainty and seasonal patterns.  Prices for Grindrod’s dry-bulk commodities fell 12% compared to last year, but demand for key products such as iron ore and chrome remained firm. The new Walvis Bay warehouse is…

Staff Writer  The African Development Bank’s (AfDB) board of directors has approved a US$10 million (approximately N$200 billion) loan to Hyphen Hydrogen Energy to support its green ammonia project, which is valued at more than US$10 billion.  The project aims to position Namibia as a leader in the global green hydrogen industry. The loan comes from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) and will fund front-end engineering design studies.  These studies cover solar and wind generation, battery energy storage, electrolyser capacity, and desalination infrastructure.  The support aims to reduce project risks and attract the large-scale financing needed for full…