Day: May 10, 2023

The lack of a comprehensive database on the Namibian diaspora make it difficult to ascertain the living conditions and wellbeing of Namibians abroad, Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation Executive Director, Ambassador Penda Naanda has said.

Naanda said no accurate current data exists on the number of Namibians living abroad. A 2013 study by the United Nations however indicated that in 2013, there were 137 498 Namibians living abroad.

According to available data from Namibian missions, the majority live in South Africa, followed by Zambia and the United States of America. This data is however not conclusive and more accurate information is needed, he stated.

Naanda was speaking at the opening of the first multi-sectoral technical workshop on the development of the implementation plan for the draft national policy on the Namibian diaspora in Swakopmund today.

“With only 34 diplomatic missions around the world covering over 100 countries, it is imperative for the government to establish a policy that will enhance engagement between various Namibian institutions and the Namibian diaspora,” the executive director stated.

Source: NAMPA

Namibian athletes and their management team arrived in Italy on Monday night for the fourth round of the World Para Athletics (WPA) Grand Prix that will be held in the city of Jesolo, Italy.

The fourth round of the WPA Grand Prix will be held from 12 to 14 May 2023 at the Armando Picchi Stadium.

From February to May this year, four cities around the world welcomed Para-athletes as they celebrated the 10th anniversary of the WPA Grand Prix. At the fifth Grand Prix of the year, Team Namibia will be represented by nine athletes and five guides over the three days of competition.

Speaking to Nampa on Tuesday, the team’s Chef de Mission for the games Jean-Paul Schmidt who is the treasurer for the Namibia Paralympic Committee (NPC), said coming to Europe is meant to prepare athletes well ahead of the World Championships.

“As a body that wants to grow, we are happy to see all our athletes ranked in the top 10 in their respective categories made the trip. Our goal is to compete with the best in the world and improve the number of slot allocations to us as a country ahead of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games,” he said.

Schmidt added that the NPC hopes for all its athletes to be at their best during the 2023 International Paralympic Committee World Athletics Championships in France.

“The team has arrived in Italy but there are still small logistics that we are dealing with back at home. I am hopeful that come competition day everything would have been sorted out and our athletes will be winning silverware for us in Italy before we proceed to Notwil, Switzerland for our last Grand Prix before the World Champs,” Schmidt said.

Namibian athletes who travelled with the team are T11 male sprinters, Ananias Shikongo, Kinda Chris, and Alfredo Bernado, T11 female sprinter Lahja Ishitile, and T12 sprinter Lahja Ipinge, T13 sprinter Johannes Nambala, T47 sprinter Bradley Murere, T37 sprinter Petrus Karuli, and T64 sprinter Denzel Namene.

The athletes are accompanied by guides Even Tjiuiju, Hatango Murere, Kelvin Goagoseb, Philipus Paulus and Sem Shimanda.

The management team consists of Schmidt, team manager Michael Hamukwaya, Ruan Mocke (physiotherapist), Letu Hamhola (head coach) and Naomi Schmidt (assistant coach).

Source: NAMPA

Vice President Nangolo Mbumba said human-wildlife conflict (HWC) should not be the responsibility of the government and the line ministry alone but that of everyone.

Mbumba at the commencement of a three-day National Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict Management here Wednesday said human-wildlife conflict is complex and thus requires multidimensional solutions.

“The impact of this conflict on people and their property is a difficult challenge that conservation agencies and institutions such as the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism are facing,” he said.

He noted that innovative approaches are being considered to reduce the level of HWC to ensure that the benefits of conservation far outweigh the cost and to build on the significant successes already achieved.

Mbumba also noted that conservancies are now benefiting 245 000 people in various regions.

He thus called upon the national conference to review and discuss progress, challenges, and opportunities in the implementation of this policy so that they may have specific resolutions and actions to implement specific preventative, protective, and mitigative strategies for HWC management.

On his part Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta said policies have been and are developed to address specific environmental and wildlife management issues, rural development, tourism development and poverty reduction.

One such policy is the National Policy on Human-Wildlife Conflict Management that was approved by Cabinet and put in place in 2009 and revised in 2018.

He emphasised that the scale and urgency of the problem require the government to develop an integrated, flexible and comprehensive policy towards dealing with HWC and that can provide a framework for all stakeholders and can meet the country’s national and international commitments to biodiversity conservation while taking into account the rights and development needs of the people.

Shifeta stressed that more needs to be done in the implementation of this policy, and in putting mitigation and preventative measure to manage human-wildlife conflict.

The conference aims at reducing and managing human-wildlife conflicts in the country.

Source: NAMPA

President Hage Geingob has appointed Vasco Sampofu as the new Ambassador of Namibia to Austria.

Sampofu who is replacing Ambassador Nada Kruger was commissioned on Wednesday at State House after serving as Counsellor at the Namibian High Commission in South Africa.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony Geingob said he has entrusted Sampofu to promote and protect Namibia’s national interests above all ends, noting, especially with the envisioned green hydrogen sector and the discovery of oil in Namibia which present investment and economic opportunities.

“The national interests of Namibia and the wellbeing of its people should be at the forefront of all your activities. I expect Namibia to gain more trading partners from Austria,” said Geingob.

The Head of State further charged Sampofu with serving all Namibian nationals in Austria with utmost courtesy.

Source: NAMPA

Vice President Nangolo Mbumba said human-wildlife conflict (HWC) should not be the responsibility of the government and the line ministry alone but that of everyone.

Mbumba at the commencement of a three-day National Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict Management here yesterday said human-wildlife conflict is complex and thus requires multidimensional solutions.

“The impact of this conflict on people and their property is a difficult challenge that conservation agencies and institutions such as the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism are facing,” he said.

He noted that innovative approaches are being considered to reduce the level of HWC to ensure that the benefits of conservation far outweigh the cost and to build on the significant successes already achieved.

Mbumba also noted that conservancies are now benefiting 245 000 people in various regions.

He thus called upon the national conference to review and discuss progress, challenges, and opportunities in the implementation of this policy so that they may have specific resolutions and actions to implement specific preventative, protective, and mitigative strategies for HWC management.

Source: NAMPA