Opinions

Home Opinions
Opinion –  Learners need early childhood education, formative assessment 
Post

Opinion –  Learners need early childhood education, formative assessment 

The release of Namibia’s 2025 provisional NSSCO and NSSCAS examination results has reignited debate about the state of education.  According to the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Art and Culture, 36% of full-time NSSCO candidates qualified for progression, up from 29% in 2024.  While this improvement is encouraging, most learners remain unable to advance....

Opinion –  Born free, but not yet fully free
Post

Opinion –  Born free, but not yet fully free

Every year on Namibia’s Independence Day, the country reflects on the historic moment of 21 March 1990 when Namibia became a sovereign nation. For the generation that fought for liberation, independence symbolised the end of colonial rule and the beginning of self-determination. More than three decades later, a new generation stands at the centre of...

Opinion –  Land allocation is not development
Post

Opinion –  Land allocation is not development

When I first began working in a village council, I carried with me many of the ideas we are taught in planning and development classrooms. One of the strongest among them is the belief that providing people with access to land is a key driver of development. But working on the ground quickly teaches you...

Opinion –  Key takeaways:  Chinese FM Wang Yi on China-Africa relationship, Middle East and multipolarity
Post

Opinion –  Key takeaways:  Chinese FM Wang Yi on China-Africa relationship, Middle East and multipolarity

The new developments in China-Africa friendship and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, as well as China’s commitment to multilateralism and cooperation and a “big year” for engagement with the United States featured prominently as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi took questions from the press in Beijing on Sunday on the sidelines of the...

Opinion –  China’s zero-tariff policy for Africa: A new catalyst for shared prosperity
Post

Opinion –  China’s zero-tariff policy for Africa: A new catalyst for shared prosperity

In an era marked by intensifying global competition, rising inflation, and geopolitical realignments, China’s recent announcement to grant zero‑tariff access to imports from 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic ties beginning May 1, 2026 is a landmark policy with far‑reaching implications — not only for China‑Africa economic relations, but for the broader architecture...

Opinion – Standard Bank backs women for economic resilience 
Post

Opinion – Standard Bank backs women for economic resilience 

Across the world, women are reshaping economies. According to global entrepreneurship data, women started almost half of all new businesses in 2024, marking a 69% rise since 2019. Sub-Saharan Africa now holds the highest female entrepreneurial activity rate globally at 26%, according to the Harvard University Centre for African Studies. This surge reflects extraordinary ambition,...

Opinion – Reject personal attacks, focus on nation-building
Post

Opinion – Reject personal attacks, focus on nation-building

In recent weeks, the tone and direction of debate within the Parliament of Namibia have shifted from the substantive to the superficial, raising profound concerns among the citizens who look to this institution for leadership.  Parliament is intended to be the ultimate arena of democratic engagement, a space where our nation’s representatives confront the most...

Uncommon sense – Your health is your wealth
Post

Uncommon sense – Your health is your wealth

At the pace the world is going, it is easier to forget about the basics. With the corporate world’s view of humans as nothing more than resources to be exploited, the inversion of the natural order becomes reality.  Of course, medicine and doctors are a crucial and essential part of our lives. However, they are...

Opinion – Unfinished business: Namibia’s land, national reconciliation
Post

Opinion – Unfinished business: Namibia’s land, national reconciliation

A nation that confronts its most sensitive questions with honesty and courage is often a nation that ultimately triumphs, no matter how long the journey may take.  History repeatedly shows that countries do not collapse because they discuss difficult issues; rather, they weaken when they avoid them. Silence around sensitive national matters may create temporary...

Opinion – Forged in fire: Building Namibia through TVET
Post

Opinion – Forged in fire: Building Namibia through TVET

In many Namibian homes, a cooking pot rests steadily on three stones over an open fire.  Equally familiar is the potjie pot, a traditional three-legged, cast-iron cauldron used for slow-cooking meals over hot coals. If one stone is missing or unstable, the pot tilts and the meal fails. If the pot itself is weak, it...