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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
As a young learner at Munzii Combined School in Ikaba, I was taught about World War I and World War II as if they were distant legends, dramatic stories of empires, trenches, bombs and broken alliances. By then, they felt remote, detached from our calm Southern African reality. I memorised the facts for examinations, but...
I have lived and worked in Addis Ababa for almost one year now. One evening, I left work and walked home along my usual route but suddenly could not find my apartment. I thought I had taken a wrong turn, but I had not. The landmark I used to navigate was rebuilt and moved across...
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...
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...
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...