Observer Money

2024 was a record-breaking year for air travel, with global passenger numbers reaching 5.3 billion, the highest in aviation history.  As the volume of passengers soared, so did the number of bags handled.  Yet the rate of mishandled baggage continued to decline, according to the newly released SITA Baggage IT Insights 2025. This is a clear sign of industry progress, though challenges remain. The mishandling rate dropped to 6.3 bags per 1000 passengers in 2024, down from 6.9 the previous year, a 67% improvement since 2007.  This drop is even more significant considering the surge in global traffic, which grew…

Justicia Shipena The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Namibia (BoN) is calling on commercial banks to align their lending margins with those of other countries in the Common Monetary Area (CMA). According to BoN governor Johannes !Gawaxab, Namibia is currently the only CMA country where the prime lending rate exceeds the repo rate by more than 3.50 percentage points.  In Namibia, the margin remains at 3.75 percentage points. “This move will address this anomaly and, in time, provide relief to consumers,” said !Gawaxab.  He further stated that banks will receive a specific timeframe to modify their operational…

Justicia Shipena  The Mineworkers Union of Namibia's (MUN) NAMIT SME Fund has disbursed over N$800,000 to entrepreneurs across various regions since its establishment in 2024. The fund helps current and former union members start or grow their small businesses. So far, 54 applications have been received this year.  The MUN said this signals a strong interest in the union’s push for inclusive economic empowerment. This development was shared during the Western Regional Roundtable held in the Erongo region on 18 June.  The roundtable is part of MUN’s national series of forums to improve engagement between the union leadership and its…

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Deputy Minister of Industrialisation and Trade, Gaudentia Kröhne, has warned that the imposition of a 21% United States tariff on Namibian mineral exports could stall trade momentum and threaten future economic opportunities under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Speaking during a ministerial roundtable on the promotion of natural diamonds in Luanda on Tuesday, Kröhne described the April 2025 executive order from the US as a major threat to Namibia’s diamond industry and broader trade prospects. “Namibia now faces a reciprocal 21% tariff on mineral exports, including diamonds, to the US, a significant market for Namibian goods.…

Justicia Shipena  The head of investment at Simonis Storm Securities, Max Rix, says the investment landscape has changed.  According to Rix, the change is not a temporary adjustment but a structural regime shift. Interest rates will remain real.  Rix said interest rates will remain real, capital will remain costly, and fiscal policy will stay constrained.  “We see no room for complacency and even less for nostalgia,” he said.  “The old anchors, free liquidity, suppressed volatility, and endless duration – are gone. What remains is the real task of investing: allocating capital prudently, understanding risk honestly, and protecting long-term value against…

Justicia Shipena  O&L Leisure’s acquisition of two hospitality properties, Le Mirage in the Sossusvlei area and Divava on the Kavango River, is awaiting approval from the Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC).  The announcement was made on Tuesday by O&L Leisure, a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List Group. Sven Thieme, managing director of O&L Leisure and executive chairman of the O&L Group, said the acquisition supports the group’s “Namibia Through Our Eyes” vision and strengthens its footprint in key tourism areas. “This expansion marks a key moment in realising our ‘Namibia Through Our Eyes’ vision, growing our presence across the country’s…

Justicia Shipena As winter sets in and households tighten their budgets, Namibia’s trade data shows a sharp imbalance in the coffee sector.  In April 2025, the country imported coffee worth N$12.4 million, mainly from South Africa and Switzerland.  This is revealed in the latest Namibia international merchandise trade statistics bulletin by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).  Over the same period, the NSA revealed that the country exported only N$14,629 worth of coffee to Angola and South Africa.  This gap highlights the country’s reliance on foreign coffee and raises questions about opportunities in domestic processing and value addition. This comes as…

Justicia Shipena Food and non-alcoholic beverages remained the main contributors to price increases in May 2025.  This is despite a slowdown in the country’s annual inflation rate to 3.5%. This marks a decline from 4.9% recorded in May 2024 and slightly below April’s rate of 3.6%. Consumer prices rose by 0.2% on a monthly basis, unchanged from April.  According to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), the steady rate reflects modest gains in food and alcohol prices, a small rebound in transport costs, and ongoing deflation in housing services. Core inflation stood at 4.1% in May, down from 4.3% in April. …

Allexer Namundjebo Senior trade officials from Commonwealth countries are meeting in Windhoek for the Second Senior Trade Officials Meeting (STOM II).  This is the first time the event has been held in Africa and within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The two-day meeting builds on earlier discussions to shape collective strategies for global trade, ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Trade Ministers meeting and the 2026 WTO Ministerial Conference in Cameroon. Ruth Kattumuri, senior director at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Economic, Digital, Trade and Investment directorate, said the Commonwealth must present a united voice as global trade tensions grow.  “Trade…

Staff Writer  Thirty youth micro-entrepreneurs participated in a full-day content creation and social media masterclass hosted by the Youth Opportunity (YO!) Pillar in partnership with MultiChoice Namibia on Friday.  The session, themed “Passion to Pixels to Profit,” focused on building digital content strategies, brand identity, and platform monetisation. The hands-on training aimed to equip young entrepreneurs with practical tools to grow digital brands and generate income in Namibia’s evolving online economy.  The event combined technical learning with creative insight, teaching participants to turn audiences into customers, use AI tools for faster content production, build strong brand identities, and understand legal…