Month: November 2023

The Goethe-Institut and the University of Namibia (UNAM) recently hosted the closing event of the ‘Museum Outreach Programme’ aimed at strengthening civil society and cultural diversity in Namibia through social cohesion, inter-ethnic dialogue, and cultural tolerance.

The project was funded by the European Union with approximately N.dollars 4 million and the Goethe-Institut with approximately N.dollars 1.3 million and jointly implemented by the Goethe-Institut Namibia and the UNAM over 46 months.

EU Ambassador to Namibia Ana-Beatriz Martins told Nampa on Tuesday that important achievements under the project include among others the strengthening of cultural rights particularly of marginalised and indigenous communities.

She pointed out that strengthening community-based museums empowers local communities and indigenous minorities to express their culture, preserve their traditions and provide a sense of belonging and the opportunity to explore their roots.

The ambassador further encouraged Namibians to s
upport and cherish the invaluable community-based and community-run museums.

‘Let us continue to visit, volunteer, and engage with them, ensuring that our rich tapestry of cultures and traditions remains intact and thrives,’ she said.

Dennis Schroeder, director of the Goethe-Institut Namibia, on his part said the initiative focused on three pillars to transform Namibia’s museums and heritage sector, which included transforming community-based museums into interactive spaces, empowering local community-based museums into interactive spaces, empowering local communities and indigenous minorities through conservation training, and professionalizing heritage practitioners.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Goethe-Institut and the University of Namibia (UNAM) recently hosted the closing event of the ‘Museum Outreach Programme’ aimed at strengthening civil society and cultural diversity in Namibia through social cohesion, inter-ethnic dialogue, and cultural tolerance.

The project was funded by the European Union with approximately N.dollars 4 million and the Goethe-Institut with approximately N.dollars 1.3 million and jointly implemented by the Goethe-Institut Namibia and the UNAM over 46 months.

EU Ambassador to Namibia Ana-Beatriz Martins told Nampa on Tuesday that important achievements under the project include among others the strengthening of cultural rights particularly of marginalised and indigenous communities.

She pointed out that strengthening community-based museums empowers local communities and indigenous minorities to express their culture, preserve their traditions and provide a sense of belonging and the opportunity to explore their roots.

The ambassador further encouraged Namibians to s
upport and cherish the invaluable community-based and community-run museums.

‘Let us continue to visit, volunteer, and engage with them, ensuring that our rich tapestry of cultures and traditions remains intact and thrives,’ she said.

Dennis Schroeder, director of the Goethe-Institut Namibia, on his part said the initiative focused on three pillars to transform Namibia’s museums and heritage sector, which included transforming community-based museums into interactive spaces, empowering local community-based museums into interactive spaces, empowering local communities and indigenous minorities through conservation training, and professionalizing heritage practitioners.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Namibia on Tuesday commemorated World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week, a global campaign held between 18 November to 24 November to raise awareness of AMR, as well as preventing the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections.

Windhoek Central Hospital Medical Doctor, Josef Shivute, said a lot needs to be done to ensure that the current misconceptions surrounding the use of antibiotics are put to rest. Shivute was part of a panel at the Government Information Centre, discussing the importance of antimicrobial resistance awareness.

Other panelists included the Pharmacology and Therapeutics Head of Department at the University of Namibia, Mwangana Mubita, Lee-Monique Anderson, a Veterinarian from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry and Maureen Hoes, a registered nurse.

According to Shivute, the biggest misconceptions in Namibia include that antibiotics may treat every infection and that a patient may discontinue antibiotics treatment after feeling better without completing th
e course, and that it is okay to store antibiotics and use them at a later stage.

‘The biggest misconception is that antibiotics affect women’s birth control. There is no evidence supporting this. Antibiotics primarily treat bacterial infections and not flu, for example. Patients should complete the course even after they start feeling better. The treatment has to be maintained to get rid of the microbes. It is problematic for people to store antibiotics in cabinets and use them after getting ill later. The prescribed antibiotics are meant to target specific illnesses,’ Shivute said.

Meanwhile, Hoes reiterated the importance of completing antibiotics courses, adding that failure to comply increases the chances of re-infection. She further explained that hospitalized patients are at risk of bloodstream or urinary infections, adding that if hospitals do not exercise the necessary precautions such as proper waste disposal, sterilisation of older equipment, wearing correct personal protective equipment, isolati
on and disinfection.

Anderson said that the misuse of antibiotics in animals poses a risk for food security, as this affects animal reproduction and consequently the livelihood of subsistence farmers.

‘The environment uses what you put into it. Humans and animals are interlinked and interdependent,’ she said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation on Tuesday launched the 2019 Social Accounting Matrix Model (SAM) for Namibia.

The ministry’s executive director, Lydia Indombo, said the model provides a comprehensive framework essential for analysing the relationships between different sectors of the economy.

‘Its applications extend to areas concerning trade and tax policy, sectoral planning for various cross-cutting issues, and other related economic concerns,’ she said.

Indombo said the ministry worked together with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) to develop SAM to update SAM to 2019, which was first developed in 2002 and last updated in 2013.

NSA Statistician General Alex Shimuafeni said SAM is an important milestone in understanding and advancing the local socio-economic landscape.

‘The Social Accounting Matrix is used to build economy-wide macroeconomic models explicitly designed to analyse the distributional impacts of polic
y change. Its applications extend to areas concerning trade, poverty, employment, tax, sectoral planning for various cross-cutting issues, and other related concerns,’ Shimuafeni said.

‘This matrix, a sophisticated tool that integrates various economic, social, and environmental factors, is a testament to our collective dedication to fostering sustainable development and inclusive growth.’

In a statement read on her behalf, Philile Masuku, Director of the ILO Country Office for Zimbabwe and Namibia, described SAM as a powerful tool that will shape the trajectory of Namibia’s economic understanding and policy decisions.

‘The SAM is a product of the ILO’s collaboration and cooperation with the European Union to strengthen the capabilities of country partners to analyse and design sector and trade policies and programmes, which would enhance employment creation,’ she said.

The Ministry of Labour also launched a workshop on conducting an employment impact assessment on the green hydrogen project, which is sup
ported by the ILO.

Indombo said the basic training on how to conduct employment impact assessments took place in April, while the two-day advanced training starts on Wednesday.

‘The assessment focuses on direct employment, indirect employment, induced employment, and the capacity effect. It considers both the number of jobs created, and the types and quality of jobs created,’ she said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The National Housing Enterprise (NHE) on Tuesday officially handed over 24 houses to beneficiaries at Ondangwa, constructed at a cost of N.dollars 12 million.

Speaking at the event, Urban and Rural Development Minister Erastus Uutoni said housing remains one of Namibia’s key development priorities and it is only when the land is reasonably priced by local authorities that lower-income groups are able to afford houses constructed by the NHE.

‘Decent shelter is a basic necessity of life, and as a government, we believe it is justified for the citizens as the sovereign to expect to have a place they can call their own,’ he said.

He then urged all local authorities to offer NHE land at the lowest prices possible in order to reduce input costs and subsequently improve the selling price.

Town Mayor Paavo Amwele said the town council has reserved another 64 erven for NHE to construct more houses, as part of its aim of meeting housing needs.

The area, known as Ondiyala, is fully serviced, and there are about 34
9 erven in the area, he said.

‘Council took this decision because we have seen the good work they are doing, they don’t sit on the land unlike other developers,’ he said.

NHE successfully handed over 50 houses in Omuthiya on Monday and is expected to hand over another 70 houses in Okahao on Thursday.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Deputy Minister of International Relations and Corporation, Jenelly Matundu has supported a motion to introduce sign language as a national language as well as the appointment of a sign language interpreter for the live parliamentary debates.

The motion was initially tabled in September by Alexia Manombe-Ncube, the deputy minister of Disability Affairs, who said the motion aligns with Namibia’s constitution and international commitments, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

‘Sign language and deaf culture strengthen multilingualism, and are means of promoting, protecting and preserving the diversity of languages and cultures globally, including in Namibia,’ Manombe-Ncube said.

Matundu on Monday during a parliamentary session argued that the rights of hearing-impaired persons must be secured by securing their linguistic rights.

‘Whether you are deaf, hard of hearing, struggle with the English language or communicate perfectly well, sign language creates a
n open line of communication between all groups of people. Communication in sign language has multiple benefits for the deaf and hard-of-hearing people,’ Matundu said.

She further suggested that government offices and agencies, as well as the private sector, incorporate the basics of sign language for employees, to accommodate hearing-impaired persons.

‘The debates in the National Assembly discuss issues that affect our people daily and the people in this category are left out as far as lack of interpretation is concerned,’ she stressed.

Another parliamentarian, Kletus Karondo also supported the motion, saying the biggest challenge for hearing impaired persons is stigmatisation and day-to-day communication, increased difficulty with accessing primary health care services and the criminal justice system.

Hearing-impaired persons, he said, are not able to serve as jurors.

‘As we are living in a modern digitalised world, where access to information is crucial, Namibia cannot afford to be left behind,’ Karon
do stressed.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency