Telecom Namibia Chief Executive Officer Stanley Shanapinda is set to leave the state-owned telecommunications company after being appointed Executive Secretary of the Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA).
CRASA announced that Shanapinda will assume the regional role on 1 July 2026 following his appointment by the association’s Special General Meeting held on 27 May after a competitive selection process.
His appointment marks his departure from Telecom Namibia, where he has served as Chief Executive Officer since January 2021.
Shanapinda will take over leadership of the regional body responsible for coordinating and harmonising communications, ICT and postal regulation across Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states.
The regional organisation said Shanapinda brings more than 22 years of leadership experience in telecommunications, ICT regulation, policy development, digital transformation and corporate governance.
Before joining Telecom Namibia, he served as Chief Executive Officer of the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), where he played a key role in strengthening regulatory frameworks, expanding digital infrastructure and advancing regional ICT harmonisation initiatives.
He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of New South Wales in Australia, a Master of Management in ICT Policy and Regulation from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and law degrees from the University of Namibia.
CRASA said Shanapinda assumes the position at a pivotal time as countries across the SADC region accelerate digital transformation, expand broadband access and pursue greater harmonisation of ICT and postal regulatory frameworks.
He will be based at the CRASA Secretariat in Gaborone, Botswana.
