Observer Money

The Bank of Namibia has set dates for the Monetary Policy Announcements for 2024. The Bank of Namibia's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meets every two months to announce its interest rate decision and the broad direction of monetary policy. The 2024 Monetary Policy Announcement dates for 2024 are as follows: 14 February, 17 April, 19 June, 14 August, 23 October and 4 December. Looking back at the monetary decisions the bank made last year, February saw the MPC deciding to increase the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7%. The increase in the repo rate effectively brought the prime…

Cirrus Capital has stated that in the calendar year 2023, Namibian government bonds returned 17.4% on the back of substantial spread compression. Cirrus Capital, which focuses on corporate advisory, capital raising and research said spreads declined by an average of 119bps across the curve, with the most notable declines across the long end of the curve (GC37 – GC50), down on average 214bps. In the review of the Namibia Stock Exchange, Cirrus Capital said amongst the primary listed shares on the NSX, Standard Bank Namibia was the best performing in 2023, with a total return of 114%, whilst Paratus Namibia…

The annual inflation in Zone 1 (Kavango East, Kavango West, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omusati) rate stood at 5.9% during December 2023 compared to 6.5% registered during December of the preceding year. The slowdown in the annual inflation rate emanated mainly from the slow increases registered in the price levels of transport (from 13.9% to 4.5%); food and non-alcoholic beverages (from 12.5% to 6.4%); hotels cafes, and restaurants (from 5.7% to 2.4%) and clothing and footwear (from 3.9% to 1.6%). On a monthly basis, the inflation rate registered a decline of 0.2% compared to 0.3% recorded during the preceding month. In Zone…

Rapaport has outlined five developments to watch this year. These include US sanctions on Russia that came a long way in 2023, with US President Joe Biden signing an order banning Russian diamonds even if they were manufactured in a third country. The European Union has also announced sanctions and outlined some of the rules for how they will work. However, many unanswered questions remain. It’s likely that 2024 will shed more light on the finer details. The other issue is the De Beers-Botswana deal. Following long and sometimes strained negotiations, the government of Botswana has reached an agreement with…

The Board of Debswana, the 50:50 diamond mining joint venture between De Beers Group and the Government of the Republic of Botswana, has announced that it had approved investment for a key development phase of the Jwaneng underground project, paving the way for the world’s most valuable diamond mine to transition from open pit to underground operations. The US$1 billion (BWP 13.6 billion) investment in this phase of works, known as the Exploration Access Development Phase, is for establishing a drilling platform to facilitate comprehensive sampling of the kimberlite pipes, delivering the early access decline for the underground mine and…

Auto executives around the world are entering 2024 with less confidence that the industry will achieve more profitable growth over the next five years, according to the latest KPMG Global Automotive Executive Survey. The survey of more than 1000 senior executives in thirty countries and territories reveals a dip in optimism as the sector deals with concerns over the global economy and rising costs. Overall, just 34% of executives said they are extremely confident versus 41% in the previous year. In Japan, the share of executives surveyed who are extremely confident dropped from 32% last year to 10% in the…

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released data for November 2023 global air cargo markets indicating the strongest year-on-year growth in roughly two years. This is partly due to weakness in November 2022, but also reflects a fourth consecutive month of strengthening demand for air cargo. Global demand for air cargo, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs), increased by 8.3% compared to November 2022. For international operations, demand growth was 8.1%. Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTKs), was up 13.7% compared to November 2022 (+11.6% for international operations). Most of the capacity growth continues to be attributable to the…

Martin Endjala The National Petroleum Corporation Company (NAMCOR), in partnership with Galp Energia Operators and Custos, made an exciting announcement yesterday, revealing a significant oil discovery in the Mopane-1X exploration well, located in PEL83, the Orange Basin, offshore Namibia. This exciting discovery comes on the heels of the initial announcement made on January 2, 2024. PEL 83 JV partners have now officially confirmed the presence of a substantial column of light oil in high-quality, reservoir-bearing sands within the Cenomanian-Turonian interval. This marks the second oil discovery in the Upper Cretaceous Orange Basin, showcasing a functional petroleum system in the Upper…

An enhanced focus on women’s specific sports science is essential for the future growth of the game and the protection of female athletes according to Dr Georgie Bruinvels. Dr Bruinvels, a FIFA Expert who works for Orreco and spoke at the recent FIFA Women’s Football Convention in Sydney says increased research is crucial as women’s football undergoes an unprecedented period of growth and professionalism. It is an area which falls under one of the pillars of FIFA’s Women’s Football Strategy: Educate & Empower. Dr Bruinvels says only 6 per cent of sports science research is exclusively focussed on females. “Obviously…

Kaizen, a term originating from Japanese meaning "change for the better," embodies a philosophy deeply rooted in the pursuit of constant progress. It's not merely about monumental shifts but the accumulation of small, consistent improvements that elevate various aspects of life over time. Consider the minutiae of a morning routine, organizing a workspace or refining a to-do list. These small, habitual improvements mirror the Kaizen approach, valuing gradual changes over sudden leaps. Kaizen advocates for a mindset that appreciates the significance of incremental progress. Think about the evolution of a favourite automobile. Each model doesn't emerge as a revolutionary transformation;…