Author: Edgar Brandt (Edgar Brandt )

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Chinese auto giant BYD to integrate DeepSeek
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Chinese auto giant BYD to integrate DeepSeek

BEIJING – Shares in Chinese automaker BYD jumped this week after it unveiled plans to unroll advanced self-driving technology on nearly all its cars, including budget models priced below US$10 000.  The company said it would integrate AI startup Deepseek’s software into its cars, following domestic peers such as Geely, Great Wall Motors and Leapmotor....

Namibia maintains corruption ranking …as Sub-Saharan Africa scores worst out of all global regions
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Namibia maintains corruption ranking …as Sub-Saharan Africa scores worst out of all global regions

Namibia has for the fourth consecutive year maintained a score of 49 out of 100 on the Transparency International’s (TI’s) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).  This index is the leading global indicator of public sector corruption, providing an annual comparative snapshot of 180 countries and territories.  The consistent score for Namibia has kept the country at...

JAC owners embark on first-ever fun drive 
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JAC owners embark on first-ever fun drive 

JAC Owners Namibia this past weekend held the first-ever JAC fun drive.  Karl-Heinz Eisenberg, sales manager at JAC Motors Namibia, told Woema that the intention is to embark on the initiative annually.  “This will be the first of many gatherings. It was quite a successful event, filled with passion. It is always fun when you...

Labour market risks drive social instability – FNB  …informal employment more viable for youth
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Labour market risks drive social instability – FNB  …informal employment more viable for youth

Without targeted interventions to stimulate job creation, address regional disparities and better align skills with market demands, Namibia’s labour market risks becoming a driver of social instability and economic stagnation.  This is according to FNB’s analysis of the 2023 Labour Force Survey, where the bank states that the findings paint a sobering picture of Namibia’s...

NamWater aims to optimise retail supply process 
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NamWater aims to optimise retail supply process 

Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) last month commenced with the Okashandja–Olweege pilot project, which is scheduled to run for six months until June this year. The objectives of the pilot programme are in line with upgrading Namibia’s water delivery infrastructure, and include smart metering technology,  automated billing systems, infrastructure upgrades and digital payment platforms.  Specifically, the...

Consumers brace for fuel increase 
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Consumers brace for fuel increase 

Commuters and consumers have to brace themselves when the petrol price increases by 42 cents per litre, and diesel goes up by N$1.20 per litre on Wednesday.  These significant increases are sure to set in motion a domino effect that will impact prices of most items, from transport fares to bread.  The mines and energy...

Nuclear option still eludes domestic electricity mix …as Mbumba calls for investment in uranium beneficiation
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Nuclear option still eludes domestic electricity mix …as Mbumba calls for investment in uranium beneficiation

Despite consistently being one of the world’s top producers of uranium, Namibia still suffers from a severe power deficit by depending mainly on hydropower and purchasing electricity from neighbouring countries that are themselves facing severe shortages. This strategy has worked thus far but is clearly unsustainable and evidently overlooks the massive potential of uranium as...

Daures village harvests on local shelves
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Daures village harvests on local shelves

While much-anticipated clean energy is yet to be produced at the Daures Green Hydrogen Village, the project has started harvesting its first cucumbers and is on track to produce more vegetables throughout the rest of the year.  In fact, vegetable production is an integral aspect of the ambitious project on the fringes of the desolate...