Day: March 6, 2024

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Umalusi awards accreditation certificates


Umalusi has awarded accreditation certificates to 54 successful institutions at an Accreditation Forum and Certificate Award Ceremony in Pretoria on Wednesday.

The event was organised to award accreditation certificates to 54 institutions (50 independent schools and four private colleges) that met Umalusi’s accreditation criteria to offer qualifications that are registered on the General and Further Education and Training Qualifications Sub-framework (GFETQSF).

The ceremony was attended in a hybrid mode by approximately 700 delegates from the 50 independent schools, four private colleges and Umalusi officials.

‘I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to every institution represented here today for your commitment to excellence and your passion for quality education. May you continue to uphold the standards even after having been awarded your accreditation certificate,’ Umalusi CEO, Dr Mafu Rakometsi, said.

The breakdown of the 50 independent schools that were awarded accreditation certificates to offer
the National Senior Certificate (NSC) is as follows:

10 are to offer Grades 1 – 7.

Six are to offer Grades 1 – 9.

22 are to offer Grades 1 – 12.

One is to offer Grades 4 – 12.

Nine are to offer Grades 8 – 12.

Two are to offer Grades 10-12.

The four accredited private colleges were:

One is to offer NC(V) Levels 2-4 (Information Technology and Computer Sciences).

Two are to offer N1-N3 Engineering Studies.

One is to offer GETC: ABET at NQF Level 1.

Making reference to the question of what it means to teach, Umalusi Council Chairperson, Professor Yunus Ballim, challenged participants to engage meaningfully with the question: ‘If information is so ubiquitously available to our students, what case do we make as teachers to expect the students to come to class every day?’

The full names, accreditation numbers, and addresses of the institutions accredited in 2024 are listed in the official newsletter of Umalusi, Makoya. A full list of all Umalusi-accredited institutions is accessible on the webs
ite Accredited Private Education Institutions (umalusi-online.org.za).

The public are urged to verify the accreditation status of institutions to avoid falling prey to bogus institutions.

Source: South African Government News Agency

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Namibia and Angola seek cooperation in energy, agriculture and water


WINDHOEK: The leaders of Angola and Namibia have expressed the need for the two southern African countries to collaborate in various economic sectors.

This is among the outcomes of President Nangolo Mbumba’s bilateral talks with his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço, when they met in Luanda on Tuesday.

‘The two presidents underlined the need to strengthen cooperation in the areas of oil and gas, energy, agriculture, and water,’ Press Secretary Alfredo Hengari said in a statement.

He said that President Mbumba, who took his first bilateral visit to Angola, emphasised that Namibia had a lot to learn from Angola in the oil and gas sectors. To give effect to the Agreement on Cooperation in Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mbumba toured the Sonangol Integrated Logistics Services (SONILS). The hub was created in 1995 to provide logistical support and related services to the Angolan oil, gas, and energy sectors.

As a result, Hengari said President Mbumba encouraged the leadership of SONILS to work with their Namibian
partners based on a solid and transparent partnership for the benefit of both countries.

Hengari said the two leaders also agreed to convene the Namibia-Angola Binational Commission in the coming months to scale up mutually beneficial cooperation between Namibia and Angola. Additionally, Mbumba and Lourenço also agreed to inaugurate the Cassinga Memorial in the coming months.

Hengari also noted that President Mbumba thanked his Angolan counterpart for the extraordinary material and emotional support his government provided to the people of Namibia following the death of former President Hage Geingob.

Mbumba also toured the Karam Group, a diversified company with steel, nails and pipe operations in Luanda and other parts of Angola.

According to Hengari, the company expressed interest in setting up similar operations for the amount of N.dollars one billion, with a potential 350 employment opportunities.

‘The management team of the company informed the president that they had secured land in Windhoek and we
re hoping to reach a stage when they would commence operations in the near future,’ he said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

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Over N.dollars 100 million paid in tax refunds so far


SWAKOPMUND: The Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) has so far paid over N.dollars 100 million to more than 46 000 individual taxpayers since the commencement of the mass tax refund exercise in December.

The refund which spans from 1991 to 2023, according to NamRA is to benefit over 63 000 taxpayers, with the lowest refund amount being N.dollars 100 while the highest is N.dollars 101 959.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, NamRA Chief of Strategic Communications and Support Engagements, Yarukeekuro Ndorokaze, highlighted the positive strides made and the impact on taxpayers by NamRA.

He noted that out of the 78 441 tax returns processed, 46 941 refunds were successfully paid to 46 772 individual salaried parsons and pensioners.

‘The cumulative value of these successful refunds was N.dollars 100.9 million, a significant financial relief provided to eligible taxpayers. While the majority of refunds were successfully processed, unfortunately 31 500 refunds, totalling N.dollars 56.9 million, were rejected for
various reasons,’ Ndorokaze said.

He explained that the rejection criteria encompassed outstanding returns, unpaid liabilities and no bank account numbers, amongst other factors.

The revenue agency has therefore urged taxpayers to proactively address the identified shortcomings to avoid refund rejections going forward, and ensure the swift release of their refunds.

The Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises, Iipumbu Shiimi during the tabling of the 2024/25 budget last week also announced a N.dollars 1.4 billion Government settlement in once-off legacy tax liabilities for selected public enterprises whose funding was severely reduced due to fiscal consolidation in previous years.

The enterprises include the University of Namibia (UNAM), TransNamib, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), New Era Corporation, the National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (FishCor) and the Roads Contractor Company (RCC).

Shiimi said this is an exceptional once-off exercise to clear the legacy debt of public enterpris
es accumulated prior to the establishment of NamRA.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

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Blaauw vows to develop football at grassroots level


KEETMANSHOOP: Newly elected ||Kharas football second division league executive committee (exco) chairperson Emrico has vowed to ensure that all teams in the league register a young team or adopt a school team to develop the sport at the grassroots level.

This, he said, will allow an exchange of expertise in the game of football as well as develop a working relationship with schools in the region.

In an interview with Nampa on Wednesday Blaauw said during his five-year tenure he will also make women’s football a priority, with at least one ||Kharas women’s team in the Elite Women Super League.

‘Teams from the second division are faced with the challenge of transportation of players and officials to attend away games as it is costly and there is a need to source funding from the public and private sector,’ he said.

The chairperson further said the new exco is busy fostering a working relationship with South Africa’s Football Association in the Northern Cape, to build relations and cooperation in the area of
football between the ||Kharas Region and the Northern Cape.

‘Since our players from the south find it very difficult to penetrate through the Windhoek route, we can make use of the twinning agreement between the ||Kharas Region and the Northern Cape, to ensure our players and teams play there. We know we have talent in the south and we can sell our players that side. We believe if we sell our players, the small teams from the first and second division from our region will make more money and this will also allow our players to be scouted in South Africa,’ he said.

Other exco members include Renaldo De Klerk as vice-chairperson, Zayne Beukes as secretary and Luken Shivela as treasurer, while Fanny Boois, Vyvion Kheibemab and Lesley Boois are additional members.

Blaauw emerged victorious during an election that took place here over the weekend, where 11 out of the 17 member teams voted in favour of Blaauw.

He competed against Mesag Natanael, who received only six votes.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

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Education budget should deliver healthy balance between learners and students: Mbumba


WINDHOEK: President Nangolo Mbumba said a lot has to be done to ensure that budget allocations in education are spent to deliver a healthy balance between the operational expenditure and funds spent on the welfare of both school-going and university students.

Mbumba in his capacity as the patron of the Unam Foundation during the launch of the foundation’s brand and fundraising projects on Wednesday said the issue of textbook shortages, infrastructure deficiencies, quality of lecturing, curriculums and education aids must be attended to efficiently and effectively, which are addressing the realities on the ground.

He explained that collective obligations should be geared towards the outcomes facilitated by the education infrastructure and equipment that facilitates better instruction, improves student outcomes, and reduces dropout rates.

‘This year alone, the Minister of Finance announced a budget of N.dollars 18.3 billion to education, which was the second highest allocation. I hope this will translate int
o a higher ceiling of allocations for institutions of higher learning. In this way, many Namibians can obtain quality education and actively become their own emancipators in the fight against structural and historical poverty,’ he said.

Mbumba, who is also the chancellor of Unam, stressed that a well-educated labour force, which is globally competitive is essential for the industrial development of the country, specifically with the latest developments in the energy sector such as investments in the Green Hydrogen sector and discoveries of oil and gas quantities which will require skilled and professional human resources to ensure that Namibia derives maximum gains from the utilisation of its local mineral resources.

At the same event, Unam Vice Chancellor, Kenneth Matengu said the foundation aims to promote and facilitate the development and achievement of higher education objectives as a non-profit organisation.

‘Over the next five years our focus will be on expanding educational opportunities and foster
ing an environment conducive to academic excellence, personal growth and a shift to education for industrialisation,’ he noted.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

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Young Namibians willing to engage in entrepreneurship: Masua


WINDHOEK: Swapo Party parliamentarian Patience Masua said that young Namibians want to engage in entrepreneurship but lack the necessary startup funds.

Despite the financial challenges faced by young people, Masua said in the National Assembly on Tuesday that efforts are being made to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

‘Many young people have an appetite for business, they have the talent, skills, ideas, and brilliance – all ingredients to build a successful business. They simply do not have the funding or the degree,’ she said while contributing to a debate on SME financing and its importance to the economy.

‘SMEs are important for the growth and diversification of the economy. They create job opportunities, stimulate innovation, and contribute to the overall economic growth of our country,’ said the youthful lawmaker.

However, Masua said the government has taken steps to make it simpler for SMEs to obtain finance. This includes the skills-based lending facility offered by the Development Bank
of Namibia (DBN).

‘The DBN has provided crucial financial support to young entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses. Additionally, the government has also introduced various training programmes and mentorship initiatives to help SMEs grow and succeed in a competitive market.’

Masua also said that the allocation of funds toward small businesses in the 2024/25 budget towards the youth loan scheme is a step in the right direction to empower young entrepreneurs.

The budget of the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade this new financial year was increased by 31.7 per cent to N.dollars 365.5 million and a total of N$1.2 billion over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework.

Finance and Public Enterprises Minister Iipumbu Shiimi said that funding has been allocated to the Equipment Aid Scheme, Start-Up Namibia, and EMPRETEC Namibia to facilitate domestic trade activities and build domestic entrepreneurship capacity, especially for SMEs.

When tabling the budget, Shiimi announced the lifting of the mand
atory registration threshold for value-added tax (VAT) from N.dollars 500 000 to N.dollars 1 000 000.

He said this will relieve approximately 23 000 SMEs from VAT administration to focus on their core activities while simultaneously freeing capacity at the Namibia Revenue Agency to focus on large taxpayers.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency