Also known as: World Bank Group
International development institution that appoints country managers, funds infrastructure projects, and structures development programs across Africa and globally.
News reports
Order a long-term news report on World Bank
Every mention in the Namibian press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.
The Namibian
the World Bank put a conservative estimate of Syria's rebuilding cost at US$216 billion in October
“In October, the World Bank put a "conservative best estimate" of the cost of rebuilding Syria at US$216 billion (about N$3.7 trillion).”
Syrian president arrives in US for landmark visitThe Namibian
World Bank estimated in a report this year that more than a third of Angola's population live on less than $2.15 per day
“In a report this year, the World Bank estimated that more than a third of the population live on less than $2.15 per day.”
‘The hungry can't stay silent' – behind deadly protests in oil-rich AngolaThe Namibian
World Bank estimates AfCFTA could boost intra-African exports by 81% by 2035, adding N$7.9 trillion to continental income
“the World Bank estimates AfCFTA could boost intra-African exports by 81% by 2035, adding N$7.9 trillion to continental income.”
Africa’s Unity Won’t Come From Donors or DeclarationsThe Namibian
World Bank shows a birth rate of about 26 per 1,000 and a death rate of roughly 7 per 1,000 for Namibia
“World Bank data shows a birth rate of about 26 per 1 000 and a death rate of roughly 7 per 1 000.”
How Namibia Can Grow from 3 to 10 million PeopleThe Namibian
The World Bank was said to have protected multilateral aid funding
“But the government said spending on multilateral aid bodies – money given to international organisations like the World Bank – would be protected, including the Gavi vaccine alliance, and it said the UK would also continue to play a key humanitarian role in hotspots such as Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan.”
Africa to be hit hard as UK foreign aid cuts revealedThe Namibian
World Bank reclassified Namibia from upper-middle-income to lower-middle-income country
“Namibia's recent reclassification from an upper-middle-income country to a lower- middle-income country by the World Bank has been met with conflicting reactions.”
Beware the Trojan Grant: Why Downgrading Namibia’s Status Is No Cause for CelebrationThe Namibian
The World Bank noted in 2021 report that policies expanding market access for northern farmers are essential to closing economic gaps
“The World Bank's 2021 Report on Namibia's agricultural sector also underscores the importance of policies that expand market access for marginalised communities, noting, "Policies that expand market access for northern farmers are essential to closing the economic gap between regions and fostering inclusive growth."”
The Red Line Shuffle: Progress or Prolonging the Past?The Namibian
World Bank named Namibia among countries not on track for health millennium development goals
“THE World Health Organisation and the World Bank this week named Namibia among the countries that are not on track to reach the so-called millennium development goals for health.”
Will Namibians be healthy enough by 2015?The Namibian
World Bank initiated the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative in 1996
“In 1996 the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund initiated the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.”
To Be or Not To Be an Upper Middle Income Country? That is the Question!The Namibian
The World Bank has classified Namibia as upper middle-income
“So, president Hage Geingob and other officials should remember their past actions when complaining it is unfair that Namibia is classified as upper middle-income and thus unable to get donor funding and cheap loans.”
Namibia, the Rich BeggarGrowing energy security priorities and artificial intelligence expansion are strengthening support for nuclear power. Thirty-eight countries have endorsed a COP28 pledge to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050, with China, India, and the United States all planning significant reactor expansion programmes.
16 October 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Growing energy security priorities and artificial intelligence expansion are strengthening support for nuclear power. Thirty-eight countries have endorsed a COP28 pledge to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050, with China, India, and the United States all planning significant reactor expansion programmes.
16 October 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Namibia's 36.9% unemployment rate, the highest in the SADC region, reflects a mismatch between qualifications produced and actual job readiness. About a third of TVET graduates are not in employment, education, or training, while employers report persistent shortages in digital and technical skills even as the system oversupplies graduates in business management and public administration.
15 September 2026 · The Namibian →
A World Bank transport specialist visiting Namibia said the country's railway and logistics systems require infrastructure investment, policy reform, regulation and commercial restructuring to unlock their potential. The sector is constrained by underinvestment, institutional challenges and competition from road transport, and rehabilitation alone will not be sufficient without a viable commercial strategy.
8 September 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
South Africa exported agricultural products worth US$1.2 billion to Zimbabwe in 2025, representing about 8% of South Africa's agricultural exports and making Zimbabwe the country's second-largest agricultural export market after the Netherlands, according to World Bank data and discussions at the South Africa–Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission Business Forum.
7 September 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
An independent review finds that the Sandpiper Marine Phosphate Project's economic case remains incomplete, with updated financial, environmental and fisheries assessments needed before its projected benefits can be established. The review notes that while available evidence does not support declaring the project uneconomic, it also lacks sufficient basis to establish the scale and durability of its benefits, citing concerns over phosphate price volatility and a 20-year operating life.
5 September 2026 · Informanté →
Independent fisheries management scientist Dr Carola Kirchner says available evidence on Sandpiper Marine Phosphate mining is incomplete and partly outdated, citing the project's exposure to commodity-price volatility over its proposed 20-year mine life and unresolved questions about the land-based processing facility and freshwater requirements as key concerns.
18 August 2026 · Informanté →
Nearly a quarter of Namibians aged 18–35 hold post-secondary qualifications yet only 18% are in full-time employment, according to Afrobarometer data cited in the article. The author argues the real problem is a "readiness gap"—the distance between what curricula certify and what workplaces actually demand—rather than a lack of training or qualifications.
7 August 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Thirty-six years after independence, Namibia remains one of the world's most unequal nations despite political stability, vast natural resources and upper-middle-income status. Nearly one million Namibians live in informal settlements and youth unemployment is high, with wealth concentrated among a small segment of society, a legacy of colonial and apartheid-era policies.
31 July 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Namibia has joined an initiative with seven other southern African countries to use cost-benefit analysis to help governments achieve better outcomes with limited budgets. The tool translates economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits into present-day dollars, allowing policymakers to compare policy alternatives and prioritise spending.
19 July 2026 · The Namibian →
The World Bank Group has appointed Stefano Mocci as its country manager for Namibia effective 1 July, overseeing the bank group's operations across three institutions and working to support projects aimed at boosting economic growth, creating jobs and improving resilience. Mocci brings more than 20 years of World Bank experience and previously served as country manager for Fiji and the South Pacific and Papua New Guinea.
7 July 2026 · The Namibian →
An opinion piece argues that across religion, economics, and politics, Namibians are promised future rewards—heaven, development, prosperity—while present hardship continues. The piece draws a parallel between Christian teaching on earthly poverty and future salvation, and how structural adjustment programs imposed on Africa by the IMF and World Bank produced different outcomes than for Europe, leaving sub-Saharan states trapped in debt and stagnant growth.
7 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, principal of North-West University, warns that xenophobic violence and threats against foreigners risk making South Africa "one of the world's pariahs," contradicting the nation's post-1994 commitment to openness and moral leadership.
30 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
The principal and vice chancellor of North-West University argues that recent xenophobic attacks and threats of violence against immigrants risk reversing South Africa's trajectory as a moral leader since 1990, and warns that citizens must reject both xenophobia and tolerance of illegal immigration.
29 June 2026 · The Namibian →
An opinion piece argues that across religion, economics, and politics, Namibians are promised rewards later—heaven after death, development after structural adjustment, prosperity after elections—while gatekeepers remain unchanged. The author contends that the same IMF and World Bank institutions that rebuilt Europe after World War II have trapped Africa in debt and stagnant growth.
24 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
The government launched a multilateral development bank mission to finalise a Sectoral Transformation Investment Plan to access up to US$250 million in concessional climate financing under the Climate Investment Funds' Industry Decarbonisation Programme, aiming to support the transition of high-emitting sectors and scale up green industries.
23 June 2026 · The Namibian →
An analysis of South Africa's "Conference of the Left" in Ekurhuleni argues that the meeting signals a return of competing Cold War-style blocs—communist and capitalist—reshaped around state-led development and anti-imperialism versus inclusive capitalism. The writer warns Namibian and African leaders not to be drawn into antagonism that serves these blocs rather than their own material interests.
18 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
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.
24 May 2026 · The Namibian →
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.
12 May 2026 · The Namibian →
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.
10 May 2026 · The Namibian →
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.
26 April 2026 · The Namibian →
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.
23 April 2026 · New Era →
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.
14 April 2026 · The Namibian →
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.
11 April 2026 · The Namibian →
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.
1 April 2026 · New Era →
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.
24 March 2026 · New Era →
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.
19 March 2026 · The Namibian →
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.
16 March 2026 · The Namibian →
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.
12 March 2026 · New Era →
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.
6 March 2026 · The Namibian →
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.
26 February 2026 · New Era →