Also known as: Graham Hoopwood · Hoopwood · executive director Graham Hopwood
Executive director of the Institute for Public Policy Research; advocates for transparency in Namibia's natural resource sectors and parliamentary reform.
Institute for Public Policy Research executive director Graham Hopwoodhas warned againstNamibia's continued fraternising with Ayuk
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“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.”
Graham HopwoodsaysNamibia risks following Angola and Nigeria unless it safeguards upstream petroleum sector from corrupt influences
Source
“Graham Hopwood, the excutive director of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), says unless Namibia takes measures to safeguard the upstream petroleum sector from corrupt influences, the country risks following in the footsteps of Angola and Nigeria.”
Graham HopwoodsaysHengari failed to address oil curse concerns in his statement
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“Hopwood says Hengari failed to address this in his statement in which he criticised Hopwood and various analysts cautioning that Geingob's acceptance of a recent lifetime achievement award from the African Energy Chamber (AEC), led by Ayuk, could open the door to corruption in Namibia's oil industry.”
Institute for Public Policy Research director Graham Hopwoodwarned thatleaders should not accept awards from people with questionable track records
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“"I think it is important that our leaders do not accept awards from people with questionable track records as appears to be the case here. "We have to avoid the examples of Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Angola at all costs," Institute for Public Policy Research director Graham Hopwood told The Namibian last month.”
Hopwoodsaidsecrecy allows corruption to take place and public confidence depends on transparency
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“"Secrecy allows corruption to take place. Public confidence in the project depends on public transparency and accountability," he said at a recent civil society workshop on green hydrogen.”
Graham HopwoodisInstitute for Public Policy Research executive director
Source
“Institute for Public Policy Research executive director Graham Hopwood, who is also a renowned political analyst, engages Desert Radio on this issue.”
The Institute for Public Policy Research has urged the government to publish details of fishing rights and quota holders, including beneficial ownership information, and to amend the Marine Resources Act to reduce ministerial discretion over quota allocations. IPPRexecutive director Graham Hopwood warned that delaying reform could allow corruption to become further embedded in the sector.
The Institute for Public Policy Research has urged the government to publish details of fishing rights and quota holders, including beneficial ownership information, and to amend the Marine Resources Act to reduce ministerial discretion over quota allocations. IPPRexecutive director Graham Hopwood warned that delaying reform could allow corruption to become further embedded in the sector.
The Presidency has designated the Upstream Petroleum Unit as the regulator of upstream petroleum local content, following Cabinet approval of a new local content policy on 4 August. This represents a shift from an earlier version that gave regulatory powers to the Ministry of Industrialisation, Mines and Energy, a change that has drawn parliamentary concerns about reduced oversight of the natural resource sector.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.