Namibia Minute.
Friday, 24 April 2026
A daily Namibian brief · Est. 2026
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Organization

Landless People's Movement

Also known as: LPM · Landless Peoples Movement

Landless People's Movement — opposition political party raising concerns in parliament on agriculture, land reform, budget priorities, and government procurement practices.

Mining & Energy

LPM questions green hydrogen project as political vote-winning tool

The News

An LPM parliamentarian has criticized the green hydrogen project as a political campaign tool rather than a genuine development plan, citing the lack of a dedicated legislative framework. The government's press secretary defended the project as part of Namibia's development vision alongside oil and gas initiatives, while the minister acknowledged no standalone green hydrogen act exists but said the sector is governed by existing environmental and energy legislation.

12 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 12 March

  1. LPM questions green hydrogen project as political vote-winning tool

    An LPM parliamentarian has criticized the green hydrogen project as a political campaign tool rather than a genuine development plan, citing the lack of a dedicated legislative framework. The government's press secretary defended the project as part of Namibia's development vision alongside oil and gas initiatives, while the minister acknowledged no standalone green hydrogen act exists but said the sector is governed by existing environmental and energy legislation.

    12 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Tuesday 10 March

  1. Transport minister says bill will regulate illegal e-hailing operators

    Transport minister Veikko Nekundi announced that a forthcoming public passage bill will address e-hailing services operating illegally in Namibia, as current law requires all transport operators to obtain road carrier permits from the Ministry of Works and Transport. The ministry has engaged the Attorney General to hold e-hailing platforms accountable for allowing unlicensed operators.

    10 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Sunday 8 March

  1. Namibia debates social media ban for children under 15

    Namibian lawmakers and child welfare experts are divided over whether to ban social media for children under 15, with supporters citing mental health and cyberbullying concerns while critics argue for evidence-based regulation rather than an outright ban. Experts also note that enforcement would be technically challenging given the ease of age verification manipulation.

    8 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Wednesday 4 March

  1. LPM councillor criticises budget as fiscally cautious but insufficient

    Mariental Municipality councillor William Minnie says the 2026/27 National Budget prioritises fiscal consolidation over structural transformation and inadequately addresses inequality, unemployment and economic exclusion. He argues that modest economic growth projections are concentrated in capital-intensive mining, while operational spending dominates capital investment, and development allocations remain insufficient to drive meaningful infrastructure expansion or job creation.

    4 March 2026 · New Era →

Sunday 1 March

  1. Namibia's N$104 billion budget prioritises operations over development spending

    Finance Minister Ericah Shafudah tabled a N$104 billion budget for 2026/27 with N$81.3 billion allocated to operations and only N$6.5 billion to development, drawing criticism from economists and opposition figures who warn this allocation will constrain economic growth. The government collected N$89.8 billion in revenue and plans to borrow N$15 billion, while interest payments of N$16.2 billion now exceed the development budget.

    1 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 26 February

  1. LPM questions implementation of directive for state hospital use

    The Landless People's Movement has criticized a presidential directive requiring state employees under government medical aid to use public health facilities from April, questioning whether it will be applied equally and citing a pattern of government policies failing during implementation.

    26 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Saturday 21 February

  1. Editorial warns against excessive presidential power concentration

    The Namibian's opinion piece supports Swartbooi's concerns about presidential oversight of the petroleum bill, but cautions that concentrating all executive power in State House risks undermining democracy and institutional checks—citing Hage Geingob's academic warning against presidentialism as the concentration of political power in individual hands.

    21 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Friday 20 February

  1. Critics warn petroleum bill and regional changes centralise power to presidency

    Political analysts and opposition figures say proposed legislative changes—transferring petroleum sector control to the presidency and restructuring regional councils to report through governors to the president—could concentrate executive authority and undermine democratic checks and balances. Defenders including a Swapo MP argue the measures are necessary to manage Namibia's emerging oil industry, but critics warn the pattern signals democratic backsliding and erosion of decentralisation.

    20 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 19 February

  1. Parliamentary debate on presidential power over petroleum industry bill

    The Petroleum Amendment Bill, which would vest petroleum sector oversight powers in the Office of the President rather than the Ministry of Mines and Energy, faced mixed scrutiny in the National Assembly. Critics including Bernadus Swartbooi raised concerns about the legal doctrine of functus officio limiting presidential review powers and complicating court challenges, while others questioned whether oil advisors at State House are already performing duties that legally belong to the ministry.

    19 February 2026 · New Era →

  2. Namibian MPs study Rwanda's governance and security practices

    A parliamentary delegation led by James Uerikua visited Rwanda to exchange best practices on international relations, defence and security. The MPs identified Rwanda's anti-corruption measures, technology-driven governance, security sector professionalism and public accountability mechanisms as models Namibia could realistically adopt to strengthen oversight and service delivery.

    19 February 2026 · New Era →

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