Opinions – Page 18 – Windhoek Observer

11 Sep

Enhancing Accountability in Public – Private Partnership in Namibia

ObserverOpinionsEnhancing Accountability in Public – Private Partnership in Namibia

Ndimudule Laina NdeumanePublic Analyst Public–private partnerships in Namibia are one features that are growing economic landscape since independence was declared in the 1990s. Despite the boom in mining industry ventures, the fiscal deficit is growing and living standards remain inadequate in localized areas, PPPs are increasingly sought after for wider social objectives. There is still a degree of resistance to private sector involvement in public services, with concerns over how employment would be affected and how black and gender empowerment could be incorporated into such schemes. Namibia has little in the way of dedicated public–private partnership policy framework. Like many…

11 Sep

Why I do what I do – a calling to promote law and access to justice

ObserverOpinionsWhy I do what I do – a calling to promote law and access to justice

Fedden Mainga Mukwata When people say your life can change in the blink of an eye, they mean it. When I look back at the events of the past 18 months, I can say that some of my wildest dreams became true or came closer to realization. My dream has always been to make law and justice accessible – to share my legal knowledge. Hence, I started FASZ Legal Consultancy CC through which that dream may be fully realized. On the other hand, I started noticing a grim picture around this line of work. I have appeared on, and follow,…

08 Sep

Just Saying with Matts Haikali

ObserverOpinions, SportsJust Saying with Matts Haikali, Namibia football legends

As I reflect on the events of the past week, where Namibia football legends gathered to play in Rundu and Otjiwarongo, I am struck by a mixture of emotions. The nostalgia of witnessing these icons relive their youthful prowess on the very fields that once nurtured their talents is undeniable. However, this emotional journey is intertwined with a stark realization – the state of the dilapidated once-vibrant sports facilities, where they honed their skills. Am just saying the sight around some of the towns,of these deteriorated facilities serves as a testament to the neglect that has plagued them over the…

08 Sep

Brics cannot but signal a new dawn for the South

ObserverOpinionsBrics cannot but signal a new dawn for the South

Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro Against the best wishes of the Big Brothers of the capitalist order, the 15th Summit of Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), has come and gone. Hailed by its constituents and proponents as having been a resounding success. And rightly so! If only for the mere fact that it took place where and when it was scheduled to, in South Africa. Against all odds. The sword of the world economic disorder, because what and how else can one describe the current economic order anything else but organised chaos masterminded by colonialists. Today’s neo-colonialists to continue their…

08 Sep

Bridging the Gap: Windhoek’s Journey to Localize the SDGs

ObserverOpinionsBridging the Gap: Windhoek’s Journey to Localize the SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Vivian !Nou-/Gawaseb In the years 2015 and 2016, the United Nations unveiled the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a global agenda for a sustainable future.For Windhoek, Namibia, these goals represent a transformative vision, but the journey towards localizing them comes with a unique set of challenges. Localizing SDGs is crucial because it tailors global sustainability goals to local contexts, ensuring that communities’ unique needs and challenges are addressed effectively, ultimately driving meaningful progress towards a sustainable future at the grassroots level. Windhoek’s distinctive path towards SDG localization is marked by a scarcity of data, resistance to universally imposed goals, and the…

01 Sep

Lest we take projects like Green Hydrogen on face value!

ObserverOpinionsLest we take projects like Green Hydrogen on face value!

CAN more jobs creation, and even what one may consider increased investment flow lead to increased, better and/or requisite socio-economic transformation that Namibia craves for, and has been even since independence been so much desirous of and for, which indeed was, is and must be the essence of independence? Yours Truly Ideologically cannot but raise this pertinent question, especially at the backdrop of the recent oil and gas conference last month, where some Namibian ministers delivered what they presented. But their deliveries at the said conference, more than charting the way forward, in terms of the country’s let alone the…

30 Aug

Set aside by sjambok: labour law onviolence and harassment in the workplace

ObserverOpinionsSet aside by sjambok: labour law onviolence and harassment in the workplace

Fedden Mainga In my preceding opinion piece (volume 27), I addressed the constitutional violations of the practical joke involving some employees at Rundu service station who were beaten for loans. In the employment context, this ‘joke’ brought to the fore some worrisome realities of the state of labour laws because the Labour Act 11 of 2007 only provides for sexual harassment. Even though the Ministry of Labour is reportedly busy with amendments that will include violence and harassment in the workplace, the current Labour Act does not provide for incidents like the one in question. According to Ohms Kayama, an…

29 Aug

Mining Industry Has Potential to Drive Namibia’s Economic Fortunes

ObserverOpinionsMining Industry Has Potential to Drive Namibia’s Economic Fortunes

Josef Kefas Sheehama The mining sector of Namibia remains a key driver of sustainable economic development. Indeed, this sector contributes a lot to exports as well as having crucial inter-linkages with other sectors of the economy. The mining sector is critical for carrying out mineral exploration, extraction, processing, and marketing because Namibia lacks enough capital and technological resources to finance such capital-intensive large-scale. It is noteworthy that in 2023, the sector contributed about 12% of GDP. Namibia’s mining sector recorded a year of strong growth of 21.6% in 2022 compared to 11% in 2021, on the back of good performance…

28 Aug

BRICS: New Dynamics and Global Governance Reform

ObserverOpinions

Patience Masua The landscape of global governance is undergoing a seismic shift as the BRICS bloc welcomes six new members: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This expansion underscores the BRICS’ commitment to reshaping the international order, challenging Western dominance, and reforming global institutions. As these new entrants join the ranks of emerging economies, a comprehensive analysis is crucial to unveiling the potential implications of this transformation and how it aligns with the BRICS’ reformative ambitions, particularly in fortifying the voice of multilateralism. At its core, BRICS was conceived as a platform to champion…

25 Aug

Indigenous’ initiative to indigenise must Fully, purposefully applauded, supported

ObserverOpinionsIndigenous’ initiative to indigenise must Fully, purposefully applauded, supported

YOURS Truly Ideologically in last week’s column raised the pertinent question as to what extent regions like Omaheke and Otjozondjupa, hailed and praised for being cattle rearing regions, if not meat producing ones, actually in any way meaningfully benefit from cattle rearing (husbandry)? Lest this columnist is misconstrued and misinterpreted if not altogether misunderstood and not understood at all, reference here is not with regard to both regions generally but specifically to the rural areas of these two regions, and many others who may be in the same boat. Like Erongo and Kunene, some parts thereof of which are known…