The Business Report Spotlight

In the Alexforbes Lead Story: Namibians have little say in how the national budget is made. The Open Budget Survey gives the country just seventeen out of one hundred for public participation, with zero for input during Parliament’s budget approval and zero at the audit stage. With Namibia continuing to fall short of international standards for budget transparency and public participation, Angie Scholtz sat down with the IPPR's Martha Nangolo to discuss this.

In the Namdeb SPOTLIGHT this evening, Angie is joined by Gys Joubert, the Managing Director at Gondwana Collection Namibia.

Today in Ghost Biz, Gary Stroebel and The Finance Ghost discuss: Boxer’s resilient results despite food deflation, rising costs, and tough trading conditions. Standard Bank’s investment in Nigerian fintech OPay ahead of its New York Stock Exchange IPO. How the OPay deal could give Standard Bank greater fintech exposure and a new channel to distribute its products in Nigeria.

In the Alexforbes Lead Story: RMB hosted a strategic thought leadership summit in Windhoek focused on Namibia’s economic future. The Namibia 2035 summit brought together business leaders, policymakers, investors and development partners to discuss building the foundations of the country’s next economy. Key areas discussed included energy transition, infrastructure, technology and innovation, mining, logistics, sustainability and green growth. Angie Scholtz sat down with Daniel Motinga, the CEO of RMB Namibia.

Coming up in the Market Watch - Michelle van Wyk speaks to Panduleni Shaduka from Cirrus about Namibia’s widening budget deficit, falling revenue and rising government expenditure. They also discuss the country’s growing debt burden, the pressure on public finances, and why a final investment decision on oil and gas could be crucial to Namibia’s economic outlook.

In Tech Talk Gerald tells us all about data minimization.

In the Alexforbes Lead Story: Following the outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in the //Kharas Region, Angie Scholtz sat down with Meatco Interim Chief Executive Officer Albertus Aochamub to discuss the impact of the outbreak on Namibia’s livestock industry and meat exports.

In the Namdeb SPOTLIGHT this evening, Angie is joined by Carel Fourie, the Managing Director at Simonis Storm.

Today in Ghost Biz, Gary Stroebel and The Finance Ghost discuss: Sanlam’s plan to take full control of Santam — and the premium being offered to shareholders. Outsurance’s shareholding restructure, what it says about insider confidence in the business, as well as Outsurance’s growth in Australia and Ireland — and how its approach differs from Santam’s.

In Tech Talk Gerald tells us all about Phishing, smishing, vishing and quishing.

Coming up in the Market Watch - Michelle van Wyk speaks to Eloise du Plessis from PSG about rising US Treasury yields, persistent inflation, and why higher borrowing costs could have an impact across global markets. They also look at the surprising strength of equity markets, despite rising bond yields, and the role of the AI boom.

In the Alexforbes Lead Story: The European Union has temporarily suspended some Namibian meat imports following a Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak in //Kharas. The restrictions affect fresh meat from cattle, sheep and goats, as well as certain processed meat products. Angie Scholtz sat down with the EU Ambassador to Namibia, Ana-Beatriz Martins, to discuss this.

In the Alexforbes Lead Story: Zimbabwe’s national trade promotion agency, ZimTrade, will host a three-day exploratory trade mission in Namibia from 7 to 9 October. The mission, facilitated by the Zimbabwean Embassy, will bring together businesses from both countries to explore trade, market access and investment partnerships. Angie Scholtz sat down with the Zimbabwean Ambassador to Namibia, Melody Chaurura.

In a special edition to our Namdeb SPOTLIGHT this evening, Angie sat down with the former Director-General of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Paulus Noa, about his 20 years in office.

Today in Ghost Biz, Gary Stroebel and The Finance Ghost discuss: Spar’s struggles, the loss of trust with independent retailers, and its plans to rebuild the wholesale business. Clicks’ acquisition of a controlling stake in Arc Store as it looks to expand beyond traditional pharmacy.

In Tech Talk Gerald tells us all about autonomous deployments.

Coming up in the Market Watch - Michelle van Wyk speaks to Ray Auala from RMB about Namibia’s inclusion in the JP Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index, and what this could mean for demand for Namibian bonds. They also discuss the CSD, government’s upcoming borrowing plan, and the expected two-billion-dollar October coupon payment and bond auction.

In the Alexforbes Lead Story: Namibia has partially lifted FMD restrictions after surveillance confirmed the outbreak remains localised to //Kharas. With limited livestock movement and slaughter now allowed under veterinary conditions, Angie Scholtz spoke to the Head of Investments at Simonis Storm, Max Rix, about the economic impact and what comes next.

In the Alexforbes Lead Story: Namibia’s beneficial ownership system may provide disclosure to regulators, but it does not go far enough in ensuring public transparency. This was said at a critical minerals conference in Swakopmund hosted by the Institute for Public Policy Research under its Eco Dialogue Collective. Angie Scholtz sat down with IPPR's research associate, Frederico Links, to discuss this.

Today in Ghost Biz, Gary Stroebel and The Finance Ghost discuss: Crookes Brothers’ unusual two-dollar sale of its Mozambican macadamia operations — and the debt behind it. Oceana’s latest trading update, with falling fish volumes putting pressure on parts of the business. This ranges from severe production declines to stronger catches in the US and local seafood operations.