Observer Money

Chamwe Kaira The One Economy Foundation holds a 5% loan-carried interest in the Etango Uranium Project, giving the Namibian empowerment entity a stake in one of the country’s largest proposed mining developments. The interest was disclosed in Bannerman Energy Ltd’s Etango Strategic Financing Presentation, released as part of its strategic financing agreement with CNNC Group. The project is held by Bannerman Mining Resources (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd. This entity is 95% owned by Bannerman Energy (UK) Ltd and 5% by the One Economy Foundation on a loan-carried basis. Bannerman Energy (UK) Ltd is owned 55% by Bannerman Energy (Netherlands) BV and…

Chamwe Kaira President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed that a fully independent transmission system operator be created as part of the restructuring of South Africa’s electricity sector. Eskom Holdings SOC Limited informed noteholders on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE) that the government will proceed with plans to establish a separate, state-owned transmission entity. The new entity will own and control transmission assets and operate the electricity market. Ramaphosa made the announcement during his state of the nation address on 12 February 2026. He said the move was part of reforms to modernise the energy sector and reduce electricity costs. He said…

Chamwe Kaira Namibia’s key stock indices recorded gains in the week ended 13 February, according to data from the Namibia Securities Exchange (JSE). The JSE All Share Index closed at 120 584 points, up 533 points or 0.44% from 120 051 points the previous week.  The overall Namibian market index rose 51.43 points, or 2.28%, to 2 305.90. The local index increased by 2.01 points, or 0.25%, to 814.41. Sector performance was mixed. Basic materials recorded the strongest weekly gain, rising 4.10% to 809.97 points. Financials increased 1.22% to 751.67, while real estate rose 1.17% to 2,728.50. Consumer staples gained…

Staff Writer Osino Gold Exploration and Mining has appointed Junxin Wang as its new chief executive officer as the company moves the Twin Hills Gold Project into its next phase. Tianhang (Tony) Zhang has stepped down as CEO following a personal career decision. He led the company during a key stage of development at Twin Hills and completed a formal handover to Wang. Wang previously served as general manager of Qinghai Dachaidan Mining Co., Ltd, a gold mining operation within the Shanjin International group, for six years. He said his experience will support the project as it moves through construction…

Staff Writer Standard Bank has warned the public about a new scam circulating in Namibia in which fraudsters pose as representatives of WiFi or internet service providers. The callers claim they need to “upgrade your WiFi connection” or “improve your internet speed”. They then instruct victims to carry out banking transactions on their phones. According to the bank, the scammers tell people to dial the PayPulse code under the pretext of assisting with a WiFi upgrade. Once the victim follows the steps, unauthorised digital transactions are processed without their knowledge. Colanè Esterhuizen-Andreas, fraud risk manager at Standard Bank, said customers…

Staff Writer Simonis Storm expects inflation to average between 3.6% and 3.8% in 2026. The firm says this reflects a mild normalisation rather than a renewed rise in price pressures. The outlook follows a year of easing inflation in 2025. Headline inflation slowed through the second half of the year and closed December at 3.2% year-on-year, down from 3.7% in June.  Inflation remained within the Bank of Namibia’s 3–6% target range. Monthly price movements were mostly stable outside of utility and tariff adjustments. For 2026, Simonis Storm expects housing and utility inflation to remain firm.  This will be supported by…

Allexer Namundjembo A United Nations (UN) report launched in Windhoek has identified more than US$900 million in diversification opportunities and the potential to create over 26 000 jobs through value addition and industrial expansion. The report was unveiled by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development secretary general Rebeca Grynspan during her official visit to Namibia.  The event took place at the Mövenpick–Mercure Hotel and was organised with the National Planning Commission (NPC). It was attended by government officials, private sector representatives, academia, civil society and UN agencies. According to a statement issued at the launch, the Rapid Assessment for…

Chamwe Kaira Paladin Energy reported revenue of US$138.3 million for the six months ended 31 December 2025, driven by uranium sales from the Langer Heinrich Mine in Namibia and firmer uranium market conditions. The company sold 1.96 million pounds of uranium oxide during the period at an average realised price of US$70.5 per pound.  Cost of sales reached US$112.3 million as production at Langer Heinrich Mine continued to ramp up and a higher share of mined ore was processed through the plant. Gross profit rose to US$26 million from US$0.9 million in the same period last year. Paladin recorded a…

Chamwe Kaira Namibia’s annual inflation rate eased to 2.9% in January, down from 3.2% recorded in January last year, according to the latest Namibia Consumer Price Index report. Statistician general and Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) chief executive officer Alex Shimuafeni released the report. On a month-on-month basis, inflation rose to 0.8% in January from 0.1% in December 2025. This shows prices increased at a faster pace during the month under review. The report states that inflation measures the sustained increase in the general price level of goods and services over time.  Changes in inflation are tracked through movements in the…

Chamwe Kaira The Namibia Deposit Guarantee Authority (NDGA) says the country’s Deposit Guarantee Scheme covers more than 90% of current depositors. The figures are contained in the NDGA’s three-year strategic plan for 2026 to 2028, which sets out the institution’s priorities for the next three years. The Deposit Guarantee Scheme allows depositors to access all or part of their money within a set period if a bank fails. It aims to prevent panic withdrawals by assuring depositors that their funds are protected. All Namibian banking institutions, branches of foreign banks and building societies must join the scheme and pay annual…