Namibia

WINDHOEK, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's central bank governor Johannes Gawaxab has warned that vaccine hesitancy and trivializing COVID-19 can be disastrous to the country's economy which is expected to recover gradually in 2021 by 1.4 percent and improve to a 3.4 percent growth rate in 2022.

Speaking at a public lecture on Friday evening, Gawaxab said stepping up of vaccination is a crucial element of reviving the economy, adding that if the southwest African nation does not get this right, restrictions would continue while the economy would continue struggling.

WINDHOEK, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- A group of Namibian farmers are changing the face of farming in the normally infertile soils of the desert that characterizes the Southern African country through the use of biochar as a form of natural fertilizer.

Marieke Voights, one of the farmers who are now running a thriving market gardening project on her farm about 40 km out of capital Windhoek towards the southern part of the country is reaping great rewards from the innovative farming technique.

WINDHOEK, June 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Namibia’s Ministry of Agriculture said it had detected an outbreak of red locusts in central regions of the southern African country and had sent pest control teams to the affected areas.

The large grasshopper species, which is marked by bright red wings, is common to sub-Saharan Africa and breeds abundantly under drought conditions followed by rain and rapid vegetation growth.

WINDHOEK, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The number of reported Hepatitis E cases in Namibia are on the decrease, statistics released by the Ministry of Health on Saturday show.

A total of 74 Hepatitis E (HEV) cases were reported countrywide between February 24 and March 8, compared to 102 cases reported during the previous two weeks.

The ministry of health declared an outbreak of Hepatitis E on December 14, 2017 in the capital Windhoek. The outbreak then spread to other regions around April 2018, eventually involving a total of ten regions.

WINDHOEK, Mar 22 (NNN-XINHUA) – Namibian President, Hage Geingob, was sworn in yesterday, for his second and last term, coinciding with the country’s 30th independence celebration.

Geingob underscored the need for unity among Namibians, and also thanked the other presidents from other African countries, who attended the inauguration.

“I am glad you are here to celebrate our triumph over oppression. The independence of Namibia will not have been attained, without the front-line states and Nigeria. I pay tribute to the international community for the support,” he said.

WINDHOEK (Reuters) - Namibia has arrested its former justice minister on suspicion of receiving kickbacks from Iceland’s biggest fishing firm in a scandal that has cast a shadow over the ruling party as it faces its toughest challenge to date in an election on Wednesday.

Anti-Corruption Commission Director General Paulus Noa confirmed on Wednesday that former minister Sakeus Shanghala and Investec Asset Management’s former Namibia chief, James Hatuikulipi, had been arrested. He declined further comment.

WINDHOEK, Oct 23 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — Swapo presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential election President Hage Geingob asked for a fixed term of five more years.

This he said is for the party to complete the programmes already started.

Geingob made the request at a fully packed Kuisebmond Soccer Stadium at Walvis Bay, where the Swapo Party kicked off their star rally campaign in view of the upcoming elections, slate for November this year.

WINDHOEK, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Namibia on Friday inaugurated the first ever asparagus agro-processing factory in the country's northern region of Omusati.

It is the result of a memorandum of understanding that Namibia signed with the Spanish company Industrias Alimentarias de Navarra in 2017.

WALVIS BAY, Namibia, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's quest to become an international trade hub and gateway advanced further Friday with the official inauguration of the country's 400-million-U.S.-dollar new container terminal in Walvis Bay by the county's President Hage Geingob.

The new container terminal located in the port town of Walvis Bay was constructed on 40 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea by China Harbor Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) under just five years.

WINDHOEK, May 13 (Xinhua): When there is a prolonged dry spell, the sea of withered amber crops becomes a common sight in the northern part of Namibia.

Every day before the sun was up, Liina Mupopya from Oshana region in northern Namibia came to observe her pearl millet field. However, the sight of withered crops disheartened her.

"The rain is delayed and some crops become withered. Some have not even germinated," said Mupoya.

Namibia had been experiencing droughts since 2013, affecting about 60 percent of the households dependent on crop farming and agriculture.