namibia - The African Mirror

Sep

24

2024

Female elephants rumble to say ‘let’s go!’ New study in Namibia shows males do too, a sign of unexpected social bonds

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

IN elephant family groups made up of related females and their young, it is clear that the animals produce vocal sounds to coordinate action. This happens when it’s time to leave a waterhole, for example. The matriarch or dominant female steps away from the waterhole and turns to the direction she intends to move in. Then she flaps her ears as she makes a short call referred to as the “let’s go” rumble. What follows is a highly coordinated “conversation” of sorts. The female elephants in the group add their own rumbles, each waiting for the previous individual to finish…

Aug

29

2024

By The African Mirror

Namibia to cull hundreds of animals, including elephants, to address food shortages

NEWS

NAMIBIA has unveiled a controversial plan to cull 723 wild animals, including 83 elephants, as part of an urgent strategy to combat severe food shortages caused by a devastating drought, the worst in a century. The southern African nation aims to distribute meat from the culled animals to communities grappling with hunger across the region. Namibia's Ministry of Environment said the culling would occur in national parks and communal areas where animal populations have surpassed the available grazing and water resources. This decision comes in response to one of the worst droughts the region has experienced in decades, which has…

Aug

14

2024

By TINASHE MUSHAKAVANHU

Podcasts bring southern Africa’s liberation struggle to life – thanks to an innovative new audio archive

LIFESTYLE

MUCH has been written about the struggles for liberation in southern Africa that took place between the 1960s and early 1990s in countries such as Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. This period of history has been transcribed, interpreted and written about in books, academic monographs and colonial treatises. But the sounds and voices these wars and conflicts produced have largely remained muted. As a result, African liberation figures and histories can become one-dimensional and flattened. Now, a new podcast series, Echoes of Southern African Independence Struggles, resurfaces sound and audio archives of Swiss journalism that are mainly deposited…

Aug

01

2024

By HENNING MELBER

German colonialism in Africa has a chilling history – new book explores how it lives on

LITERATURE

GERMANY was a significant – and often brutal – colonial power in Africa. But this colonial history is not told as often as that of other imperialist nations. A new book called The Long Shadow of German Colonialism: Amnesia, Denialism and Revisionism aims to bring the past into the light. It explores not just the history of German colonialism, but also how its legacy has played out in German society, politics and the media. We asked Henning Melber about his book. What is the history of German colonialism in Africa? Imperial Germany was a latecomer in the scramble for Africa.…

Jul

25

2024

By TSITSI MAVAMBE and NHLANHLA MPOFU

Not all children read at the same pace – Namibia study shows how teachers can help those falling behind

EDUCATION

READING is a powerful tool. It introduces children to new ideas. It shapes their academic journey and progress. It also equips them with skills to navigate the world, both at school and beyond. Sadly, it’s estimated that more than 202 million children and young people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have age-appropriate reading, writing and numeracy skills. The region’s youth literacy rate (for people aged between 15 and 24) stands at about 77%. The global rate is 95%. Namibia performs above the regional average, with a youth literacy rate of 91.5%. But challenges persist. Many children with language barriers and…

Jun

22

2024

By The African Mirror

Oil exploration boom in Namibia

NEWS

NAMIBIA has become an oil exploration hotspot after several discoveries in recent years along its coast. It has not yet produced any oil or gas, but oil majors such as TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) and Shell (SHEL.L) have made discoveries estimated at 2.6 billion barrels, with production in the southern African country expected from about 2030. There have been discoveries in the Orange Basin and there are other prospective areas, including Luderitz, Kavango and Walvis basins. Below are details on the latest developments (in alphabetical order): CHEVRON (CVX.N) The U.S. oil major is expected to begin exploration later this year. It signed a development deal in April that will see it take an…

Jun

01

2024

By NYASHA CHINGONO

Southern African countries plan to expand special tourist visa

NEWS

FIVE Southern African countries committed to expanding the use of a special common visa to allow easier movement of tourists as the region seeks to boost arrivals. Officials from Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, countries that make up the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area, pledged in principle to broaden the use of the special visa, called a univisa, which allows entry into multiple countries. The univisa is currently used in Zambia and Zimbabwe and covers day trips to Botswana through Kazungula. Regional leaders attending a KAZA heads of state summit in Livingstone, Zambia, said they want the special visa…

May

10

2024

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Namibia commended in HIV and Hepatitis B battle

HEALTH

NAMIBIA is making significant strides in combating the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis B from mother to child, showcasing the effectiveness of government-led initiatives in addressing these two global health challenges, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). On Monday (May 6), the WHO awarded Namibia with “silver tier” and “bronze tier” certifications for its progressive trends towards reducing hepatitis B and HIV, respectively. According to Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s regional director for Africa, this achievement highlights the growing ability of African states to achieve vital health milestones through “committed political leadership and effective implementation of public health priorities.” “With concerted…

May

07

2024

By SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Namibia bets on Africa’s green hydrogen with US$267M export harbour

BUSINESS

NAMIBIA is gearing up its logistics infrastructure to handle future shipments of green hydrogen, with a planned US$267 million hydrogen harbour at the port of Walvis Bay, according to the country's port authority, Namport. Port of Antwerp Bruges will build the facility over the next three years, billed as a hub for shipping hydrogen and its byproducts to energy-hungry markets in Europe. These regions are actively seeking to reduce carbon emissions and are looking towards innovative solutions like green hydrogen, which cannot be achieved through electrification alone. The Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) and Port of Antwerp will equally own the…

Apr

23

2024

By SERGIO GONCALVES

Portugal’s Galp says field off Namibia could contain 10 billion barrels of oil

BUSINESS

PORTUGUESE oil company Galp Energia said that it had concluded the first phase of exploration in the Mopane field off the coast of Namibia and estimated it could have at least 10 billion barrels of oil. Galp said it conducted testing operations at the Mopane-1X well in January and the Mopane-2X well in March. In both wells, which are 8 kilometres apart, it said "significant light oil columns were discovered in high-quality reservoir sands". The Mopane field is located in the Orange Basin, along the coast of the southern African country, where Shell and France's TotalEnergies have made several oil and gas discoveries.…