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Sandboarding makes a post-COVID comeback in Namibia desert town

Sandboarding makes a post-COVID comeback in Namibia desert town

SET against miles of mesmerizing sand dunes, Namibia's seaside resort town of Swakopmund is seeing a boom in sandboarding, buoyed by a near-doubling of the numbers of cruise liners docking at nearby Walvis Bay last year. Lying between the 80,000 square km (31,000 square miles) Namib desert and the sea, Swakopmund is drawing tourists back, three years after lockdown brought Namibia's visitor numbers - previously around a million a year - to a standstill. Many of them are tempted by the thrill of this extreme sport, which involves sliding down sand dunes standing up or lying down on a board…
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Namibia courts affluent global retirees, high net worth investors as Africa’s golden visas gain ground

Namibia courts affluent global retirees, high net worth investors as Africa’s golden visas gain ground

UNTIL recently, foreigners seeking Namibian residency through the country's residency-for-investment scheme famously had to purchase real estate at President's Links Estate. Thanks to increased demand, units in that estate will now set buyers back around US$365,000, The luxury estate, on the Bay of Whales, advertises attractions that are now being touted by similar schemes across Africa: access to a pristine coastal area famous for its high-quality seafood and stunning vistas as well as eco-friendly modern homes, villas, and world-class amenities. A new, special concession for retirees aged over 60, however, has seen Namibia's entry point for foreigners lowered to US$300,000.…
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Namibia central bank keeps repo rate and key forecasts unchanged

Namibia central bank keeps repo rate and key forecasts unchanged

NAMIBIA'S central bank kept its main interest rate unchanged for the fourth meeting in a row, sticking to its forecasts for this year's economic growth and inflation. The southern African country's repo rate has been at 7.75% (NACBIR=ECI) since June 2023. "With real interest rates remaining positive, and slow credit growth, amid a fair level of international reserves, the MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) decided to maintain the repo rate at its current level," the Bank of Namibia said in a statement. Inflation edged up to 5.4% year on year in January (NACPIY=ECI),  from 5.3% in December. It is projected to average 4.8% in…
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Tributes for late Namibia president, 1st woman head of state on the cards

Tributes for late Namibia president, 1st woman head of state on the cards

TRIBUTES have poured in for Hein Geingob, the Namibian president who lost his battle against cancer on Sunday. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa paid a warm tribute to Geingob both as freedom fighter and head of state. Ramaphosa said: "Today, South Africa joins the people of our sister state Namibia in mourning the passing of a leader, patriot and friend of South Africa. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Geingob family and the people of Namibia who have lost an outstanding leader in a year in which Namibia, like South Africa, is due to hold elections. “I am deeply…
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Namibia’s President Hage Geingob, 82, dies after cancer diagnosis

Namibia’s President Hage Geingob, 82, dies after cancer diagnosis

NAMIBIA'S President Hage Geingob, 82, died in hospital early, the presidency said, weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer. Geingob had been in charge of the thinly populated and mostly arid southern African country since 2015, the year he announced he had survived prostate cancer. Vice President Nangolo Mbumba takes the helm in Namibia - a mining hotspot with significant deposits of diamonds and the electric car battery ingredient lithium - until presidential and parliamentary elections at the end of the year. A presidency post on social media platform X did not give a cause of death, but late last month the…
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Namibia qualify for Cup of Nations last-16 for first time

Namibia qualify for Cup of Nations last-16 for first time

NAMIBIA qualified for the knockout phase of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time as they held Mali to a 0-0 draw in their last group game on Wednesday. Namibia qualified as one of the four best third-placed finishers after they ended their Group E campaign with four points. Mali won the group with five points and South Africa were second also with four, finishing above Namibia after beating them 4-0 on Sunday. Tunisia were eliminated after they drew 0-0 with South Africa in the other Group E game. Group winners Mali advance to a last-16 meeting with…
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The Herero people are scarred by the pain of Germany’s old “genocide”

The Herero people are scarred by the pain of Germany’s old “genocide”

ON January 12, 1904, the Herero people of Namibia revolted against the long-standing German colonial rule in search of their freedom. They had reached a point of saturation with the brutality of Germany’s occupation of their territory in what was then known as South West Africa. Armed to the teeth after secretly mobilising weapons to eject the unwelcome European imperialists, they encircled the German troops in what seemed like a final face-to-face with destiny.South West Africa had been under Germany’s colonial rule from 1884 until 1919, a total of 35 agonising years of living under the strict control of a…
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Namibia trim Africa Cup of Nations squad

Namibia trim Africa Cup of Nations squad

NAMIBIA have trimmed their squad for this month’s Africa Cup of Nations finals, cutting it down to 23 from the 28 who have been preparing in Ghana this week, the country’s football association said. They submitted a final squad list to the African Confederation before Wednesday’s deadline, with 11 players returning from the squad when Namibia last competed at the finals in Egypt in 2019. It includes Peter Shalulile, top scorer with South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns, and fullback Ryan Nyambe, who grew up in England and played at Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic before joining Derby County this season.…
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Green steel gathers pace in Africa

Green steel gathers pace in Africa

AFRICA is breaking away from emission-intensive steel production with a number of countries already on the path to operationalising green steel manufacturing plants. Namibia is racing to host the continent’s first exclusive green steel plant, having publicly announced that its flagship project is scheduled to begin operations in the last quarter of 2024. Earlier in November, Namibia broke ground at its HyIron Oshivela Project which will feature production based on the Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) steelmaking method, powered by wind and solar energy. The project, run by a consortium of German and Namibian companies and backed by the German Federal…
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Namibia starts construction of Africa’s first decarbonised iron plant

Namibia starts construction of Africa’s first decarbonised iron plant

NAMIBIA began construction of Africa's first decarbonised iron plant, to be powered exclusively by green hydrogen, the country's investment promotion body said. Steelmaking is one of the most polluting industries in the world and the industry is seeking to shift away from coal-fired plants and towards the use of decarbonised iron. The Oshivela project in western Namibia is backed by the German federal government, which has injected 13 million euros, and will use renewable energy to generate 15,000 tonnes of iron per year with no carbon emissions, the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) said in a statement. Namibia…
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