Opinions – Page 7 – Windhoek Observer

18 Dec

NAMIBIA’S GREEN HYDROGEN DREAM MEETS HARD REALITY

Editorial, Opinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) Namibia’s green hydrogen ambitions were once framed as a historic leap: a small Southern African nation powering Europe’s decarbonisation, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, and positioning itself as a global climate-finance success story. International headlines hailed a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.” Today, the narrative is markedly different. Senior executives have exited the programme. Donor support has thinned. Anchor investors have stepped back. And the export-led hydrogen vision that once sat at the centre of Namibia’s economic and climate strategy is now being quietly recalibrated behind closed doors. This is not a…

17 Dec

When classrooms become crime scenes, policy silence is complicity

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

The resignation of a teacher from Wilhelm Nortier Primary School while in police custody is not just another tragic headline. It is an indictment of a system that continues to react to sexual abuse in schools rather than prevent it. Once again, Namibia is forced to confront an uncomfortable truth: our children are not as safe in our learning institutions as we claim they are. The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture has condemned the alleged sexual assault and promised cooperation with law enforcement. These statements, while necessary, are painfully familiar. We have heard them before, after…

17 Dec

WHEN INEFFICIENCY BECOMES A CULTURE: NAMIBIA’S PUBLIC SECTOR

Featured, Opinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara) Weak accountability in Govt derails development Former finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi said accountability must be elevated to the highest level if the country is to meet its national goals. He added that weak coordination among government institutions has hampered the country's progress in several development areas. Speaking on his tenure as finance minister, as it was reported in one of the daily newspapers, Shiimi admitted that while Namibia has no shortage of well-crafted plans and strategies, implementation continues to fall short due to fragmented coordination. Reflecting on his experience, Shiimi argued…

16 Dec

Zambezi warning bells ring again: Act now or risk repeating a national tragedy

Editorial, Featured, Opinions

Namibia is once again standing at a familiar and deeply uncomfortable crossroads. The renewed calls for Zambezi secession, now resurfacing in Katima Mulilo, should chill every Namibian who remembers the painful lessons of our past. We have been here before. We ignored the warning signs then, dismissed legitimate grievances as fringe agitation, and laughed off the danger until it erupted into a national crisis. To do so again would be reckless in the extreme. Let us be clear from the outset: there is no credible evidence that the majority of Zambezi residents support secession. Analysts are correct in pointing out…

15 Dec

The village has died. Long live the village

Featured, Opinions

Not long ago, a friend and I found ourselves locked in a heated debate about our traditional villages, what many of us still affectionately call “back home". What began as a casual conversation quickly turned into a fundamental disagreement about the future of these places. His position was blunt: our villages are dying and not worth investing in. Mine was equally firm: if villages are dying, then it is precisely our generation, the one with education, mobility, and relative means, that must step in to ensure they do not disappear. That debate forced me to confront a broader national question:…

15 Dec

When unity becomes a performance, the centre no longer holds and the nation falls apart: The selective accountability dilemma

Featured, Opinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara) Namibia is widely praised for its stability, democratic institutions, and robust legal frameworks. Yet beneath this reputation, a troubling pattern has emerged: accountability is increasingly inconsistent, seemingly influenced more by political proximity than principle. From diplomatic postings to internal reshuffles, some officials face swift public censure, while others with comparable controversies are quietly elevated. This uneven application of rules raises concerns that Namibia may be drifting toward selective governance, a phenomenon observable in other African democracies under political strain. Let us unpack these contradictions, trace their origins, and examine what they…

12 Dec

THE 2025 RWANDA–DRC PEACE ACCORD: DIPLOMATIC BREAKTHROUGH OR STRATEGIC EXTRACTION SCHEME?

Opinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) Introduction: A Washington signing, not an African victory In 2025, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) “signed” the so-called Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity. Cameras flashed. Leaders smiled. Headlines screamed “historic”. But the spectacle masked a raw truth: this was not a victory for African people. Peace was the narrative; minerals were the prize. Every handshake, every staged smile, hid the cold arithmetic of power. Inside the room, tension simmered. The principals wore politeness like armour. The mediator’s eyes lingered on the earth beneath their feet,…

12 Dec

YOUNG OBSERVER | #UNMUTED

Featured, Opinions

December often arrives with a unique intensity in Namibia. It brings an air of celebration, a sense of relief, and the familiar anticipation of gathering with loved ones after a demanding year. Yet beneath the lights, the music, and the busyness of the festive season, December also invites a quieter and more meaningful form of reflection. It is the one period in the year when many young people confront the reality of who they have become, what they have survived, and what they hope to build in the year that follows. For many young Namibians, 2025 has been a year…

12 Dec

Are JD chickens coming home to roost?

Opinions

Kae-Matundu-Tjiparuro Yours Truly Ideologically, admittedly struggled to find an appropriate and apt heading for this week’s column. Which is about the International Conference in Algiers, Algeria, from 30 November to 1 December, 2025. At this conference Namibia was represented by International Relations and Cooperation and Trade minister Selma Ashipala-Masavyi. Its outcome is the Algiers Declaration. Notably, the motion for the African Union summit, next February, to resolve that all colonial crimes committed against former African colonies become crimes in international law. Certainly the Algiers Declaration did not fall from heaven, but intense preparatory work must have preceded it. Mentioning, amongst…

11 Dec

A nation at the threshold: Why Namibia’s eighth administration must turn intention into impact

Opinions

PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar) Namibia enters the close of 2025 with a sobering national truth: the age of endless planning has run its course. Citizens across the country, from Epukiro to Lüderitz, from Katutura to Arandis, have grown impatient with strategies that promise more than they deliver. For many, the question is no longer what the government intends to do, but when Namibians will finally feel the results. Against this backdrop, the two-day first cabinet retreat of the eighth Administration, which was held at NIPAM under the theme “Enhancing Policy Coordination, Governance and Service…