International financial institution that reports on global workplace equality and hosts a steering committee of young parliamentarians from regions including eastern and southern Africa.
World BankstatedSouth Africa's GDP per capita has stagnated for nearly two decades
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“According to the World Bank, South Africa's GDP per capita has stagnated for nearly two decades in real terms, using constant 2015 United States dollar adjusted for inflation: it stood at about US$5 890 in 2007, peaked at US$6 170 in 2013, and is now around US$5 715 (2024), with little improvement expected in 2025.”
“A large portion of SOE debt is owed to regional and global development banks, like the African Development Bank, the World Bank and KfW Development Bank.”
World Bankstates thatNamibia is the second most unequal country in the world
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“Namibia is the second most unequal country in the world, with per capita consumption inequality about 45% higher than the average for upper-middle-income countries, according to the World Bank.”
World Bankcategorizes30% of Nigerians in extreme poverty
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“The cost of basics – food, rent, transport – have shot up over the past decade in Nigeria, where 30% of people live in what the World Bank calls 'extreme poverty'.”
World Banksaidfull workplace equality does not exist anywhere in the world
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“Full workplace equality does not exist anywhere in the world, and only a tiny fraction of women lives in countries with a labour market that comes close to it, the World Bank said on Tuesday.”
World Banksaidequality laws are truly enforced in only about half of all cases
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“Even when workplace equality laws are passed by lawmakers, they are truly enforced in only about half of all cases, the bank said in a report on women, business and the law.”
World BankprovidedUS$1.5 million in catalytic funding to Namibia as Pathfinder Country
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“The report indicated that Namibia's recognition as a Pathfinder Country under the UN Global Accelerator Programme on Jobs and Social Protection has unlocked US$3.3 million in catalytic funding — US$1.8 million from the United Nations and US$1.5 million from the World Bank.”
An opinion piece questions whether African leaders have acted as a unified front to address the continent's problems as envisioned by Ghana's founding president Kwame Nkrumah at the 1963 founding summit of the Organisation of African Unity, and examines whether Africa has gained true control of its mineral wealth or remains dependent on external powers.
Why it matters
Timely reflection on African unity and mineral wealth sovereignty ahead of Africa Day celebrations resonates with continental independence themes.
An opinion piece questions whether African leaders have acted as a unified front to address the continent's problems as envisioned by Ghana's founding president Kwame Nkrumah at the 1963 founding summit of the Organisation of African Unity, and examines whether Africa has gained true control of its mineral wealth or remains dependent on external powers.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, utility-scale solar and onshore wind power now cost about US$40 per megawatt-hour globally in 2025, less than half the cost of new gas turbine plants at over US$100 per megawatt-hour, as renewable costs have fallen and fossil fuel prices have risen.
The one-month countdown to the 2026 Fifa World Cup begins Monday with a record 48 teams descending on the United States, Canada and Mexico, though soaring ticket prices, political tensions, and conflict in Iran have cast an early shadow over the tournament.
Namibia's upcoming offshore oil, gas, and mineral wealth presents an opportunity or trap depending on management. An opinion piece contrasts Singapore's model of meritocracy and clean governance with South Africa's race-based empowerment and state patronage, positioning them as competing templates for Namibia's development path.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah commissioned a new National Governing Council of the African Peer Review Mechanism, with Namibia tasked to spearhead efforts tackling youth unemployment across Africa. The country's approach involves youth development funding, apprenticeships and education support, though Namibia itself faces a youth unemployment rate of around 44.4% according to census-based figures.
Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to miss the UN's 2030 target for universal access to clean cooking energy, with 900 million people lacking access on the continent. The article argues that closing a US$5.5 billion annual funding gap requires diverse solutions including LPG, solar stoves, and biogas, alongside innovative financing and inclusive policies.
Namibian state-owned enterprises owe N$9.3 billion in external debt, most of it guaranteed by the government and owed to regional and global development banks. The Bank of Namibia's 2025 annual report notes a significant portion relates to intercompany lending in mining and quarrying, with the government aiming to keep debt guarantees below 10% of GDP.
A voluntary mentorship initiative founded by human resources practitioner Tuuda Haitula provides career guidance, interview skills, and personal development to young men in Namibia, with participants reporting improved job readiness and market understanding. Now in its third year, the programme attracts 150+ registrations annually and offers structured sessions focused on CV building, professional communication, and workplace expectations, with organisers calling for greater public and private sector collaboration to address youth unemployment.
Iran has threatened to target desalination plants in the region after claiming damage to its own water and energy infrastructure in conflict with Israel and the US, with experts warning that attacks on such facilities in the Middle East—where desalination supplies most of the region's drinking water—could trigger catastrophic humanitarian and economic consequences.
Popular Democratic Movement parliamentarian Inna Hengari has been elected to the World Bank's steering committee of global young members of parliament, representing the eastern and southern African region from 2026 to 2028, marking Namibia's first representation on this platform.
Zimbabwean white farmers whose land was seized during Robert Mugabe's rule are seeking help from Donald Trump's administration to recover $3.5 billion in unpaid compensation promised by President Mnangagwa, leveraging the US interest in Zimbabwe's rare-earth mineral deposits and the Trump administration's previous support for white farmers in South Africa. Some farmer groups have hired a Washington lobby firm with Trump administration ties to promote the compensation through US government support for debt relief and international financing, though the farming community remains divided on the strategy and some fear worsening relations between Washington and Harare.
Denis Sassou Nguesso, 82 and in power for over 40 years, is heavily favored to win Sunday's presidential election in Congo-Brazzaville as the opposition remains divided and sidelined. Observers expect record-low voter turnout in the oil-rich but impoverished nation, where many citizens express frustration over unemployment despite economic growth.
While the International Monetary Fund forecasts Africa's 2026 economic growth will outpace Asia's for the first time in modern history, economists warn that this recovery has yet to translate into improved living conditions for ordinary people in major economies like South Africa and Nigeria. In both countries, high costs for food, energy, and transport persist despite macroeconomic gains, and households remain poorer than a decade ago.
The World Bank reports that complete workplace equality does not exist anywhere globally, and enforcement of equality laws occurs in only about half of cases. The bank calls for reforms as 1.2 billion young people, half female, will enter the workplace over the next decade, particularly in regions where women face the greatest barriers.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah reported at the African Peer Review Mechanism Summit that the National Youth Development Fund, established in 2025 with N$500 million capitalisation, created over 700 jobs in the 2025/26 financial year through loans and grants without collateral requirements. Namibia is also addressing youth unemployment through free tertiary education, mandatory internship programmes, and vocational training centres across all 14 regions.
African Heads of State called for urgent and sustainable financing after the 2025 Africa Malaria Progress Report revealed 270.8 million malaria cases and nearly 600,000 deaths on the continent in 2024. Leaders warned that declining international funding and stalled progress risk reversing decades of gains, and urged countries to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation while appealing to global partners to honour pledges and support local manufacturing of antimalarial tools.
Namibia, the world's third-largest uranium producer, is advancing nuclear power plans to reduce energy imports and meet growing demand. President Nandi-Ndaitwah has announced plans for the country's first nuclear power plant with support from Rosatom and China, though the project faces challenges including high capital costs and limited technical expertise.
As the world's third-largest uranium producer, Namibia is advancing plans for its first nuclear power plant to reduce reliance on imported electricity and support its Vision 2030 development goals, backed by international partnerships with Russia and China. The project faces significant capital costs and requires imported technical expertise, but recent cabinet approval of Namibia's Nuclear Industry Strategy signals sustained government commitment.