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Friday, 21 August 2026
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Friday, 21 August 2026
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Namibian press · Person

Graham Hopwood

Also known as: Graham Hoopwood · Hoopwood · executive director Graham Hopwood

Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research advocating for parliamentary reform, transparency in extractive industries, and media sector sustainability.

2019-01-252026-08-21

What’s been said

Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.

  1. March 2026
  2. The Namibian

    Graham Hopwood agrees full community engagement is essential for the project

    Source

    Full community engagement is essential, agrees Graham Hopwood of Namibia's Institute for Public Policy Research.

    Why Namibia’s green energy dream could be a red flag for penguins
  3. The Namibian

    Graham Hopwood said pre-production window is critical for building governance and oversight systems

    Source

    "This pre-production window is critical for building governance and oversight systems," he said.

    Oversight needed to avoid oil resource curse – IPPR
  4. The Namibian

    Graham Hopwood said access to information, local content policies, and environmental governance remain key risk areas

    Source

    But access to information, local content policies, and environmental governance remain key risk areas.

    Oversight needed to avoid oil resource curse – IPPR
  5. The Namibian

    Graham Hopwood said full community engagement is essential for Hyphen project affecting Lüderitz

    Source

    Full community engagement is essential, agrees Graham Hopwood of Namibia's Institute for Public Policy Research.

    Why Namibia's green energy dream could be a red flag for penguins
  6. February 2026
  7. New Era

    Graham Hopwood stated that lack of disclosure of environmental and social expenditures hinders Namibia from EITI membership

    Source

    Hopwood added that the lack of any disclosure of environmental and social expenditures by companies involved in the extractive sector hinders Namibia from becoming a part of the EITI.

    Think tank agitates oil, gas transparency
  8. The Namibian

    Graham Hopwood stated Namibia does not meet transparency standards across various areas

    Source

    According to Hopwood, Namibia currently does not meet transparency standards across various areas, including contract transparency, public beneficial ownership disclosure, revenue transparency, asset and conflict of interest disclosure, and a public participation framework.

    Namibia urged to join extractive industries transparency initiative
  9. August 2024
  10. The Namibian

    Graham Hopwood is executive director of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)

    Source

    Graham Hopwood is the executive director of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

    The Time for Transparency in Oil and Gas is NOW
  11. The Namibian

    Graham Hopwood made remarks at the Namibia Oil & Gas Conference on 22 August

    Source

    This article is based on Hopwood's remarks at the Namibia Oil & Gas Conference on 22 August

    The Time for Transparency in Oil and Gas is NOW
  12. April 2024
  13. The Namibian

    Institute for Public Policy Research executive director Graham Hopwood has warned against Namibia's continued fraternising with Ayuk

    Source

    Institute for Public Policy Research executive director Graham Hopwood has warned against this, saying Namibia needs to ensure corrupt elements do not enter the country's emerging upstream petroleum industry, wherever they come from.

    The Namibian shrugsoff xenophobic accusations from African Energy Chamber
  14. February 2024
  15. The Namibian

    Graham Hopwood is director of Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)

    Source

    Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) director Graham Hopwood reminisced about his first time meeting Tötemeyer.

    Tötemeyer hailed as champion for democracy

Wednesday 5 August

  1. Speaker blames parliamentary rules for legislative delays

    National Assembly Speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila attributes parliament's delays in passing laws to parliamentary rules set by the assembly itself, not to her office. She said the rules prescribe the order and procedures for considering matters, including daily notices, questions, and reports that are placed before the legislative agenda.

    5 August 2026 · The Namibian

Thursday 30 July

  1. IPC backs longer Parliament sittings; NDP opposes plan

    The Independent Patriots for Change support calls by the Institute for Public Policy Research to extend Parliament's sitting hours and days to address the backlog of bills, while the National Democratic Party rejects the proposal. IPC previously tabled a motion to have the National Assembly sit Monday to Friday, which was rejected by Swapo, and argues that systemic parliamentary changes beyond just extended hours are needed.

    30 July 2026 · New Era

Tuesday 28 July

  1. Civil society calls for parliament to extend sitting hours

    Civil society and MPs have called for the National Assembly to extend its sitting hours from 14h30 to 17h45 to properly debate and pass laws. Institute for Public Policy Research director Graham Hopwood said parliament currently works about 90 days a year and warned that deadlocks in passing laws will be an early warning sign for Namibia's political future.

    28 July 2026 · The Namibian

Monday 22 June

  1. Think tank calls for investigation into healthcare procurement practices

    The Institute of Public Policy Research has released its procurement tracker and called for an in-depth investigation into healthcare sector procurement, describing it as a persistent governance challenge. Research shows corruption in the sector has been ongoing for a decade, and the IPPR notes that key laws including the Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 and the Access to Information Act of 2022 have been passed but not implemented.

    22 June 2026 · The Namibian

Thursday 11 June

  1. Namibia considers up to N$3bn stake in diamond firm De Beers

    The government is considering spending up to N$3 billion to buy a stake in De Beers, reportedly partnering with Angola and Botswana, which already hold 15% of the diamond company. The deal follows Anglo American's decision to exit De Beers and sell its 85% stake, with De Beers' valuation dropping significantly from N$65.7 billion to N$6.9 billion.

    11 June 2026 · The Namibian

Tuesday 5 May

  1. IPPR calls for reforms to strengthen media sustainability and press freedom

    The Institute for Public Policy Research has warned that financial pressure and digital disruption are weakening Namibia's media sector, calling for funding models such as grants, public interest funds, and tax incentives to sustain quality reporting, as well as transparent advertising policies from government and state-owned enterprises.

    5 May 2026 · Windhoek Observer

Sunday 26 April

  1. Fishrot scandal reveals governance failures in fishing sector

    Six years after the Fishrot scandal, Namibia's fisheries sector remains governed by excessive secrecy with no publicly accessible register of fishing rights holders, quota allocations, or beneficial owners. The same structural weaknesses that enabled the fraud—concentrated discretionary powers, opaque allocation processes, and 'paper quota holders' profiting without investment—remain largely intact, requiring political will to implement transparency reforms.

    26 April 2026 · The Namibian

Tuesday 21 April

  1. Swapo marks 66 years; leaders warn history cannot secure future

    On Swapo's 66th anniversary, party leader Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah stated that while the party's liberation struggle history is important, it alone cannot carry the party forward as people now expect tangible improvements in jobs, housing, healthcare, and education. Political analysts noted Swapo's waning electoral support over recent elections due to corruption and declining leadership quality, though the party remains the country's strongest with functional regional structures.

    21 April 2026 · New Era

Wednesday 8 April

  1. Government restricted from sharing oil and gas sector information

    Civil society organisations have accused the government of lack of transparency on oil and gas information access, with various agencies declining to provide petroleum licence details and citing organisational restructuring. Multiple officials and institutions have refused to respond to inquiries, prompting warnings that withholding critical sector information undermines public trust and the right to know.

    8 April 2026 · The Namibian

Sunday 5 April

  1. President to appoint eight deputy ministers and new minister

    President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is expected to announce eight new deputy ministers and appoint deputy defence minister Charles Mubita as minister in the Presidency. The move comes despite her earlier decision to cut ministries and reduce Cabinet size, with critics and analysts warning that some merged ministries may now be too large to function effectively.

    5 April 2026 · The Namibian

Monday 16 March

  1. Green hydrogen project in Namibia raises environmental and heritage concerns

    A proposed hydrogen production facility in Namibia's Tsau ||Khaeb National Park promises jobs and clean energy exports, but conservationists warn it risks harming endangered wildlife like African penguins and unique desert plants, while local activists raise concerns about community engagement and respect for sites of colonial genocide.

    16 March 2026 · The Namibian

  2. Namibia must strengthen governance before oil revenue flows

    The Institute for Public Policy Research warns that Namibia faces governance risks as it prepares for oil production, citing lack of transparency in petroleum licensing, insufficient beneficial ownership disclosure, and weak local content oversight as key areas needing reform before the expected investment decisions from TotalEnergies and Mopane projects. Addressing these challenges through the Access to Information Act and digital transparency could help Namibia avoid the "resource curse" while ensuring oil revenues benefit communities rather than political elites.

    16 March 2026 · The Namibian

Friday 13 March

  1. Namibia's green hydrogen plan raises conservation concerns

    A major hydrogen production facility planned for Tsau ǁKhaeb National Park promises jobs and economic growth but risks damaging endangered wildlife like African penguins and unique desert plants, prompting conservationists to warn of impacts on biodiversity despite Hyphen's commitments to minimise disturbance.

    13 March 2026 · The Namibian

Thursday 12 February

  1. Think tank calls for Namibia to join global extractive transparency initiative

    The Institute for Public Policy Research is advocating for Namibia to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), citing the need for greater transparency and accountability in oil, gas, and mineral resource extraction. Namibia has failed to meet EITI standards, which include contract transparency and beneficial ownership disclosure, gaps that hinder public tracking of extraction ventures and create room for corruption concerns.

    12 February 2026 · New Era

  2. Orange Basin oil industry plagued by legal gaps and power struggles

    Namibia's emerging oil and gas sector faces a 30-year legal vacuum in gas-related legislation and internal corruption scandals at Namcor, even as offshore exploration has confirmed 21 billion barrels of crude and significant gas deposits. A power struggle between resource nationalists and business factions over control of the industry has intensified following President Nandi-Ndaitwah's appointment and her move to centralise upstream petroleum functions in the Office of the President.

    12 February 2026 · The Namibian

Saturday 7 February

  1. Civil society urges Namibia to join extractive transparency initiative

    The Institute for Public Policy Research has called on Namibia to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a framework requiring disclosure of information on oil, gas and mineral resources throughout the value chain. The EITI was listed as a goal in Namibia's second Harambee Prosperity Plan but was never implemented, though compliance would address current gaps in contract transparency, beneficial ownership disclosure, and revenue reporting.

    7 February 2026 · The Namibian

Graham Hopwood — Namibian press coverage · Namibia Minute