Day: May 24, 2023

The Namibian and United Kingdom (UK) governments are trying to find reasons for the increasing number of young Namibians going to the UK to claim asylum, British High Commissioner to Namibia, Charles Moore, has said.

Speaking to the media during a courtesy visit to State House on Tuesday, Moore said a large number of Namibians are still going to the UK to claim asylum, which remains a concern for the UK government.

In September 2022, Moore raised concern over the many young Namibians turning up in the UK claiming asylum to secure job opportunities, stressing that asylum is not for people looking for employment in the UK and that Namibians are abusing the system.

He noted that at one point in 2022, Namibia had the highest number of people seeking asylum in the UK.

Moore said Namibians are claiming asylum with various reasons, however, after assessment a vast number of cases have no grounds to claim asylum, noting that most people actually see a potential for a better life and economic enhancement in the UK.

“We still see a large number of Namibians claiming asylum in the UK, it has not decreased. We are still working on how we might address this and we have been talking to the Namibian government as well as trying to find reasons for it and see the ways to decrease it. No decision has been taken just yet… but we are still quite concerned about the numbers,” he noted.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The United States (US) Embassy has announced the selection of 16 participants from eight regions in Namibia for the 2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

The six-week professional development programme, hosted by college and university campuses across the United States, will help fellows develop their leadership skills through academic study, workshops, mentoring, networking with US leaders, and collaboration with local community members.

The embassy in a press release on Tuesday said the Mandela Washington Fellowship, which was established in 2014, is the flagship programme of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and reflects the United States’ commitment to investing in Africa’s future.

YALI was founded in 2010 to assist young Africans in promoting economic growth and prosperity, strengthening democratic governance, and enhancing peace and security across Africa, according to the statement.

“The Mandela Washington Fellowship has brought together approximately 6 000 young leaders from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2014,” it said.

It added that in June, 28 educational institutions in 20 states and the District of Columbia will host Leadership Institutes for about 700 Mandela Washington Fellows.

To date, the US Embassy in Namibia has sent over 140 young leaders to the US to engage in the programme.

The participants selected for the 2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship are Eunice Shapange from the Oshana Region; Ngundambiriko Katire (Otjozondjupa Region); Kina Indongo (Khomas); Joseph Ndondi (Ohangwena); Nelao Immanuel (Khomas); Fredrick Shipipa (Kavango East); Beatrice Schultz (Erongo); Rosalia Joseph (Otjozondjupa); Ellen Nanyeni (Khomas); Ruben Ndatitangi Angala (Khomas); Beverlyn Ganes (Kunene); Romanus Kanyanga (Hardap ); Fillemon Aupokolo (Khomas); Shange-Ndamona Mungoba (Oshana); Mose Ndjarakana (Khomas) and Laina Ndeshitila (Omusati).

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Committee of Ministers Responsible for Disaster Risk Management will meet in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday to review the region’s preparedness to address disaster risks and mitigate disaster impacts.

A statement issued by the SADC Secretariat on Wednesday said the meeting, taking place in Kinshasa, will assess progress on the implementation of SADC programmes aimed at strengthening the region’s readiness to deal with disaster risks and minimising the impact of disasters.

The ministers will also sign an Intergovernmental Memorandum of Agreement among SADC Member States to establish the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre.

The statement said the meeting will receive updates on the implementation of disaster risk management programmes and the status of the implementation of decisions made by the SADC Summit of Heads of State and SADC Council of Ministers.

The meeting will be chaired by Peter Kazadi Kankolongo, DRC’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Security, in his capacity as the chairperson of the Committee of SADC Ministers Responsible for Disaster Risk Management.

He will be assisted by Angèle Makombo N’tumba, the SADC Deputy Executive Secretary in charge of Regional Integration, who will be speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary of SADC.

The ministers will discuss a number of issues, including the development and implementation of the regional disaster risk financing facility and the operationalisation of the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre.

The centre is based in Mozambique and is intended to coordinate humanitarian and emergency support for member states affected by disasters.

The ministers will also consider the Regional Multi-Hazard Planning Framework 2022-2030, the SADC Regional Multi-Hazard Contingency Plan 2022-2023, and the proposed SADC Disaster Risk Management Strategy and Action Plan 2022-2030.

In addition, they will review the status of the activities of the regional vulnerability assessment and analysis programme.

The meeting of the SADC Senior Officials Responsible for Disaster Risk Management is preceded by the meeting of the Committee of SADC Ministers Responsible for Disaster Risk Management held on Wednesday and Thursday.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The United States (US) Embassy has announced the selection of 16 participants from eight regions in Namibia for the 2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

The six-week professional development programme, hosted by college and university campuses across the United States, will help fellows develop their leadership skills through academic study, workshops, mentoring, networking with US leaders, and collaboration with local community members.

The embassy in a press release yesterday said the Mandela Washington Fellowship, which was established in 2014, is the flagship programme of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and reflects the United States’ commitment to investing in Africa’s future.

YALI was founded in 2010 to assist young Africans in promoting economic growth and prosperity, strengthening democratic governance, and enhancing peace and security across Africa, according to the statement.

“The Mandela Washington Fellowship has brought together approximately 6 000 young leaders from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2014,” it said.

In June, 28 educational institutions in 20 states and the District of Columbia will host Leadership Institutes for about 700 Mandela Washington Fellows.

To date, the US Embassy in Namibia has sent over 140 young leaders to the US to engage in the programme.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency