The Brief is an online news portal and going source with a focus on the Namibian business sector, current affairs, companies and financial markets.
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March 30, 2023
Companies (1384)
Namibia earned N$4.4 billion from exporting agriculture, forestry and fishing commodities during the fourth quarter of 2022 while the country’s import bill stood at N$1.2 billion, latest data shows.
March 2023 will be remembered as a month plagued by bank runs and bank failures in financial circles. Among three regional bank failures in the United States, the failure of Silicon Valley Bank marked the largest bank collapse since the global financial crisis.
The Construction Industries Federation of Namibia (CIF) is concerned that the absence of a statutory regulatory body results in unfair awarding of tenders to contractors who lack the necessary experience and thus are unable to complete the projects.
Namibia and Botswana are set to open the Trans-Kalahari/Mamuno border post as a 24-hour operator, in a move that is expected to boost economic development in the region.
Do you find it difficult to articulate yourself well or talking more than you should be listening? Well, you surely aren’t alone. You should actively be working on improving your communication skills.
Nearly 900 workers from the Finance ministry have made lateral transfers to the country’s tax agency as the Agency seeks to boost capacity and revenue.
Daures Green Hydrogen Village (DGHV) says operations will start in October when the agriculture component of the project, which includes carbon-free tomatoes will be planted.
FlyNamibia has made several schedule changes to its existing routes, including the route between Eros Windhoek and Ondangwa, and Hosea Kutako International and Cape Town International.
Financial Worries: Living paycheck to paycheck
March 28, 2023
We continue with our series on financial worries, their implications on the lives of those that live in their midst and how we can overcome them to live a worry-free financial life. In this edition, we tackle the worries of living paycheck to paycheck, where a person relies on their monthly paychecks to meet their financial obligations, with no savings left over.
Mines ministry demands more CSR investment from Miners
March 27, 2023
Mines and Energy Minister Tom Alweendo has called for mining companies to step up their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, stating that current initiatives, while significant, are not sufficient.
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Namibia has announced an immediate ban on poultry imports from Argentina following the outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in that country.
The establishment of a Cyber Incident Response Team in the country ranks high among the priority areas contained in a three-year Integrated Business Strategic Plan (ISBP) of the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), which was launched on Thursday.
The authority is set to make provision of resources to operationalise the Cyber Incident Response Team, whose responsibility is to prevent, detect, monitor, and respond to security threats, thereby ensuring security and stability to critical information infrastructures.
This comes hot on the heels of a security breach that occurred on the national system in 2021, which affected websites, including banking services.
"CRAN’s 2023 to 2026 ISBP aims to improve service provision to customers and address the affordability of ICT services in the sector. Enhancement of legislative services also features prominently in areas of electronic transactions, postal, data protection, cybersecurity laws, implementation of Part 6 of the Communications Act (No. 8 of 2009), as well as the establishment of the Cyber Incident Response Team in the country with provision for resources to operationalise it," said CRAN's Head of Communications Katrina Sikeni.
CRAN launched its IBSP for the period 01 April 2023 to 31 March 2026 in line with the provisions of the Communications Act (No. 8 of 2009) and the Public Enterprises Governance Act (No. 1 of 2019).
According to CRAN, the strategic plan is necessitated by the need to build on the preceding plan (2020-2023), hence putting more emphasis on the execution of the core mandates of the Regulatory Authority through the added strategic themes of 'Digital Transformation and Market Development and Consumer Protection.'
"CRAN has an important role in terms of advising and supporting the government and the provisions of sustainable socio-economic development through telecommunications, broadcasting, and postal services. It is thus important that CRAN analyses international trends to ensure the development of a forward-looking regulatory environment that serves the national agenda for current and future needs," said Sikeni.
Minister of Information and Communication Technology Dr. Peya Mushelenga stressed that CRAN has a mandate and a strategic goal of expanding coverage for ICT as well as improving performance and service delivery through various efforts.
"One of such efforts is digitalisation, and to promote infrastructure development as a catalyst for economic growth, social progression, and a contributor to global competitiveness and investment attraction,” Mushelenga added.
CRAN’s Chief Executive Officer Emilia Nghikembua reiterated Mushelenga's sentiments, saying: “We at CRAN are placing emphasis on our strategic priorities, namely, Organisational Sustainability, Strategic Partnering and Collaborations, Digital Transformation, and Market Development and Consumer Protection, in order to be consistent and in sync with the Ministerial and governmental objectives as outlined in the MICT strategic plan and various national policies and agendas, such as the HHP II, Vision 2030, Fifth National Development Plan (NDP5), and subsequent Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6).”
Nghikembua added that CRAN will continue to contribute to the implementation of Vision 2030 through various ICT strategies by developing a comprehensive regulatory framework for the ICT and Postal sectors. Another pillar is contributing to the provision of access to quality, reliable, and affordable ICT and postal services for the economic benefits of the nation.
CRAN Chairperson Heinrich Mihe Gaomab II said: "It is CRAN’s responsibility as a Regulator of the ICT sector to ensure that service providers stretch their products and services to underserved and unserved areas. This should be done to expand on universal access, which in turn offers many benefits such as building a knowledge-based society, as communities have access to information.”
NamPower is set to enter into a Power Purchase Agreement, and a Transmission Connection Agreement with the China Energy International Group, Riminii Investments Joint Venture, for the development and connection of the 50MW Wind Power Plant to the Namibian transmission grid.
