Opinions

Asteria Pirola I was 23 when I signed my first governmental contract, through the University of Namibia’s Centre for Continuous Professional Development Unit (CPD). I had no business degree, no mentors, no “real skills” other than sheer grit and determination to exceed my client’s expectations. So, I learned by doing: technical proposal and financial writing, briefing and paying consultants, running the operational side of a contract with no formal training behind me. My first degree, in human resources management from the Polytechnic of Namibia came later. By then, it wasn't teaching me from scratch, it was formalising skills I'd already…

Kae Matundu Tjiparuro Arguably, the biggest challenge facing many impoverished Namibians today is economic emancipation. Arguably, because in itself, without much elucidation, the term "economic emancipation" is not only meaningless but senseless – especially ideologically. Particularly hearing that 35 years after the country is believed to have been free and independent, it is not and actually has not been, by the politicians' own admission, in view of the realisation, if only post facto, by the Swapo Party of Namibia itself. It is strange that the country has not been free yet, while with the lowering of the apartheid South African…

Paul T. Shipale (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) When Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane (1920-1969), who was one of the founders of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) and its second president until his assassination in Tanzania in 1969, declared his slogan “ A Luta Continua”, it was later popularized and expanded by Samora Machel who declared “A Luta Continua” (“The Struggle Continues”), and asked “against what?”, he was not calling Africans to prepare for endless war. He was issuing a warning to future generations. He understood that defeating colonialism would be difficult, but building prosperous, just, self reliant and dignified…

Angelique Peake Windhoek, Namibia - Much of Namibia’s oil and gas story is being told offshore, but the more interesting story is already unfolding on land. While public attention remains focused on exploration results, Final Investment Decisions and the prospect of first oil, a quieter transformation is taking place across the country. It is visible in ports preparing for increased activity, logistics companies expanding their capabilities, international recruitment firms establishing a presence, accommodation developments breaking ground and businesses positioning themselves for opportunities that have yet to fully materialise. Taken individually, these developments may appear incremental. Together, they are important signals…

Paul T. Shipale (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) Transformational leadership is Namibia’s greatest development challenge Namibia is widely recognised as one of Africa’s most politically stable nations. Its democratic institutions, rule of law, strategic Atlantic coastline, abundant uranium, diamonds, critical minerals, fisheries, tourism potential, and emerging green hydrogen industry position the country to become one of Southern Africa’s leading economies. Yet history teaches a sobering lesson that political stability alone does not create prosperity. Around the world, countries have adopted impressive development plans, attracted international investment, and discovered valuable natural resources, only to fall short because they lacked…

Staff Writer  The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) reported a 16.9% increase in net profit after tax (NPAT) to R652 million for the six months ended 30 June 2026, supported by stronger market activity, revenue growth and disciplined cost management. The exchange operator’s revenue increased by 14.1% year-on-year to R1.88 billion, while operating income rose 14.6% to R1.96 billion from R1.71 billion in the prior comparative period. Headline earnings per share (HEPS) increased by 18.8% to 816.2 cents, compared with 687 cents in the first half of 2025, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 18.1% to…

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro How, when, where, and why could the Namibian government have gotten it all wrong? These remain four of the biggest pertinent questions, among a plethora of questions, regarding the untenable – but by no means irreversible and inextricable – situation in which the demand of the Ovaherero and Nama for justice pertaining to their genocide has been indifferently and negligently, if not maliciously and deliberately, diverted and driven into. For sure, there can be no other perspective and/or logical conclusion, at least in the eyes, dissection, digestion, and understanding, let alone imagination, of the descendants of the forebears…

Paul T. Shipale (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) “The greatest tribute to history is not remembering those who fought for our freedom, but living by the principles for which they fought.” More than six decades after the great wave of African liberation movements began to dismantle colonial rule, a difficult but necessary question confronts the continent’s leaders, particularly those who continue to govern under the banner of liberation: Have Africa’s liberation movements forgotten Fidel Castro not merely the man, but the ideals he brought to Africa? This question is not about replacing African heroes with foreign figures. Africa’s…

Paul T. Shipale (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) Angola’s wake up call The recent cyberattack that disrupted one of Angola’s largest telecommunications operators should not be dismissed as an isolated technological failure. Nor should it be viewed merely as a corporate incident affecting a single company. It is a warning to every African nation that increasingly depends on digital infrastructure to run its economy, deliver public services and safeguard national security. For Namibia, the question is not whether such an attack could happen. The question is whether the country is prepared when it inevitably does. History teaches us…