Also known as: minister of finance · finance minister Ericah Shafudah · Finance minister · Shafudah · Erica Shafudah · minister of finance Ericah Shafudah · Minister of finance Shafudah · Finance minister Shafudah · the Minister of Finance · the finance minister · Ericah Shafuda
Finance minister who presented Namibia's 2026/27 budget and made Namra board appointments.
The government and African Development Bank unveiled a five-year partnership worth N$28.5 billion to reduce Namibia's dependence on mining by investing in climate-resilient energy, water management, transport corridors, and technical education. Finance minister Ericah Shafudah said the strategy aims to create labour-intensive growth and address high youth unemployment.
13 March 2026 · The Namibian →
The government and African Development Bank unveiled a five-year partnership worth N$28.5 billion to reduce Namibia's dependence on mining by investing in climate-resilient energy, water management, transport corridors, and technical education. Finance minister Ericah Shafudah said the strategy aims to create labour-intensive growth and address high youth unemployment.
13 March 2026 · The Namibian →
The Namibian government and African Development Bank launched a five-year Country Strategy Paper providing N$28.5 billion (US$1.78 billion) to diversify the economy beyond mining, support infrastructure and climate resilience, and address youth unemployment through technical and vocational education.
12 March 2026 · New Era →
Independent Patriots for Change parliamentarian Michael Mwashindange raised concerns in the National Assembly about high import duties on goods purchased by residents of Impalila Island in the Zambezi region, forcing them to shop across the Botswana border instead of at Katima Mulilo. Finance minister Ericah Shafudah responded that the Import and Export Control Act requires levies on all imported goods without exception, and that changing this would require amending the law.
12 March 2026 · The Namibian →
The Institute for Public Policy Research warns that Namibia's preferential procurement policy risks abuse without greater transparency and accountability measures. The IPPR calls for data collection on preference-based contracts and stricter compliance, citing poor submission rates of procurement plans by public entities.
12 March 2026 · The Namibian →
While Namibia's debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to dip slightly from 67.3% to 66.1%, economists warn the improvement may be temporary as slower-than-projected economic growth could push the ratio above 70%. Rising interest payments—forecast to reach N$16.2 billion in 2026/27—are increasingly straining public finances and limiting resources for development and social programmes.
11 March 2026 · New Era →
An Independent Patriots for Change parliamentarian criticised the recently tabled budget for not addressing the shortage of gender-based violence shelters, noting that Namibia has only eight government-operated shelters with six regions having none. She also highlighted severe shortages in social workers, with Namibia having one social worker for every 17,923 children compared to the international standard of one per 5,000 children.
11 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Minister Ericah Shafudah clarified that N$65 million in social grant funds allegedly missing from NamPost between 2009 and 2018 never went missing, but was unclaimed payments held pending reconciliation between NamPost and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare. After reconciliation, the funds amounted to N$93 million and were deposited into a statutory fund, with N$58 million remaining unclaimed as of October 2025.
11 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Bank Windhoek has joined the first cohort of institutions testing government-to-person (G2P) payments under Namibia's national instant payment programme, initially piloting digital social grant disbursements with beneficiaries already familiar with digital channels before a nationwide rollout.
11 March 2026 · The Namibian →
The Chamber of Mines of Namibia supports government plans to amend mining sector taxation, including limits on loss carryforwards and tax deductions for rehabilitation and corporate social responsibility expenditures. The chamber says the changes aim to strengthen economic activity and encourage investment in community development.
10 March 2026 · The Namibian →
An opinion piece criticizes Namibia's 2026 budget for adhering to austerity and neo-classical economics rather than pursuing structural economic transformation. The authors argue that the government should instead implement expansionary policies, industrialisation, public investment in social sectors, and democratic economic controls to address unemployment and inequality.
8 March 2026 · The Namibian →