Observer Money

CHAMWE KAIRA Namib Desert Diamonds (Pty) Ltd (Namdia), the diamond marketing and sales company, has, through its Namdia Foundation, granted life-changing opportunities to 14 young Namibians from all 14 regions in the country. The recipients of the 2024 academic intake of the Namdia Foundation Bursary Scheme have described the bursaries as transformative. Tommy Shaningwa, from the Ohangwena Region, has been awarded a bursary to pursue a degree in electronic and computer studies at the University of Namibia. He expressed gratitude, stating, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I feel deeply honored and privileged to receive such a sophisticated bursary. Namdia is…

Nichlas Mbingeneeko The previous article focused on preparing small stock for mating and selecting an appropriate lambing or kidding season. This article focuses on preparing the ewes for lambing or kidding. In preparing the ewes for lambing or kidding, the farmer needs to vaccinate the ewes against gangrene of the uterus (baarmoeder sponssiekte) two to three months prior to lambing or kidding. Also, inoculate against scabby mouth (vuilbek) one month prior to lambing or kidding so as to prevent udder infection. Literally, ¾ of the growth of the fetus takes place during the last three weeks of pregnancy. The pregnant…

Martin Endjala The beginning of 2024 has witnessed a significant uptick in vehicle sales, achieving the highest January figures since 2016. A total of 1,369 vehicles were sold, with 950 of these being new units. This marks a notable increase of 13.0 percent from December's 841 units and a 17.7 percent increase from January of the previous year, where 807 units were sold. A report from Simonis Storm Securities highlights this consistent growth, projecting an optimistic outlook for vehicle sales in 2024. The data reveals that rental agencies contributed to this surge by purchasing 41 vehicles, including a mix of…

Erasmus Shalihaxwe Bank Windhoek Board of Directors, Chairperson Johan Swanepoel, has yesterday announced the appointment of Justina Alders-Sheya as a member of the Board effective Monday, 12 February 2024. Swanepoel said Alders-Sheya is a highly accomplished Namibian professional with an impressive background in the financial sector. “She has over 20 years of international experience in the financial services sector, particularly in Banking, Corporate Finance and Asset Management,” Swanepoel said. Adding that Alders-Sheya has held key positions at renowned institutions such as Triodos Bank Group in the Netherlands, EY and ING Group in Amsterdam. Apart from her working experience, Alders-Sheya holds…

Martin Endjala According to a Simonis Storms Securities economic report, Namibia’s annual inflation rate for January 2024 stood at 5.4 percent, down from 7.0 percent recorded in January 2023 but slightly up from 5.3 percent recorded in December 2023. This is the second-highest inflation rate recorded at the beginning of the year since January 2017. The report states that furthermore, the monthly inflation for January 2024 rose to 1.3 percent compared to the 0.1 percent deflation reported in December 2023. This increase represents the highest month-on-month figure since April 2022. In January 2024, Zone 1 (Northern regions) saw an annual…

Nichlas Mbingeneeko First and foremost, on behalf of the Mbingeneeko & Seonduru family and indeed on my own behalf, I herewith extend my deepest condolences to Madame Monica Geingos, the Geingob family and the entire bereaved Namibian nation on the passing of our President, H.E. Dr Hage G Geingob. May his soul rest in power and his legacy fortify the Namibian House. This article focuses on preparing small stock for mating and selecting an appropriate lambing or kidding season. Every facet of farming requires strategic planning, starting with the end in mind. Mating relates to the act of animals coming…

The US is implementing sanction regulations that may significantly harm the US diamond trade, Rapaport.com reported this week. The Rapaport said US Diamond Protocol has three continuous points including that importers and exporters of diamonds into the US must sign a declaration that the diamonds being imported are not sourced from Russian or other US-sanctioned entities. The second point is that US government agencies that require Source Verification should select and use blockchains of their choice to identify and trace the source of US diamond imports. The third point is that once diamonds are in the US, no restrictions or…

South African agricultural economist, Wandile Sihlobo has said that South Africa’s beef exports to Saudi Arabia are crucial to industry growth. He said following the announcement that Saudi Arabia will to import meat from South Africa following the end of an import ban, everything is now in place for the kingdom to import beef from South Africa. This comes after several engagements between the South African government and private sector with Saudi Arabian authorities to unlock this market. “Industry organisations such as Red Meat Industry Services and private sector stakeholders such as Karan Beef, Sparta Beef and Beefmaster, deserve much…

Economist Wandile Sihlobo has said this year’s elections in South Africa has come when the agricultural sector faces serious challenges, thus offering an opportunity to hear whether the political leaders or various parties’ manifestos will speak to the pressing challenges of the sector. The most pressing issues, according to the Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index results for the fourth quarter of 2023 include intensified delays and inefficiencies at the ports, rising crime, deteriorating rail and road infrastructure, worsening municipal service delivery, rising protectionism in key export markets, increased geopolitical uncertainty and persistent episodes of load-shedding. The slow process of launching the…

The 2024 is a year of significant political import for Namibia, with presidential elections on the horizon. Elections are expected to be held in November this year and are expected to be contested by several parties including the ruling, Swapo party, which has ruled the country since 1990. The outcome of this democratic exercise will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping the country's economic trajectory, Simonis Storm Securities has said. The firm said amidst these economic variables, the release of the NSA Census data promises to provide valuable insights into demographic trends and their implications for various sectors, from…