WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR MSMES?
In 2017 the United Nations General Assembly designated 27 June as the day in the calendar year on which to recognise the vital role played by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the economy. While it did not come as a surprise, recognising the important wealth and job creation role of MSMEs globally was […]
SUSTAINABILITY IS KEY TO LONG-TERM SUCCESS
The corrugated packaging industry is a significant contributor to global packaging waste, which has harmful effects on the environment. Sustainability in this industry refers to the use of environmentally friendly practices and materials to reduce the negative impact of packaging on the environment. It is important to address sustainability in this industry, because the demand […]
THE MISSING ‘S’ IN ESG INVESTMENT DECISIONS
Inequality and its related social challenges are persistent realities in Southern Africa, so much so that it has unfortunately characterised the region unfavourably. Socio-economic challenges such as unemployment, lack of access to quality healthcare, water, education and inadequate infrastructure can be found under a myriad of news headlines and country evaluations. With this being the […]
STORIES THAT MATTER WITH STANDARD BANK
A SAFER LEARNING ENVIRONMENT – FOR THE SCHOOL FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED The School for the Visually Impaired in Khomasdal, a government school that caters for blind learners, children with albinism, learners with learning disabilities and visually impaired individuals, recently received a generous donation which has significantly improved their facilities. The donation, consisting of various […]
STORIES THAT MATTER WITH DEBMARINE
HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL – DEBMARINE NAMIBIA SUPPORTS ELUWA SPECIAL SCHOOL IN ONGWEDIVA In a world where barriers often hinder the potential of children with disabilities, a ray of hope shines brightly in Namibia. Debmarine Namibia, a renowned diamond recovery company, has taken a momentous step towards transforming the lives of exceptional children by making a […]
THE US BANKING CRISIS AND THE RISKS FOR NAMIBIA
Economic Pulse – June 2023 The largest global banking crisis since 2008 emerged in March this year, resulting in US regulators shutting down and selling three small- to mid-sized banks over the span of five days. In the same month, in Europe, troubled Swiss giant, Credit Suisse was take-over by a rival bank in a […]
TAKING STOCK OF 2023 SO FAR
Economic Pulse – May 2023 2023 was off to a flying start, with the first quarter of the year being a generally positive one for Namibia in terms of economic and financial developments. On the economic front, preliminary National Accounts data from the Namibia Statistics Agency show that Namibia recorded real GDP growth of 4.6% […]
STORIES THAT MATTER WITH STANDARD BANK
A VISION OF HOPE Hope Village has been a beneficiary of Standard Bank’s long-term support for over 14 years. According to the founder of Hope Village, Marietjie de Klerk, Standard Bank committed to the project wholeheartedly from the beginning. As the former MD, Mpumzi Pupuma, said, “We are in it for the long haul. We […]
STORIES THAT MATTER WITH STANDARD BANK
BRIGHTER DAY INITIATIVE The Brighter Day Hope Foundation is a psychosocial support and holistic education development organisation that has been operating in partnership with Standard Bank. It was endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture in November 2021. As part of the Brighter Day Initiative, psychosocial support services were rolled out in collaboration […]
TECHNOLOGY, AI AND JOB DISPLACEMENT
Economic Pulse – March 2023 The advent of new technologies has often raised concern that new, often more efficient ways of doing things, will lead to job displacement. This fear has not been limited to blue-collar jobs, as white-collar jobs have been equally “threatened” by the introduction of technologies such as calculators on computers. In […]