Category: Industry

The media plays an important role in moulding public opinions and influencing both corporations and the Namibian society as a whole.

Selma Kaulinge, Communications and PR Manager at Nedbank Namibia, made this statement at the fourth annual Nedbank Women in Media conference in Windhoek on Saturday, which was themed ‘Bringing together diverse voices’.

Kaulinge stated that supporting initiatives such as Women in Media helps to develop and improve the media sector as a whole.

The conference provided an opportunity to connect with and learn from like-minded trailblazing females in Namibia’s media industry, as well as to facilitate a platform for discussing how women in the media industry deal with gender disparities in leadership, mental health, and representation.

Several speakers advocated for a shift towards inclusive storytelling that depicts women’s lives in a nuanced, safe, and representative manner, while award-winning journalist Shelleygan Petersen discussed policy gaps that endanger the safety of fema
le journalists in the newsroom and how these policies should be implemented properly.

‘Many of my colleagues have left the profession because they prioritised their mental health over their passion for the job, which should never be the case. Your mental health should not come at the expense of your title or organisation,’ Petersen stated.

Throughout the conference, emphasis was put on the need of mentorship schemes in nurturing the next generation of female media workers and ensuring their sustained success and well-being in a competitive environment.

Through collaboration and collaborative action, delegates reiterated their commitment to driving good change and moving the needle forward for gender parity in the media sector.

Sylvia Mundjindi of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung delivered a keynote address emphasising the need of the media industry ensuring safe spaces for women in the workplace.

Selma Ikela, a news editor, highlighted how to handle Namibian concerns through storytelling, while Elzita Beukes
and Eva Rakel delivered compelling lectures on entertainment as a catalyst for women’s empowerment and a worldwide view on the media landscape, respectively.

The curtain closer of the event, a panel discussion on the contribution of corporate PR to the media landscape, opened the floor to insightful ideas from experts including Hilaria Graig, Corporate Communications and Stakeholder Relations Manager at the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, Helena Mootseng, Public and Corporate Affairs Manager at Namibia Diamond Trading Company, and Katrina Sikeni, Manager for Stakeholder Engagement at the Government Institutions Pension Fund.

This year’s Nedbank Women in Media conference provided the platform for building new networks, opening up a safe space for tackling difficult dialogues and encouraging constructive conversations.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Cheetah Cement’s coal production and forklift departments were on Friday afternoon shut down by the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation due to non-compliance of the labour laws on the health and safety of employees.

Labour Inspector Deputy Director in the ministry, Petrina Nghidengwa visited the Cheetah Cement factory trading as Whale Rock Cement for inspection on 17 and 18 April 2024.

On 19 April, Nghidengwa closed down the two departments, saying they were allegedly found to be a danger to safety of the employees.

She said the factory operates the coal production area in an excessive heated environment to produce clinker, while there is a no coal-cooling measure.

‘As of 19 April you are required to install an automated water sprinkling system that would cool off the coal for your clinker production,’ instructed Nghidengwa.

The labour inspector further explained that forklift C0’s hand and service brakes were all found to be not working, as well as having oil and water leaka
ges.

On forklift C2, Nghidengwa said its tyres were wornout, with both hand and service brakes also not to be working.

Forklift C5’s hand and service brakes are not working at all and the machine has no lights on the right side, she said.

‘Therefore, fix and rectify the identified problems and inform the labour inspectors to come and verify before any operation resumes at the two departments,’ she said.

The shutdown notice which was seen by Nampa on Saturday, was also pasted on the main entrance gate of the factory as well circulated and shared with the affected employees on the same Friday afternoon.

Cheetah Cement was ordered to pay remuneration of the affected employees in full until the situation was corrected.

Cheetah Cement is located approximately six-kilometres north of Otjiwarongo.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The African Aquaculture Company (ACC) is expected to provide about 5000 jobs through direct and indirect beneficiation, full production, in-house and services, logistics and construction.

This will be due to the company’s acquisition of an ‘Offshore Commercial Phase’ license, which will pave the way for Sub-Saharan Africa’s first commercial salmon farming and production facility.

ACC is a subsidiary of the Norway-based Norwegian African Aquaculture Company.

In a media statement issued on Friday, the company’s Operations President in Namibia, Clement Kaukuetu, noted that the license is operational for 15 years.

With operations mainly focused in three offshore sites; north-west of Lderitz in the ||Kharas region. The AAC, according to Kaukuetu, will be producing high value and omega rich Atlantic Salmon for export as well as domestic markets.

‘Relying on Norwegian expertise, the AAC anticipates the initial phase to commence in early May with projected production capacity of 50 thousand tonnes per annum.

Th
e salmon farms are envisaged to contribute to the socio-economic progression of the country through infrastructure development, job creation and skills transfer,’ Kaukuetu noted.

He added that the AAC is cognizant of the beginning of the industry is embarking on the establishment of a local Salmon Farming Association to invite more players into the globally lucrative salmon fishing industry.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

In an effort to ensure that fish is distributed to more consumers across the country, the Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust (NFCPT) has partnered with selected third parties.

The partnership, which involved 13 distribution agents from 11 regions, was established through a pilot Agency Distribution Project (ADP) with agreements signed in Walvis Bay on Friday.

According to NFCPT Chief Executive Officer, Victor Pea, the pilot project was initiated after NFCPT realised that its expansion had made it difficult for small fish distributors in towns where it operates to compete with the trust, leading to some businesses closing or experiencing a decline in their fish sales.

‘While NFCPT expanded and saw an increase in fish distribution year-on-year, our growth inadvertently isolated us and somewhat conflicted with our aim to make fish more accessible to Namibians. Therefore, in 2017, when we were formulating the new Strategic Plan, management proposed a change in mission, shifting from aspiring ‘To be the p
referred fish distributor in Namibia’ to being ‘The catalyst for fish consumption for a healthy Namibia’,’ Pea explained.

He added that this change in focus means NFCPT is transitioning from being competitive to being collaborative and empowering, and it is this shift that gave rise to the idea for the ADP. The Distribution Model, with an initial investment of N.dollars 807,200, is a collaboration between NFCPT and the Namibia University of Science and Technology’s Business Innovation Institute.

Phase 1 of this project took place in 2022, where an information and training session was held for interested individuals, who subsequently applied for selection as agents.

The agents comprise 13 companies, ensuring, according to Pea, good gender and youth representation.

Chairperson of the NFCPT Board of Trustees, Suzan Ndjaleka, noted that during the project spanning over six months, NFCPT will evaluate the financial viability and performance of the 13 distribution agents.

‘The data collection during the pilot
phase will be crucial, not only for deciding whether to fully implement this project, but also to assess what kind of support is necessary for a successful partnership between NFCPT and distributors,’ she stated.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is projected to rise from 3.4 per cent in 2023 to 3.8 per cent in 2024.

Abebe Selassie, Director, African Department, IMF, said this at a news briefing on the IMF’s Regional Economic Outlook for SSA titled ‘A Tepid and Pricey Recovery’ on Friday in Washington DC.

Selassie said economic recovery was expected to continue beyond 2024, with growth projections reaching 4.0 per cent in 2025.

‘After four challenging years and multiple shocks, SSA’s economy appears to be on the mend.

‘We expect growth to accelerate to 3.8 per cent from 3.4 per cent last year, after peaking at almost 10 per cent in late 2022.

‘We are also seeing inflation having been halved in the early months of this year, thanks to decisive actions by central banks.

‘This includes slower food price increases, a positive development in a region where the cost-of-living crisis has been acute in recent years.’

He further said fiscal consolidation efforts were
starting to pay off, with the median public debt stabilising at around 60 per cent of Gross Domestic Product(GDP), halting a 10-year upward trend.

‘ With global financial conditions easing, a few countries have been able to return to international markets, ending a two-year hiatus.’

The director said though the signs were encouraging, the region was not out of the woods.

Selassie said far too many countries still faced a funding squeeze, adding that their borrowing costs were high and funding sources curtailed.

‘Government interest payments now account for about 12 per cent of revenues, more than double the level a decade ago, and official development assistance concessional financing has become much more scarce.

‘What does this mean for countries? It means much-needed funds are being diverted from spending on investment development to interest payments, with consequences for the region’s growth potential and its ability to withstand future shocks.’

He said sustaining reforms would be important for macr
oeconomic conditions to continue to improve.

Selassie said this would ensure that countries in the region could build their resilience to shocks, generate jobs, diversify their economies, and improve living standards.

The director said three policy priorities could help countries in the region adapt to the challenges

‘First, to continue to improve public finances, with an emphasis on domestic revenue mobilisation.

‘This will help meet the region’s vast development spending needs in the context of scarce concessional financing and high borrowing costs.’

He said the second policy priority was to sustain the focus on reducing inflation wherever inflation remained well above target.

Selassie said the third policy was to implement reforms that enhance skills development, spur innovation, improve the business environment, and promote trade integration to secure more affordable and stable financing.

‘But the burden should not just be on countries alone. Support from the international community will remain ess
ential.

‘The IMF stands ready to support, having already provided 58 billion dollars in financing to the region since the start of the pandemic.

‘Let me conclude by stressing that the region is at a turning point. With the right policy choices, I am very confident that the region will ensure that this will be the African century.’

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Shepherdstree managing partner Ekkehard Friedrick highlighted Namibia’s oil discovery success rate on Tuesday, saying the country has an 86 per cent success rate in terms of exploration compared to the global average of 30 per cent.

Friedrick made the remarks during a presentation held as part of the Namibia Local Content Conference in Lderitz on Tuesday, saying Namibia’s oil discoveries offshore are progressing at a rapid rate.

‘We are moving at an unprecedented rate. That can be good but can also be bad because we might be taking shortcuts that we are not aware of in terms of environmental laws and so on, but if we do this correct, we have the opportunities to create wealth because we have a low population,’ he said during his presentation on the topic ‘The Namibian Oil and Gas story – globally significant finds vs. local opportunity.’

He added that Namibia in 2023 was part of the four top countries in the world in terms of oil discovery.

John Ferraz, an executive for projects at the Edward Nathan Sonne
nbergs law firm said more opportunities for entrepreneurs lie in supporting the oil and gas industry and urged them to form joint ventures.

‘When you consider the range of services needed to support those teams at sea and when the vessels come in is massive. Even supplying water to those who are on sea working is a business opportunity on its own, I know there are a lot of local content policies that drive manufacturing, but I will say to Namibians concentrate on joint ventures, concentrate on low capital requirements for entry into these opportunities,’ he stressed.

Ferraz added that it is important that Namibia sends a message to investors that local content provides an enabling and supporting environment and is not a barrier.

‘The oil and gas industry is an opportunity for celebration and not for tribulation. You are not starting an industry, you are joining an existing industry. It might be seen that in the oil and gas industry, local content is an issue and it is not. Investors want two things – certa
inty and to keep their costs down. Their rules are clear as long the rules do not present a barrier,’ he said.

The three-day conference is aimed at providing a platform for dialogue, collaboration and the exchange of ideas that will shape the future of the oil and gas industry.

The conference is being held under the theme ‘Empowering Namibia’s energy ambitions by connecting industries and indigenous talent’ and about 300 people from Namibia, Angola, Nigeria, Dubai, South Africa and England are taking part in the conference hosted by the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Antila Consultancy.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency