Tag: Business

The Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Port of Antwerp Bruges (POABI) and Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Centre (APEC), collectively referred to as POABI/APEC.

The MoU aims to accord the parties the opportunity to explore the potential for a broad scope of collaboration and to further discover and discuss the possibilities of long-term cooperation.

A press statement issued by Namport on Friday indicated that both parties will cooperate on various strategic issues and recognise the potential of hydrogen production in Namibia and export from Namibia, highlighted by the MoU signed between the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Federal Ministry of Energy of the Kingdom of Belgium, signed at Glasgow in 2021.

“The agreement compels both parties to promote the development and improvement of port-driven green energy solutions, global waterborne transport infrastructure and enhancement of economic, environmental and social benefits and to be proactive in dealing with the impact of climate change.

The MoU further encourages all parties to advertise the various services that each can offer by informing maritime companies of the advantages of making use of the respective ports, including its service quality and the handling of shipping lines,” the statement said.

It further noted that the working relationship speaks directly to the quest of the Namibian government in promoting the country as a potential producer and exporter of green hydrogen to European countries and beyond.

In November 2021, Namport also entered into a collaborative working relationship with the Port of Rotterdam by signing an MoU which would position both ports in becoming green hydrogen export hubs and to facilitate the forecasted growth and flow of the green hydrogen supply chain from Namibia to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The MoU between Namport and POABI/APEC is valid for five years and can thereafter be renewed if both ports wish to do so.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Luanda – Experts of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) arrived Wednesday in Angola as part of the mutual assessment that Angola has been undergoing since October 2021.

Angop learnt that part of the group of experts are expected Thursday in Luanda, bringing the total number to 15 specialists, coming from the US, Portugal, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia and Ethiopia.

The delegation also includes experts from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya.

The mutual assessment “in loco ” of the Angolan financial system will be held from June 27 to July 15, after the “draft” with 500 pages of responses about the country’s financial system was sent to ESSAMLG.

The assessment, for the next few days, will be based on meetings with representatives of the sectors and various institutions, including the financial system’s supervisory and regulatory bodies, as well as the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF).

These are the National Bank of Angola (BNA), the Capital Markets Commission (CMC), the Angolan Insurance Regulation and Supervision Agency (ARSEG), the General Tax Administration (AGT), the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) and the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), among other entities that are supervised by these institutions.

The results of those evaluated will be released in the first quarter of 2023 at a plenary session to be held in Arusha, Tanzania.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa, said it is the objective of the Namibian government to continue striving toward the rehabilitation of major road links, in order to attract meaningful investment.

Mutorwa made the statement during the ground-breaking ceremony for phase three of the rehabilitation of the Trans- Zambezi Highway in the Kavango East Region on Wednesday.

“The Namibian government is committed to providing quality standard roads countrywide. This will ensure the safety of road users and promote trade and investment activities,” the minister said.

The ground-breaking ceremony, he said, is thus a clear practical testimony to the above-mentioned commitment by the government.

The third phase of the Trans-Zambezi Highway, covering 78 kilometres, is fully funded by the government, through the Road Fund Administration (RFA) to the tune of N.dollars 194 million.

The RFA, he noted, generates the funds used to rehabilitate the highways or construct other roads from the road users.

Phase one and two of the Trans-Zambezi Highway, covering 23 kilometres, were completed by the Roads Authority.

The Trans-Zambezi Highway is an important trade route that links the country to Zambia, Botswana, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others.

Meanwhile, the Governor of the Kavango East Region, Bonny Wakudumo, called for local inclusion or participation through employment and sub-contracts.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Namibia and South Africa will next week host the third session of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) to review cooperation in a wide range of areas.

These will include diplomatic, legal, economic, social, and defence and security issues, Executive Director in the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, Ambassador Penda Naanda, said in a media statement on Wednesday .

The two countries are also expected to consider and sign new bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding at the session set for 28 June until 01 July 2022.

“Since the transformation of the Heads of State Economic Forum into the BNC in November 2012, the BNC, co-chaired by the presidents of Namibia and South Africa, has provided an impetus to further enhance bilateral cooperation, as well as a platform to exchange views on issues of mutual interest and concern at the regional and multilateral fora,” Naanda noted.

He further said the ministerial session will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and co-chaired by Dr Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation in South Africa.

The Namibia-South Africa Bi-National Commission will commence with a senior officials session co-chaired by Ambassador Naanda, and Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation South Africa, Zane Dangor.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Erongo Governor Neville Andre Itope has urged the Walvis Bay Municipality to fast-track the process of recruiting a chief executive officer (CEO) who will steer the municipality’s affairs in the right direction.

The governor made the remarks at the launch of the municipality’s strategic plan for the period June 2021 to June 2026 at Walvis Bay on Monday.

The municipality has been without a CEO since November last year, when a decision was taken by the council not to renew the former CEO Muronga Haingura’s contract.

“You need to ensure that you have a substantive CEO because you need to have someone to help sieve out what you need to implement out of your newly launched strategic plan.

It is also important to note that not only should you fast-track the process, but also ensure that you have got the right person for this job,” he advised.

The governor further urged all council employees to work together to ensure that services are delivered to the residents of the harbour town in a timely and quality manner.

Walvis Bay Mayor Trevino Forbes emphasised that the new strategic plan will allow the municipality to be proactive rather than reactive, especially when it comes to service delivery to its residents.

“It will also give the municipality a sense of direction. There is nothing worse than being in a ship and steering it into no man’s land without a plan as to how you will get there. The plan will increase the operational efficiency of the municipality,” he noted.

The strategic plan, which took close to a year to complete, was done in-house, a process which saved the council a significant amount of money, according to the mayor.

Deputy Mayor Saara Mutondoka, speaking at the same event, said: “Even though we celebrate the launch of this plan, success is not automatic, it is only the execution of the outcomes which will determine whether we are moving forward.”

Management and the entire council staff is therefore implored to commit to steering this ship forward as poor performance will not go unnoticed, she said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The World Food Programme (WFP) and Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop tech-enabled solutions for food security, rural transformation and human capital development in Namibia.

The agreement is aimed at providing digital solutions for smallholder farmers, internship and capacity building for youth and women and provide mobile financial services to the farmers, among others.

In his remarks, MTC Managing Director Licky Erastus stated that the cooperation agreement will be a vehicle to initiate and scale long-term engagements to support the Namibian public sector by facilitating the provision of digital solutions, and innovation in view of supporting WFP’s ethos of ending hunger and mitigating climate change and socio-economic challenges.

“MTC is committed to being a digital enabler of change and committed to driving an inclusive Namibian digital economy,” Erastus said.

He noted that given the digital opportunities presented by the fourth Industrial Revolution, it is imperative to bridge the digital divide by formulating smart strategic partnerships that will drive inclusivity and sustainability through rural transformation.

On her part Ericah Shafudah, World Food Programme Namibia Deputy Country Director, said partners such as MTC play a substantial role as good corporate companies, by injecting funds and resources into the economy to tackle socio-economic issues, create livelihoods that generate economic return for those most in need, so they can afford the basic necessities to live a dignified life.

“Technology and digital transformation have become synonymous with our work and indeed the world we live in,” she said.

As a result, she added, WFP is constantly exploring ways to leverage technology to accelerate the drive towards food security.

Shafudah further stated that many of the challenges experienced by smallholder farmers such as access to markets, monitoring and evaluation and supply chain can be addressed efficiently and sustainably through technology.

The agreement is set to amplify MTC’s commitment to the World Food Programme and will focus on digital transformation and innovation over a period of five years.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Anti-Corruption Commission has on Friday apprehended an official of Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA) in Katima Mulilo for alleged corrupt practices when he allegedly embezzled the agency’s money for self-gratification.

According to the ACC in a media statement issued on Friday, the arrest comes after it received a tip-off from a whistleblower against the 49-year-old male suspect, who allegedly sells maize grains from AMTA silos to individual persons but issues them with private bank details to deposit money into.

“Furthermore, it is alleged that 80 tons of maize grain from AMTA silos at the same town was sold to a miller, whose name could not be revealed, at N. dollars 280 000, however the invoice contained a private account, to which the money was deposited.

The owner of the account under which the money was paid is also being investigated,” the ACC noted.

The suspect is expected to make his first appearance in the Katima Mulilo Magistrate’s court on Monday

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, has commended the Shackdwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) for being consistent in constructing and availing houses across the country.

Uutoni noted that the federation ranks number one countrywide in availing houses and has to date enabled the construction of thousands of houses to low-to-middle income earners.

He made these remarks at the handover of 32 houses constructed through the SDFN at Swakopmund on Friday.

“The Shack Dwellers Federation’s solution to housing is unique and worth supporting in that it is a case of the community itself taking action to address its own developmental needs. This is a clear testimony of sustainable and people-centered development, and the ministry pledges our continued support.

We believe in and will continue to support the work of community-based organisations such as the SDFN, who have demonstrated their commitment and ability to contribute to the national drive towards providing affordable housing and proper sanitation to our people, especially those in the ultra-low and low-income categories,” Uutoni said.

He further advocated for all stakeholders to hold hands and work together toward the common good for all, adding that Government will never be enough to address all of society’s needs and encouraged other corporates to join the initiative to deliver on the promise of decent housing.

The minister urged local leadership to always avail land to low-to-middle income earners, which will not only help to expand the town in size, but will also increase the council’s revenue base in the future.

Thomas Shipili, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, expressed appreciation to the government for always assisting the SDFN with funds, the sponsors, as well as council for always approving the federation’s application for land.

“We are grateful for the existence of this federation because if it was not for it, most of us would not have the chance at acquiring decent housing for our families,” Shipili noted.

The one-bedroom houses are worth N. dollars 50 000 each, which will be payable in 11 years at an interest rate of 5 per cent per annum.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Bank of Namibia (BoN) on Wednesday announced an increase of the repo rate by 50 basis points from 4.25 to 4.75 basis points.

Announcing the increase BoN Governor Johannes !Gawaxab said the decision was taken in consideration of the elevated global and domestic inflationary pressures, the fragile economic recovery and the need to safeguard the one-to-one link between the Namibian Dollar and the South African Rand while meeting the country’s financial obligations.

“This monetary policy stance is necessary to narrow the current negative real policy interest rate that is conducive to long-term economic growth. The policy direction is consistent with developments elsewhere in the world and in the region, where policymakers are acting to prevent the current acceleration in inflation from becoming a continuous inflation spiral,” he said.

!Gawaxab added that the BoN will continue to monitor global developments and their potential effects on the domestic economy.

He explained that Namibia could not afford to keep the repo rate at 4.25 basis points after South Africa (SA) had raised its repo rate in May to 4.75 basis points, a situation that would have seen investors ditching Namibia to invest in SA because of better returns.

He further explained that since April 2022 when the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) last met, commodity prices have continued to increase on an annual basis.

Inflation pressure, the war in Russia and Ukraine, Covid-19 lockdowns in China, and the performance of global equity markets globally were some of the main contributing factors to the repo rate hike.

His announcement did not come as a surprise as local economists had predicted the increase, noting that Namibia could not afford to leave the repo rate unchanged.

The MPC of BoN met on 13 and 14 of June and decided to hike the repo rate from 4.25 to 4.75 basis points.

The next MPC meeting is scheduled for 15 and 16 August 2022.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Land Reform Ministry says no additional piece of legislation is needed to address land-related matters in Namibia, as the current draft Land Bill holistically covers the issues.

This position was ventilated by land reform officials at a public hearing session in the capital on Tuesday.

The technocrats were responding to a petition brought by the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources.

According to them, the draft Land Bill will head to the National Assembly in September.

It aims to consolidate the Agricultural Land Reform Act, Communal Land Act and resolutions from the second land conference.

In 2019, AR tabled its ‘Land Indigenisation Bill’, proposing barring foreign nationals from owning and regulating land ownership in Namibia.

“Government is currently ceased with finalising the Land Bill,” said Penda Ithindi, the deputy executive in the land and agriculture ministry.

He hastened to say that any law on land reform must be in line with the supreme law of the land.

Delving deeper was the director responsible for land reform in the ministry, Petrus Nangolo who stressed that the ministry is not in support of separate legislation (AR bill).

The ministry largely agrees with AR’s proposals on regulating foreign land ownership, but has reservations.

For instance, AR does not want any foreign national to utilise communal land for any purpose.

“As far as communal land is concerned; such land shall not be owned by any foreigner. Any allocation of communal land to a foreign national before this act shall be deemed to have been an illegal transaction and shall be repudiated,” Maitjituavi Kavetu, AR’s legal head cited earlier this year.

The ministry opposes this.

“The ministry supports the use of communal land by foreign nationals,” Nangolo said, noting that not all communal land is currently being used productively.

According to Nangolo, Namibians must partner with foreign nationals to address food security.

“We cannot do everything by ourselves,” he said. But the use of communal land must be strictly regulated, monitored and strictly be on a lease basis.

Among its submission, AR says it has no problem with foreign nationals utilising the land for developmental purposes.

As for those foreigners already owning urban land, AR proposed that such land not be transferred or sold to other foreigners.

“Urban land does not fall under our mandate. I suggest this committee approaches the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development,” Nangolo said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Natalia /Goagoses, has lashed out against regional and local authority councils for what she described continuous maladministration fuelled by political and individual aspirations and interests.

This, she said, has resulted in the public having lost trust and faith in local authority councils uplifting their livelihoods, through sustainable community development.

/Goagoses was speaking at an information sharing session on the appointment and suspensions of chief regional officers (CROs) and chief executive officers (CEOs) of local authorities’ councils here Monday, saying local authorities are administered on corruption, nepotism, tribalism and racism which hinders the duty and responsibility that ensures efficient service delivery to respective communities.

“The public is complaining to the minister about their applications to acquire land that have been sitting with local authorities for seven years. These applications do not even see the light at the table of the council because administrators are sitting on these applications with no audacity to give the applications for consideration because they have got their own interest,” she said.

The minister further stressed that regional and local authorities are coupled with unprofessional work conduct, noting that the current prevailing and reported cases of stalled, delayed and unprocedural appointments, suspensions and ending of contracts of CROs and CEOs are problematic to the core mandate of addressing the aspirations of the citizenry.

She equally fumed that most local authorities have poor financial management reports annually, lack of teamwork and infights between politicians and administrators and unclear distinctions and upholding of roles or aspirations of individuals over the needs of the public and administrators colluding with councillors acting as politicians.

Employment issues pertaining to the accounting officers of subnational governments should be done with relevant legislation such the Regional Council Authority Act of 1992 and Local Authority Act of 1992, she said.

“The ministry scored 20 per cent in the performance index report due to this maladministration of local authorities. We have to do better as people who took oath to provide efficient and quality service to the electorates. Regional and local government is a critical level of governance of Namibia which is closest to the citizenry and whose actions have an immediate impact, negative or positive on the lives of our people,” she said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The European Union (EU) has donated information technology (IT) equipment worth N.dollars 4.5 million to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform aimed at assisting livestock farmers in northern communal areas of Namibia.

Speaking at the handover ceremony here yesterday, EU Ambassador to Namibia Sinikka Antila said the equipment donated is geared to support the ministry in implementing and strengthening of livestock identification and traceability systems that will generate a commodity-based trade (CBT) approach and foster coordination to control and eradicate transboundary animal diseases.

“More than 70 per cent of the Namibian population depends directly or indirectly on livestock and rangeland resources for their economic wellbeing and food security, however this is affected by rainfall, poor agronomist conditions, inadequate animal husbandry practices and significant market restrictions due to the presence of foot and mouth diseases, hence this called for concerted effort in order to improve the performance of the livestock sector in northern areas,” she noted.

Antila further indicated that since 2017 the EU signed a financing agreement valued at N.dollars 20 million with the agriculture ministry to implement the 11th European Development Fund (EDF11) to support the livestock sector in northern areas covering the Zambezi, Kavango East, Kavango West, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Oshana, Omusati and Kunene regions.

At the same event, the ministry’s Acting Executive Director, Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata said the Livestock Support Programme aims to promote entrepreneurship and enhance the livelihood farming communities in a sustainable way in the northern areas, stressing that the agriculture sector remains central to the lives of the majority of Namibians.

“The programme was developed as one of the value chains of the ministry to address the beef value chain in northern areas as the Namibian livestock production in communal areas is faced with numerous challenges such as limited market access and animal health disease outbreak among others,” he noted.

The equipment includes 95 laptops, 80 computers, 30 network printers, four heavy duty printers, eight projectors, 20 external hard drives and 20 USBs.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Derek Klazen, launched Namibia’s first National Plan of Action for Small Scale Fisheries (NPOA-SSF) for the period 2022-2026 in Swakopmund on Thursday.

The NPOA-SSF is aimed at recognising the important role the small scale fisheries sector plays in socio-economic growth and economic transformation.

According to the minister, NPOA-SSF strategies support small scale fisheries development and build resilience for small scale fishers, the majority of whom happen to be previously disadvantaged riparian and coastal communities, to secure their livelihoods.

The plan advocates inclusivity, promotes social equity and provides empowerment opportunities for small scale fishers, by advocating for equitable fisheries resource distribution, Klazen said.

“The NPOA-SSF demonstrates the government’s commitment to promote inclusion, secure the livelihoods of SSF, and safeguard the rights of riparian and coastal communities as established in Harambee Prosperity Plan II, the Blue Economy Policy, and other instruments such as SDG 14b, ‘Life below water’,” Klazen noted.

The minister emphasised the importance of small scale fisheries on the food and nutrition security pillar and called upon strategic partners, the private sector and key stakeholders to support the NPOA-SSF’s strategic, social, environmental and economic development intent to realise the human dimensions in fisheries management.

“By so doing, Namibia can ensure that the human rights of small scale fishers remain central to the sector’s development, while maintaining sustainable resource management and utilisation practices.”

He added that the launch of the NPOA-SSF is timely since it coincides with the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022) which celebrates the contribution of small scale fisher-women, men and fishing communities to socio-economic development across the world.

SFF supports over 280 000 livelihoods countrywide, with approximately 45 000 fishers and traders employed through inland and 1 500 at coastal SFF.

SFF inland and coastal produce a combined 10 000 metric tonnes of fish annually at an estimated N.dollars 257 million.

Food and Agriculture Organisation representative to Namibia, Farayi Zimudzi expressed that research and development and investments should be intensified to support the sector’s growth and to increase its contribution to the betterment of rural communities’ livelihood as well as contribution to the country’s GDP at large.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Government through the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) on Wednesday announced plans to establish a universal internet connectivity access fund targeting rural schools and clinics in the country.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus announced the plan at the world telecommunication development conference underway in Kigali in Rwanda.

Theofelus in a media statement on Wednesday further said that government would first establish this universal access fund for internet connectivity before its services are rolled out to secondary schools and clinics in under-served and unserved areas.

She said through the fund, Namibia will make sure the upgrading of 122 communication towers to a 4G level takes place.

“Government will also build an additional 36 other internet communication towers in rural areas,” she said.

The universal internet communication fund will also pay for the 4G routers with uncapped data to secondary and vocational schools as well as to clinics in areas with insufficient coverage, she added.

Theofelus stated at the conference that Namibia also intends to establish a national cyber and security incidence response team that would support operations of cyber resilience of the country.

“The cyber security team will serve as the focal point for coordination of responses to cyber incidents as well as to the primary contact point that liaises with the national sectoral cyber security systems at regional and international levels,” she said.

Theofelus further applauded Namibia on its significant strides made in providing quality communication services to its people since the introduction of the mobile services in 1995.

She said so far ICT has impacted lives of many in providing voice and data connectivity, enabling the delivery of financial service applications and e-government services like online tax submissions and tollfree help lines during the COVID-19 pandemic campaigns.

The telecommunication industry in Namibia continues to provide the 2G and 3G mobile services to about 95 per cent of the population, while the 4G coverage is at 79 per cent, she said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) was named Namibia’s Most Admired Brand for the third year in a row at the Brand Africa award ceremony held recently in the capital.

MTC was also named Most Admired Telecommunications Brand.

Licky Erastus, Managing Director of MTC, told Nampa on Tuesday the company’s stance as leader of the “Namibian household name, MTC” has always been to humanise the brand so that it is relatable.

“We have accomplished this by being customer-centric, developing products and solutions that speak to people’s needs, and having a corporate social investment drive that attends to and provides solutions to several societal issues that affect our people,” he said.

He went on to say that as a truly Namibian brand for and by the people, MTC is humbled by the recognition, and that its gratitude goes to all MTC ambassadors and the entire 081Nation at large for making MTC the most relevant brand for the past 27 years, and today the Most Admired Namibian Brand for the third year in a row.

“In order to be successful in leadership, one must first build oneself. Following that, it is all about developing and growing others. It is about making a difference in the lives of those who entrust you with leadership. It is more than just a logo in terms of branding. It’s about the people you build and the culture you create, as well as keeping the promises you make to the people,” Erastus said.

MTC Chief Human Capital, Corporate and Marketing Officer, Tim Ekandjo, was also honoured with the Africa Brand Leadership Excellence Award 2022.

This award is given to an individual who demonstrates exceptional leadership qualities and has contributed to the development of a strong brand throughout his or her career.

Brand Africa describes itself as an intergenerational movement founded in 2010 to inspire a brand-led African Renaissance to drive Africa’s competitiveness, connect Africa, and create a positive image of the continent.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency