Category: General

Minister of Education, Arts and Culture Ester Anna Nghipondoka officially launched the IMN Technology Mentorship Institute (IMN Tech) in the capital on Monday, aimed at equipping Namibians with technological skills.

In her address, Nghipondoka said the Namibian education sector lags behind in terms of global trends and standards in the provision of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education, which is inclusive of robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, internet of things, and other smart technologies.

‘STEAM education contributes to the development of cognitive and non-cognitive skills such as computational thinking, logical reasoning, new-age technology, product design, design thinking, self-awareness, collaboration, creativity, resilience and communication, opening doors to careers in medicine, product design, business entertainment, fashion, education, agriculture, mining, to mention but a few,’ Nghipondoka said.

The education minister said for the 2023/2024 financial
year, the Ministry of Education has budgeted N.dollars 30 million to procure information technology hardware and software for schools as per the national conference on education implementation plan. This translates to N.dollars 750 000 per computer lab at 42 secondary schools across the country (three schools per region).

Each computer lab will be equipped with 40 desktop computers, one uninterrupted power supply, network accessories, one teacher laptop, a wireless printer, and a server, giving a total of 1 680 desktop computers, she said.

Also speaking during the inauguration was IMN Tech founder Irvine Ndjavera, who said the business is only a month old.

‘We did not start from scratch; we committed and partnered with a company or institution similar to ours in India called Avishkaar,’ Ndjavera said.

IMN Tech was started to solve the educational technological skills gaps from school level to the job market and provide sustainable technological business solutions needed to develop Namibia in a fourth indu
strial revolution-compatible country, he said.

‘IMN’s tech vision is to assist the Namibian educational sector, prepare, and train competent, technologically advanced Namibians who are ready to develop a competitive Namibian economy in the global space of the fourth industrial revolution, while re-skilling the Namibian workforce to adapt to the job market requirements,’ Ndjavera said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

An improved transport network system for Namibia and the rest of Africa is key in contributing to African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA’s) Agenda 2063 goal of a single market for goods and services.

According to works and transport minister, John Mutorwa, the significance of the AfCFTA cannot be overstated as it is the world’s largest new free trade area since the establishment of the World Trade Organisation in 1994.

Mutorwa made these remarks in a speech delivered on his behalf on Tuesday at Swakopmund during the launch of the 13th Joint Law Enforcement Operation conducted by the Trans-Kalahari Corridor Management Commitee (TKCMC) comprised of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.

‘Transport is the backbone of any economy and ministries that are responsible for transport are technically able to achieve governmental, regional, continental and global objectives, as they are tasked with the responsibility to oversee all four transport modes, namely aviation, maritime, road and rail,’ he expressed.

He
added that due to the fact that people and cargo move across borders, a number of transport bilateral and multilateral agreements have also been developed and entered into by different countries, including the TKCMC, SACU agreement on Transport, among others.

The TKCMC initiative was established in order to ensure that only legal goods, people and services are allowed to move through the corridors.

Inspector General of the Namibian Police Force (NamPol), Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, stressed the need to ensure safety and security along the corridor and not a free haven for criminals.

‘Looking at the 13th Joint Law Program, a clear message has been sent that no illegal activities will be allowed on the corridor.

In line with our mandate, we will do our part to ensure that security is maintained on our corridor. This also means that the Namibian Police Force is responsible to secure movements of our goods and services on the corridors,’ he added.

Executive Director of Kalahari Corridor Secretariat,
Leslie Mpofu, noted the need to view the various development corridor initiatives against the backdrop of a number of socio-economic imperatives that are facing the region.

‘These include the need to increase the rate of economic growth in the region, the need to develop the regional economy in a manner that would render it far more diversified, stronger and internationally competitive.’

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Taarah Shalyefu has been re-elected as Ongwediva mayor and will lead the council for the next 12 months.

His fellow Swapo councillor, Ulalia Katonyala, retained her position as deputy mayor of the town, while Naemi Amuthenu (Swapo), Jona Helao (IPC) and Fabiam George (Swapo) remain members of the management committee.

Meanwhile, Mathews Tiyaho and Ottillie Haitota, both from IPC, are ordinary members of the seven-member Ongwediva Town Council office bearers.

George was also re-elected as chairperson of the management committee.

In his acceptance speech, Shalyefu reaffirmed his commitment to continue advocating for hard work, innovation and improved corporate governance, particularly accountability, integrity and transparency as they render services to the people.

‘We have a number of important issues that require our collective inputs and decisions. Looking at concerns, complaints and outstanding issues related to land distribution in the town is evident that we should think fast and find solutions to t
hese problems,’ he said.

Shalyefu indicated that their role in ensuring that they guide and advocate for development from Government has never been more important than it is right now.

According to Shalyefu, although this assignment is somewhat challenging, with the support of fellow councillors, they will make a significant difference in the leadership arena.

He stated that as councillors they should always be mindful that the electorate expects quality service delivery and support from them, and they consistently expect them to listen to them when they approach them, therefore they should deliver to the best of their abilities.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

A 44-year-old man allegedly drowned at Long Beach near Walvis Bay on Friday.

The Namibian Police Force in a report on Sunday noted that the man, Peter Schneider, had gone swimming with a companion around 10h15 when the incident occurred.

The body was retrieved by two Navy divers and the police.

Police investigations are underway.

In another incident, it is alleged that six trial-awaiting inmates on Saturday between 22h00 and 22h30 escaped from lawful custody at Rehoboth in the Hardap Region.

The escapees, aged 16, 18, 22, 28, 31 and 34, were to be tried for possession of drugs, theft and stock theft. The circumstances surrounding the escape are under investigation, the police said.

In a separate incident, the police reported that a 63-year-old man allegedly committed suicide in Dorado Park, Windhoek.

Benjamin Petrus’ body was found hanging from the roof at around 08h00 on Sunday at the braai area of his residence.

No suicide note was left behind and an inquest has been launched.

Source: The Namibi
an Press Agency

The Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises will host the second public enterprise conference on Wednesday under the theme ‘Driving Sustainable Economic Growth through Namibian Public Enterprises.’

The two-day event will be held at the Gross Barmen resort in the Otjozondjupa Region and will bring together the chairpersons of boards, chief executive officers, managing directors, and executives of public enterprises.

‘The conference will be an excellent platform for the invited delegates from all the public enterprises to determine the best governance and performance models that can be utilised to enhance a good corporate governance framework and high-performance culture, which are vital recipes for the transformation of the public enterprises geared towards the attainment of the national objectives,’ the ministry said on Monday.

The conference that will be officiated by Finance and Public Enterprises Minister, Iipumbu Shiimi, who will deliberate on various issues, including the effectiveness of the publ
ic enterprise boards, as well as positioning public enterprises for the emergence of green hydrogen.

There are 81 public enterprises in Namibia that are categorised into commercial, non-commercial, and extra-budgetary entities. However, the majority of public entities are heavily criticised for poor performance, as some often depend on government bailouts.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

The Kamanjab Village Council is in the process of drilling its own boreholes to guarantee that the community and surrounding areas have enough water supply and to avoid relying on NamWater for water delivery.

The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development funded the project with N.dollars 5 million last month to drill four boreholes. Shamarunga Trading Enterprises CC has been contracted for the project.

Bianca Nguaiko, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Kamanjab Village Council, recently told Nampa that the project is likely to be completed around February 2024.

Nguaiko said the project is intended to alleviate the water issues that inhabitants in the separate areas suffer. One of the boreholes has been completed.

The CEO stated that the project aims to address some of the root causes of the management crisis in water resource management and service delivery. He said the council intends to shift away from traditional sub-sector-based approaches to a more holistic and coordinated approach to water manageme
nt that is based on a set of agreed fundamental concepts, which means that the village council will be the sole service provider (water) to its residents.

‘Two more boreholes are still to be drilled during the course of this week,’ she went on to say.

Furthermore, the CEO stated that once the drilling project is completed, the council will construct a new reservoir and treatment facility to provide purified water to households at a reduced rate.

‘New pipes need to be installed from the boreholes of the Worth solar plant to reduce overhead expenses,’ she added.

The Kamanjab Village Council owes NamWater N.dollars 3.6 million as a result of the government’s order of free water services to residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nguaiko further mentioned that the council created a specific tariff that will be linked to prepaid water meters to ensure that all ultra-low-income consumers do not default and do not run out of water.

‘For ultra-low earners, the card will include 5 000 litres of free water. The t
ariff ranges from N.dollars 75 to N.dollars 475,’ she explained.

The inhabitants owe the council N.dollars 13 million, which includes N.dollars 2 million in Build Together loans and N.dollars 3 million in erven loans.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency