As of next week Monday, 19 January 2026, all Schengen visa applications previously handled directly by the German Embassy will be processed exclusively through an external service provider called TLS Contact. This development will see the total Schengen Visa application fee increase by about N$500 because in addition to the visa fee, applicants will now...
Darius van Zyl has taken over the helm as the new Head of private bank & wealth at Standard Bank Namibia, effective 5 January 2026. Van Zyl brings over 15 years of experience spanning in finance, corporate and international tax consulting, strategic leadership, and banking. A registered member of the Namibia Institute of Professional Accountants,...
The OPEC Fund for International Development (the OPEC Fund) recently undertook an official mission to Côte d’Ivoire, led by OPEC Fund president Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, to further strengthen strategic cooperation with the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and advance joint efforts to support sustainable development across Africa. A highlight of the visit was the AfDB–OPEC Fund...
Domestic headline inflation eased to 3.2% year-on-year (y/y) in December 2025, down from 3.4% in November and 3.4% a year earlier. For the entire 2025, Namibian inflation averaged 3.5%, which is the same figure recorded during the 12-month average from January 2024 to December 2025. Commenting on the latest inflation numbers from the Namibia Statistics...
While the Government Institutions Pension Fund’s (GIPF’s) much-anticipated Pension Backed Home Loan Scheme (PBHLS), which commenced yesterday, has generally been welcomed as a noble initiative, it has received mixed reactions from civil servants and has raised pertinent questions about communal lands rights registration. Last year GIPF announced it had committed up to N$900 million to...
Namibia is set to take centre stage in Africa’s upstream oil and gas conversation. The International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) Drilling Africa Conference & Exhibition will take place on 24 and 25 February 2026 at the Hilton Hotel in Windhoek. The high-level conference is expected to attract more than 250 oil and gas professionals...
Namibia took centre stage in the global push for clean energy, as world leaders met in Abu Dhabi to discuss how renewable power can drive shared prosperity and fight climate change. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on Saturday launched the Pre-Assembly Day of its 16th Assembly under the theme “Powering Humanity: Renewable Energy for...
The Emerging Mining Association of Namibia (EMAN) has raised concerns about restrictions on the use of modern equipment for mining in areas categorised as mining claims, noting that such limitations negatively impact operational productivity for small-scale miners. During a meeting last week with the industries, mines and energy ministry, the association underscored the necessity for...
The most recent data for global aviation demand for November 2025 indicates that African airlines were the stand-out performers, with carriers on the continent achieving an 11.2% year-on-year increase in passenger demand. Passenger capacity for African airlines was up 8.5% year-on-year while the load factor was 74.3% (+1.8 ppt compared to November 2024). This is...
The largest reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant in Southern Africa, the Erongo Desalination Plant (EDP), achieved another record production year in 2025 with a total of 17.59 million cubic metres of water produced. Located 35 kilometres north of Swakopmund, near the settlement of Wlotzkasbaken in the Namib Desert, the plant achieved an increase of 14%...