Namibia
Namibians honor 'founding father' Nujoma at Windhoek memorial service
Namibians gathered in the capital Windhoek Friday for a memorial service to honor their "founding father" Sam Nujoma. Nujoma, who died on February 8th at age 95, will be buried at the Heroes' Acre on Saturday. Speaking at the ceremony, incoming Namibian President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said Nujoma’s death “signals an end of an era.” Nujoma, became Namibia's first democratically elected president after its independence from apartheid South Africa.
Voting issues in Namibia’s recent election causes some to question its legitimacy
China and the US are following Namibia’s election since both have mining concerns there
Namibia elections set for Wednesday
Namibia is preparing for its seventh presidential and National Assembly elections since gaining independence 34 years ago, with the ruling SWAPO Party facing potential shifts in support. The November 27 election marks a milestone as SWAPO fields its first female presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who could become Africa's third female president. The key question is whether SWAPO can recover from its loss of a two-thirds parliamentary majority in the last election and retain its long-held power. Vitalio Angula has the story from Windhoek, Namibia.
Namibia’s Electoral Commission works to ensure integrity and transparency in upcoming elections
Namibia welcomes back descendants of ethnic group who fled colonial-era brutality
In Namibia, descendants of people who fled German persecution in the early 1900s are returning to their ancestral homeland. The government of Namibia has set aside five commercial farms for the relocation of almost 100 ethnic Ovaherero people. Vitalio Angula reports from Windhoek, Namibia.
Namibia Electoral Commission invites poll observers to monitor upcoming elections
Africa seeks health workers from the diaspora
WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA — World Health Organizations authorities this week addressed a forum in Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, where they said Africa has a shortage of health care workers and warned that the matter would impede on the continent achieving universal health coverage by 2030.
Speaking at the first WHO Africa Health Workforce Forum held in Windhoek, Namibia's minister of health and social services, Kalumbi Shangula, warned that Africa’s shortage of health workers will impede the continent from achieving universal health coverage by 2030.
In order to reach universal health coverage by 2030 as envisaged in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals report, Africa needs to invest in training programs, offer incentives for health practitioners to remain in their home countries, and create initiatives to attract health professionals in the diaspora back to the continent.
Shangula spoke at the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter event this week.
“The number of Africans who have left the continent in search of greener pastures in other parts of the world are staggering," Shangula said. "It is a matter that needs to be addressed as a top priority for African governments and indeed all those who wish to see a shift in the historical as well as current trends.”
Africa has a ratio of 1.55 health workers per 1,000 people. That is below the recommended WHO threshold of 4.55 health workers per 1,000 people.
Africa’s Center for Disease Control Director-General Jean Kesaya says achieving universal health coverage by 2030 will require an additional 1.8 million health workers on the continent.
He says the critical shortage is projected to reach about 6.1 million by 2030 and is made worse by recurrent public health emergencies faced by countries on a daily basis.
“In 2023 alone, Africa recorded 166 disease outbreaks and the trend I see in 2024 is not good," Kesaya said. "AU member states are far from realizing the 2017 AU Assembly decisions that called for rapid recruitment, training and deployment of 2 million institutionalized community health workers by 2030.”
Global Health Director for the Africa Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI) Lee Whitaker says the institution has opened doors for diasporan healthcare workers to return to Africa and reverse the brain drain. He says the organization has “access to over forty-five-thousand black African physicians in America and only needs an invitation from the heart of any African state to come abroad.”
Dr. Arikana Chihombori is the president of the ADDI, an organization that is mobilizing the African diaspora to return and invest in the continent.
“Let the diaspora come in and invest in for-profit-clinics in Africa as well as for volunteer work in Africa," Chihombori said.
"It has to be balanced! Because if they are going to leave their work where they are in Europe, in America, they can be here a little bit longer if they are going to make money and also donate some of their time," she added.
Chihombori said a program that profits Africans in the diaspora would help address brain drain.
The initiative will stop "Africans from going to India" in pursuit of opportunities, the ADDI president said.
The forum, which was attended by health dignitaries from all over the world, concluded Wednesday with the launch of the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter that aims to mobilize and sustain development, performance and retention of the health workforce in African Union countries.
Namibia’s independent female candidate talks about her campaign for president
Namibia’s opposition IPC party claims youth appeal in upcoming election
Finance Crime Watchdog Adds Kenya and Namibia to its ‘Grey List’
PARIS — The Financial Action Task Force, FATF, international crime watchdog on Friday added Kenya and Namibia to its 'grey list' of countries that need increased monitoring, due to inadequate curbs against money laundering and terrorism financing.
"At this Plenary, the FATF added Kenya and Namibia to the list of jurisdictions subject to increased monitoring," the finance watchdog said in a statement.
Kenya’s Treasury had already said earlier on Friday that it had been put on the 'grey list'. It said it was fully committed to implementing the FATF's action plan and that the move would only have 'minimal effects' on the East African nation’s financial stability.
A report from the FATF last year said Kenya mainly faced risks from flows of money linked to terrorism financing from both inside and outside its borders, while cryptocurrencies posed further risks.
There are several militant groups operating in the region around Kenya, including the al-Shabab group in neighboring Somalia, which is linked to al-Qaida and has launched several attacks in Kenya in the past.
Namibia's Financial Intelligence Centre said earlier on Friday that putting the southern African nation on the 'grey list' could have negative impacts on its foreign direct investment.
Namibians Mourn Former President, Adapt to New Leadership
Namibians say they are still coming to terms with the death of President Hage Geingob who passed away on Saturday at age 82. Hours after Geingob’s passing, his Vice President Nangolo Mbumba was sworn in as his successor in a ceremony that experts hailed for its smooth transition of power. For more, reporter Confidence Musariri filed this report.
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