… Zone 1, covering Kavango East, Kavango West, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa and Zambezi, recorded the lowest inflation at 1.0%. …
… Reservation of land in the Kunene for national interest Cabinet endorsed the reservation of the Okoutjete Gold occurrence in the Kuneneregion from prospecting and mining operations. …
Former Kunene governor Marius Sheya has revealed he was urged to distance himself from Swapo parliamentarian James Uerikua during Swapo’s 2024 electoral college, highlighting enduring political loyalty. …
… He added that following the death of former president Hage Geingob, individuals such as Uerikua and former Kunene governor Marius Sheya appeared to have been sidelined from influential positions. …
… All-season comrades Similarly, Uerikua’s close friend Marius Sheya, a fellow Swapo member of Parliament and former governor of the Kunene region, delivered a poignant tribute, where he expressed disbelief at speaking of Uerikua in the past tense as he reflected on the deep bond t …
… Naris revealed that the organisation, together with the Kunene governor’s office, assisted in addressing financial challenges experienced by the family. …
The Erongo region ended their 14-year trophy drought by winning the Nedbank Namibian Newspaper Cup 2026, claiming their second title in history after defeating defending champions Kunene 2–1 at Westdene Stadium at Keetmanshoop. …
Pupils from rural areas make up about 66% of teenage pregnancies in Namibia, and rural young mothers are significantly less likely to return to school than their urban peers, according to a Ministry of Education report. Pupil pregnancy rates declined from 1.97% in 2022 to 1.34% in 2024, while the proportion of pupil mothers returning to school rose to 53.9% in 2024.
Pupils from rural areas make up about 66% of teenage pregnancies in Namibia, and rural young mothers are significantly less likely to return to school than their urban peers, according to a Ministry of Education report. Pupil pregnancy rates declined from 1.97% in 2022 to 1.34% in 2024, while the proportion of pupil mothers returning to school rose to 53.9% in 2024.
The Palms for Life Fund, partnering with the President's office division of marginalized communities, has launched the Healthy Communities Programme, which invites community-based youth groups to submit proposals for projects combining environmental improvement with activities promoting healthy lifestyles and sobriety. The initiative will support 10 community projects and use community service to encourage young people to engage in improving their surroundings while creating alternatives to harmful alcohol use.
Poachers have killed 18 rhinos in Namibia this year, including 13 in protected areas and five on commercial farms, according to figures released by the Namibian Sun.
The Kavango West education directorate has recorded four child marriage cases over the past two years, including a 2024 attempt by a mother to remove a girl from school to marry an older man. Education director Pontianus Musore said schools are regularly sensitised on child marriage and encouraged to report cases to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, though some cases go unreported due to cultural practices and poverty.
Kunene is emerging as Namibia's next mining frontier, with 2,438 mineral rights and applications as of 24 June, but questions arise about whether the region's regulatory systems are prepared for the level of mineral development interest and investor competition now directed toward the area.
Namibia is set to sign a memorandum of understanding with Cuba on water harvesting and distribution, with technical expertise to develop canals, tunnels and other infrastructure to move floodwater from regions prone to flooding to water-scarce areas across nine regions.
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) established a Universal Service Fund in March 2025 with approximately N$135 million allocated over three years to enhance digital connectivity by subsidising radio access network infrastructure. The fund supports the National Broadband Policy's goal of bringing internet speeds of at least 2 Mbps to 80% of the population, beginning with public spaces including schools, libraries, hospitals, and clinics.
An opinion piece criticizes Namibian parliamentarians for visiting the Kunene region and expressing amazement at its mineral wealth as if discovering it for the first time, despite being elected to make laws governing how the country's mineral resources are managed and benefit local communities.
Namibia's headline annual inflation rate in July was 4.4%, with core inflation at 3.7%. Transport costs saw a notable increase, recording an annual inflation rate of 9.3% in July compared to a deflation of 1.2% in July 2025.
Small-scale miners in Kunene say they are being pushed out of mineral-rich areas they consider their own, while a parliamentary committee has raised questions over mining activity.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources visited Okarikua Mining in Opuwo and found that the operation has reportedly conducted testing activities for about two years, with piles of copper-bearing rocks on site and questions raised about whether production may be taking place under the guise of testing. The committee also raised concerns about worker safety, welfare, and Ministry of Mines and Energy oversight.
The National Youth Development Fund has received over 13,400 applications since launch but approved only 353 (2.6%) for funding. The Ministry of Finance is overhauling the application process after the low approval rate exposed quality issues in submissions, with approximately 13,120 applications still under assessment.
Government has invested more than N$70 million in new and upgraded schools in Kunene, with education minister Sanet Steenkamp stating the investment must translate into stronger academic results.
Florencia Kaurianga established Little Rangers Academy, a kindergarten in Ehirovipuka Conservancy in Kunene region, in memory of her father Josef Kaurianga, who served as a wildlife ranger for 37 years. The academy currently serves 40 children aged 4–5 from surrounding communities and provides early childhood education in a remote area.
A Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism report shows Namibia has spent more than N$45 million on 3,301 human-wildlife conflict cases since 2019, covering compensation for livestock and crop losses, injuries and fatalities. Conservancies in the Kunene region have stepped up efforts to reduce conflicts through monitoring and recording livestock losses to support farmers' compensation claims.
The Botanical Society of Namibia awards individuals, companies and organisations that protect indigenous trees and raise awareness about Namibia's flora, typically giving three tree awards and certificates of recognition each year to discourage tree destruction and promote planting of indigenous species.
The inaugural Hage Geingob Town Hall Conversation aims to preserve the late president's commitment to consultation and participatory governance. The Windhoek Observer argues that a successful town hall's value lies in whether participants feel heard, not in attendance figures or polished presentations.
Vice President Lucia Witbooi held a high-level meeting with stakeholders in Outjo to discuss the living conditions and future of the Hai-//om San community residing in and around Etosha National Park. It was resolved that a comprehensive Livelihoods Options and Development Plan be developed to address socio-economic challenges confronting the community, with a multidisciplinary technical team to undertake field assessments across designated sites.
Namibia imports approximately 96% of the fruit consumed within its borders, almost entirely from South Africa, representing lost jobs, taxes, and processing opportunities that could benefit the domestic economy rather than neighbouring nations.
Namibia Critical Metals has secured C$11 million (about N$130 million) to advance processing at its Lofdal rare earth project as part of efforts to process critical minerals domestically and produce higher-value rare earth carbonates. The funding was approved by a joint management committee overseeing the project through a partnership between Namibia Critical Metals, the Japan Organisation for Metals and Energy Security, and Toyota Tsusho.
The United Nations Population Fund reports that 19% of women aged 15–19 in Namibia have begun childbearing, with teenage pregnancy responsible for 12% of female school dropouts. Stakeholders warn that addressing the issue requires coordinated action from government, families, schools, communities and development partners to prevent Namibia from losing its youth dividend.
Namibia's Namibia Child Care and Protection Statistics report 2014–2023 reveals that only 524 children were adopted nationwide over the past decade, highlighting persistently low adoption rates as a key challenge despite improvements in other child protection services.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee has identified limited institutional capacity, inadequate funding, and weak coordination between government levels as key obstacles to Namibia's decentralisation reforms under NDP6. The committee is holding a five-day workshop in Gobabis to examine whether the country's legal, institutional, and financial frameworks are sufficient to support decentralisation objectives.
A 2023 Namibia Statistics Agency report shows that over 80% of members of Namibia's marginalised communities have received birth certificates, marking progress in legal identity access. However, gaps remain in national identification, education, employment, technology access, and household living conditions, with the report based on the 2023 Population and Housing Census identifying 75,569 marginalised community members (2.5% of the population).
Members of the San, Ovatue, and Ovatjimba communities have been removed from the Marginalised Communities Special Feeding Programme, which distributes quarterly food parcels including maize meal, beans, fish, beef and cooking oil. The Otjozondjupa Regional Council confirmed that vulnerable community members, including unemployed households with children, have lost access to this assistance introduced in 2005.
Namibia's social challenges require coordinated, evidence-led corporate social investment rather than fragmented goodwill efforts. The Capricorn Foundation backs the Mukopano initiative, a platform that convenes funders, implementers and communities to coordinate social investment across the country.
The Namibia Statistics Agency released a report based on the 2023 Population and Housing Census showing that marginalized communities—comprising San, Ovatue/Ovatwa, and Ovatjimba peoples (75,569 people, 2.5% of Namibia's population)—face significant challenges in education, employment, housing, and access to basic services. The data aims to support evidence-based planning and policy formulation to address inequalities.
Health Minister Dr Esperance Luvindao has declared the end of Namibia's cholera outbreak, which claimed one life and infected 82 people over nearly five months, following more than 28 consecutive days without a confirmed case in affected districts. Health experts caution that the country remains at risk unless vigilance in sanitation, surveillance, and hygiene is maintained.
Communal farmers in Kunene region are calling for an urgent review of the government's human-wildlife conflict offset payment scheme, saying current payments do not reflect the true value of their animals. The Otjikaambuti Farmers Association reports that lions have killed about 40 cattle and over 100 goats and sheep since January this year in villages near Etosha National Park.