…as Bank Windhoek invests more than N$21m in latest financial year
The Capricorn Foundation has invested N$57.8 million in community initiatives across Namibia over the past six years, while Bank Windhoek committed more than N$21 million to social investment during its latest financial year.
Capricorn Foundation Executive Director Marlize Horn said the Foundation invested approximately N$14.1 million during the 2026 financial year across education and training, health, sustainability, vulnerability and economic advancement initiatives.
The figures were disclosed at the launch of the Capricorn Group Social Value Report 2026 in Windhoek on Wednesday.
“During the 2026 financial year, Capricorn Group and our subsidiaries in Namibia and Botswana invested almost N$30 million in corporate social investment initiatives. Of that amount, the Capricorn Foundation invested approximately N$14.1 million across our focus areas of education and training, health, sustainability, vulnerability and economic advancement,” Horn said.
“The Capricorn Foundation celebrates its sixth year of existence this year. Over this six-year period, we have invested N$57.8 million in initiatives across Namibia to uplift our communities and strengthen their resilience.”
According to figures presented by the Foundation, N$21.9 million has been directed towards education and training, N$13.8 million towards vulnerability programmes and N$9.8 million towards economic advancement.
A further N$6.1 million has been invested in health initiatives and N$3.7 million in sustainability programmes.
The Foundation currently supports 41 projects through 120 touchpoints across Namibia, comprising 17 education and training projects, nine vulnerability initiatives, eight economic advancement projects, four health projects and three sustainability projects.
Its programmes extend across Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshikoto, Kavango West, Oshana, Kavango East, Zambezi, Kunene, Otjozondjupa, Omaheke, Erongo, Khomas, Hardap and //Kharas.
Horn said the Foundation is increasingly focusing on measuring the long-term outcomes of its investments rather than simply tracking expenditure and the number of beneficiaries reached.
She said food insecurity, vocational skills development, enterprise development and environmental sustainability are interconnected challenges requiring coordinated interventions.
Capricorn Group has prioritised three Sustainable Development Goals, namely zero hunger, quality education and economic growth, as a framework for measuring its social development contribution.
“At Capricorn Group and the Foundation, we have prioritised three Sustainable Development Goals: zero hunger, quality education, and economic growth. These provide a practical framework for us at the Capricorn Foundation and the Group to measure our contributions,” Horn said.
Looking towards 2030, the Foundation plans to deepen its focus on early childhood development, food security, vocational skills and economic advancement, while supporting programmes capable of becoming sustainable beyond their initial funding.
“Looking towards 2030, our mission is simply not to do more. It is to become more intentional, more collaborative and even more evidence-based,” Horn said.
“We will deepen our work in ECD, food security, vocational skills and economic advancement. We will support initiatives with the potential to mature beyond the initial funding that we provide, strengthen the capacity of these initiatives and expand their reach so that they become more self-sustaining.”
Meanwhile, Bank Windhoek, a subsidiary of Capricorn Group, invested more than N$21 million in community development and social initiatives during its latest financial year.
The investment comprised N$9.65 million in direct Corporate Social Investment (CSI) projects and sponsorships and N$11.87 million allocated to the Capricorn Foundation.
Bank Windhoek Managing Director James Chapman said social investment should be measured by the lasting changes it creates rather than solely by the number of beneficiaries reached.
“By connecting resources with need, opportunity with potential, and purpose with measurable positive change, we help create a Namibia in which more people can participate meaningfully in the economy and shape their own futures,” Chapman said.
Among the bank’s major initiatives, the Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project handed over N$4 million to the Cancer Association of Namibia in early September, taking its cumulative contribution since 2000 to N$42.4 million.
The bank’s 2026 social investment activities also included teacher development, school feeding initiatives, agricultural training and youth development.
Its Emerging Bankers Programme increased its 2026-2027 intake from 10 to 15 participants, providing school leavers, particularly those from remote areas, with structured work experience, mentorship and certification support.
Bank Windhoek Executive Officer of Marketing and Corporate Communication Services Jacquiline Pack said the bank’s partnership with the Foundation was aimed at supporting initiatives capable of producing sustainable, long-term outcomes.
“Our CSI priorities and partnership with the Capricorn Foundation enable us to support credible initiatives that respond to societal needs and create sustainable value for current and future generations,” Pack said.
Capricorn Group is listed on the Namibia Securities Exchange and is the holding company of Bank Windhoek, Bank Gaborone, Capricorn Asset Management and Capricorn Private Wealth, while also holding strategic investments including Entrepo.
