- Ruling party bleeds rural and urban votes
Namibia’s ruling Swapo party has lost control of its political power at more than 19 constituencies countrywide.
These results have displaced the party as a major power player at key economic hubs such as Walvis Bay, Windhoek, Swakopmund, the Zambezi region and the south of Namibia.
Swapo has enjoyed absolute control over regional councils and various local authorities since 1992.
- Progressive forces will take charge of Windhoek – Amupanda
Affirmative Repositioning leader Job Amupanda, whose ambition is to become city mayor, has promised residents of Windhoek that the youth movement, together “with the progressive forces”, will now run the council in a way that benefits the “dejected masses”.
This follows confirmation earlier today that Swapo has lost control of the Windhoek municipality, after voters only handed the ruling party five seats out of 15 on the council.
- NAMIBIA Airports Company chief executive officer
BiseyUirab has taken over the presidency of the Namibian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI). Uirab takes over from Ohlthaver& List group executive chairman Sven Thieme, whose term has ended.
The new president will be seconded by Ian Collard as first vice president and Patty Karuaihe-Martin as second vice president.
Uirab and the rest of the NCCI board were selected at the chamber’s annual general meeting today.
The new president will be seconded by Ian Collard as first vice president and Patty Karuaihe-Martin as second vice president.
Uirab and the rest of the NCCI board were selected at the chamber’s annual general meeting today.
Uirab, Collard and Karuaihe-Martin will be supported by a board of directors with representation from the NCCI’s national corporate, corporate, branch and SME membership categories.
As the NCCI’s immediate past president, Thieme serves as an ex officio board member, as does the chamber’s chief executive officer, Charity Mwiya.
- Airports company gets licence
The Namibia Airports Company (NAC) last week received an interim airport operating licence for all eight airports.
This comes after the company a week earlier, submitted licence applications to the Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Hosea Kutako International Airport and Walvis Bay International Airport are issued interim aerodrome certificates valid for 18 months until 5 May 2022.
Meanwhile, the AndimaToivoyaToivo Airport at Ondangwa was issued an interim aerodrome licence valid for 18 months until 5 May 2022.
The previously unlicensed aerodromes Eros, and the four regional airports of Rundu, KatimaMulilo, Lüderitz and Keetmanshoop Airports have been issued with interim aerodrome licences valid for a period of 24 months until 5 November 2022.
- Nam’s seafood waste heavily underutilised
WASTE TO WEALTH … Waste could lead to wealth. Namibia’s seafood-processing plants produce a huge amount of waste, mainly consisting of fish heads. Researchers say waste can be converted into animal feed, soil fertiliser components and even biogas.
Namibian seafood processing – offshore and onshore in 2018 generated approximately 71 000 tonnes of waste, mainly made up of fish heads. Is it all waste, or is there an opportunity here?
A recent study – ‘Assessment and quantification of Namibian seafood waste production’ conducted by PhD students, employed at the National Marine Information and Research Centre (NatMIRC), confirmed this.
The students – Victoria Erasmus, TimoteusKadhila, Ndakalimwe Gabriel, Krista Thyberg, SemIlungu, and Tiago Machado – found that improved use of seafood waste could help meet the global demand for seafood, while avoiding the negative impact of seafood harvesting and production.
- Half billion dollar Covid-19 SMEs loan facility unveiled
The government has unveiled a Covid-19 small and medium enterprises scheme from which SMES with an annual turnover of N$10 million or less can borrow to sustain themselves at a fixed prime rate of 7,5%.
They can apply for these facilities, provided they can verify the impact of Covid-19 on their operations, are registered taxpayers, and are historically not on bad terms with their banks.
The minister of finance, IipumbuShiimi, announced the scheme last week Friday.
The scheme saw the Ministry of Finance, Bank of Namibia (BoN) and commercial banks come together again, as Shiimi tries to revive the economy.
- Olushandja farmers plead with Govt to penetrate local market
Small – scale horticultural farmers at Olushandja in Omusati region say they are tired of seeing their produce going to waste and appeal to the government to strictly implement local procurement directives.
Additionally, they are pleading with the government to help them get their horticultural products into the local formal markets.
The farmers say they have nowhere to take their produce, hence, they want a procurement process that empowers all the farmers countrywide to allow them to penetrate government agencies to boost their production capacity.
The Agro Marketing and Trade Agency (Amta) usually sources most produce from these farmers, however, they want supermarkets to buy directly from them, as most of the produce is left to rot in the warehouses at the agency due to limited uptake.
- Ongha adds value to fish
The village of Ongha in the Ohangwena adds value to the fishing industry, thanks to an entrepreneur with a background in the sector.
Anastasia Helao, after 20 years of experience in the fishing industry, called it a day.
She has worked as a production and quality-assurance manager, and has some human-resource and labour-relations experience.
Helao launched a human-resources consultancy, Cavimisana Group Investment CC, as well as a food-safety consulting and training business, called Bright Quality Solutions CC, in 2015.
Additionally, she opened Ongha Fish Shop at Ongha in 2017.
The shop aims to bring fish closer to the people, and to transfer skills and create employment.
- Local tourism expo next week
Local tourism is gaining some momentum, and all hands are on deck to save the industry. To this end, a ‘Local Tourism Is Lekker’ initiative has been initiated, and will run next week.
The initiative is the first of its kind, and will be an expo and netwuorking event, slated for 1 to 3 December at Droombos and Vineyard Country Lodge near Windhoek.
Local Tourism Is Lekker was founded in March this year by tourism operators Yvonne von Holtz (of Magic Destinations) and NrupeshSoni (of Facilit8 Namibia), who were later joined by Joseph Kafunda (of Rafiki Tours and chairperson of the Emerging Tourism Enterprises Association) and HeikoDörgeloh (of About Africa Tours).
The intention was to provide a central hub for tourism operators to showcase what they offer and for Namibians and Southern African Development Community (SADC) citizens to access this, giving them the opportunity to explore and experience Namibia.
- Govt is committed to financial reforms – prime minister
The government is accelerating financial sector reforms to ensure that the country has an optimal framework, says prime minister SaaraKuugongelwa-Amadhila.
These ongoing reforms, which include amendments and the modernisation of the financial sector legislative framework, are meant to enable the financial sector to play its part in supporting increased economic activity.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila made these remarks yesterday at Old Mutual Namibia’s centenary celebrations in Windhoek.
“Financial institutions are key facilitators for economic growth and development through their intermediation role,” she said.
She noted that, in line with the reforms, the government will soon gazette important bills that parliament has already passed.