Lahja Nashuuta The Namibia Industrial Development Agency (Nida) is under mounting scrutiny from communities and lawmakers following revelations of many under-performing and abandoned projects across the country. This has reignited calls for the decentralisation of infrastructure management to local authorities. The state of some of Nida’s industrial parks has deteriorated, while others have turned into...
Rudolf Gaiseb A parliamentary standing committee has recommended an import ban as well as prohibiting the sale, hiring and use of hubbly and vaping products in Namibia. This recommendation is found in the National Council’s Standing Committee on Health, Social Welfare and Labour Affairs’ report released earlier this week. It also proposes prohibiting the sale...
Lahja Nashuuta The removal of former Agriculture, Water and Land Reform minister Mac-Albert Hengari from Parliament has triggered mixed reactions, with several political and legal commentators questioning the legality of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s move. Hengari was fired from Cabinet towards the end of April, following his arrest on allegations of attempted bribery after claims he...
WALVIS BAY – Walvis Bay council management committee has recommended the creation of several new positions to be included in the proposed 2025/2026 budget. The estimated cost for the new positions is N$15 million. However, the positions will be gradually filled. The recommendation was tabled by the chairperson of the management committee, councillor Richard Hoaeb,...
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) has urged Namibians to remain vigilant and take the necessary precautions against wildfires. This follows a fuel load assessment conducted across the country, which found that the fuel load is high and the risk of wildfires is currently imminent. In a media statement issued on Wednesday, the...
Information minister Emma Theofelus announced on Tuesday that the government has committed N$40 million to expand information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in Namibia. The investment aims to support and complement the efforts of existing mobile network operators, reinforcing the country’s digital transformation agenda. Theofelus made the announcement during the Huawei Namibia and Pinnacle gala...
WALVIS BAY – In a swift turn of events this week, Walvis Bay councillor Albertina Nkosi expressed dissatisfaction with mayor Trevino Forbes’ claims that the municipality was under siege from internal saboteurs. Forbes, while addressing an Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) press conference recently, alleged that there was political sabotage at one of the country’s...
Rudolf Gaiseb Namibia has called on developed countries to take the lead in global emission reductions by adhering to the common responsibility of States principle. This is captured in the report of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) and related meetings to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)...
Suzith Tjitaura Minister of Finance, Ericah Shafudah, signed a N$1.5 billion loan agreement on Tuesday with the German government through the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) to fund Namibia’s second Water Sector Programme. The loan carries an interest rate of 10.09% and has a 20-year repayment period, including a five-year grace period. “This interest rate is...
Namibia recently joined the rest of the world to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day. In light of this, the outgoing Media Ombudsman John Nakuta (JN) sat with New Era Journalist Lahja Nashuuta (LN) to reflect on the country’s media landscape, challenges to press freedom and the road ahead. LN: What is the role of...