OCTOBER, 2020
The Namibia
ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY News & Analysis
A CLEANER FUTURE
IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE: It is "National Clean Up" Season in Namibia
From GHG to H2O New Owners for Elizabeth Bay Mine
CRONIMET goes Nexentury! CodeCave Coming Soon!
The NAMIBIA Country Briefing of RDJ Consulting
C O N T E N T S 4
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From The Editor
Quick Facts
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8
Economy at Large
Oil & Gas
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12
Mining
Renewable Energy
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16
Water
Environment & Sustainability
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Roads and Transport
Telecommunications
23 Financing
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"Women in Industry"
"Youth In Action"
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Tenders and Careers
Contributing Authors
OCTOBER, 2020
From the Editor A CLEANER FUTURE Dear Reader,
RDJ Consulting Services CC is an advisory consultancy to the Energy, Water and Transport Sectors with a focus on sustainable operations and renewable energy.
PO Box 23738 Windhoek, NAMIBIA Telephone +264 61 400 171 EMAIL briefing@rdjconsulting.co.za WEBSITE www.rdjconsulting.co.za
2020 has found Namibia doing “new normal’s” and still carrying on with some traditional activities. One annualized activity that we are happy to be able to continue at this time takes us to task and requires cleaning of our environment. This annual cleaning event is an initiative that has been carried at a national level since 2018 and so its continuance at this time is very welcomed. Residents are currently conducting various localized clean-up campaigns, while observing all the requisite Covid-19 protocols in order to maintain a healthy and sustainable environment. In fact, not only is the environment being cleaned, but many firms and industries are now looking towards recovery and stability, which leads to not only a cleaner, but also an economically heathier future for all. We at RDJ Briefing also continue to provide you with insights and awareness of the Energy and Sustainability landscapes as we join you in developing a “Cleaner Future”. Inside this edition, you will find expected topics such as: The 2020 National Clean Up Campaign The Agriculture Sector’ Exceptional Contribution to GDP Paratus Proves Profitable Amidst Covid-19 CodeCave Coming Soon! From GHG to H2O Zambezi Schools to Receive New Toilets and Showers To find out more, please enjoy reading this Publication which was carefully prepared for you by our interns and do join our conversations on Twitter and Wordpress . And, if you are new to the RDJ Briefing, subscribe to this FREE Publication at briefing@rdjconsulting.co.za and freely share the link with others that will benefit from its contents. Enjoy, #Stay Safe and Comments are welcome….
(David A. Jarrett) Editor
Authors RDJ Interns*
This report is a FREE Publication and was prepared by RDJ Consulting Services CC based in Windhoek, Namibia. The content is collected from publicly available information and so its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
89%
Literacy Rate
-1.1%
GDP Growth (2019)
3.75% Repo Rate
66.6%
Employment
2.3M
7.50%
Interest rate (Prime)
2.4%
Population Size
Inflation (CPI)- July 2020
quick facts
8.8M
LTE
Telecom (sophistication)
Tourism, Mining, Fishing Industries
2.575
Million Mobile(cell phones) Subscribers
Water availability (cubic litres/capita)
484.000
Electricity Gen. in MW (Local)
629.000
Electricity Demand in MW (all)
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OCTOBER, 2020
ECONOMY AT LARGE Agriculture Sector’s Exceptional Contribution to GDP
A representation of the top three sectors that positively contributed to the Namibian Economy during the second quarter of 2020 - NSA Data
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espite unfavorable conditions for economic growth since the declaration of Covid-19 as a pandemic, out of the sixteen (16) Namibian Economic Sectors,
only three (3) sectors have recorded a positive performance namely; the Agriculture and Forestry, Information And Communication Technology (ICT) and Health sectors. The appearance of the Agriculture and Forestry Sector in the top three sectors that positively contributed to the economic growth if Namibia was unexpected. This is because according to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), the sector had shown a 31.8% decline during the second quarter of 2019, which is contrary to the outcome in 2020. NSA reports that during the second quarter of 2020, the Agriculture and Forestry sector boosted the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 47.2% - a contribution of N$2.4 billion in real terms. The great improvement in the Agriculture Sector can be attributed to the good rainfall experienced in the year 2019/2020 which led to a bumper harvest.
Other sectors that positively impacted the economy as well were the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Health sectors. The positive performance in ICT is due to increased online working and learning during the Covid-Era. In fact, many institutions and firms have resorted to remote working and online studies to reduce face-to-face interactions as encouraged by the Covid-19 regulations. As a result, remote working and learnings have increased demand for internet services and hence, leaving the ICT Sector producing more. As for the Health Sector, the positive performance may have been triggered by the need for more health workers that were hired, as well as improvement of facilities along with constant funding for the wellbeing of individuals.
Readings:
https://www.namibian.com.na/95320/read/Crop-farming-to-therescue-in-second-quarter https://d3rp5jatom3eyn.cloudfront.net/cms/assets/documents/me dia_Statement__Economic_Statistics_-_24_September_2020.pdf https://nsa.org.na/ https://www.namibiansun.com/news/ecolegno-meets-govthalfway2020-10-05/
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OCTOBER, 2020
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Image Credit: RDJ Consulting
SACU Revenue Pool Evaporating
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ith the Covid-19 pandemic still making it hard for the global economy to return to normal, the members of the Southern African Customs Union
(SACU) have not been spared by its negative impact. With restrictions emanating on from the beginning of the pandemic (around March 2020) till now, SACU which is comprised of Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa has witnessed a great drop in revenue caused by the resultant limited trade. According to Eswatini’s Minister of Finance (Neal Rijkenberg), in addition to finalizing a more equal revenue sharing formula, there is need for SACU to diversify revenue stream. He also explained that last year’s revenue was N$120 billion with the proportion shares being South Africa receiving N$57.7 billion, Botswana N$23,7 billion, Namibia N$22,3 billion, Lesotho N$8,9 billion and Eswatini N$8,3 billion.
A Namibian Economist (Dr Kakujaha Matundu) also added to the Minister’s statement by pointing out that the fall in SACU revenue started about two (2) years back and worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also added that the impact of Covid-19 will be felt heavily all the way into 2022. Since SACU gets its revenue from import taxes, the pool will now come under increased strain. This will inevitably result in a reduction in government revenues, associated with more borrowing and increased public debt to unprecedented levels in some cases. The two urged the SADC economies to find ways of growing the economy, improve revenue generation and to generally diversify of revenue sources away from the SACU.
Readings: https://southerntimesafrica.com/site/news/sacu-revenue-poolevaporating
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OCTOBER, 2020
OIL AND GAS Gas or Hot Air?
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amibia is a 100% importer of oil and gas products, being a non-oil producing country.
However, there have been gas finds confirmed in 1974 in the seas off the South-West coastline of Namibia with some 1.3 billion cubic feet of gas in the wells. However, various issues have arisen so that up to the current time of writing (October 2020), no commercial beneficiation has occurred. Some of the challenges range from the depth below the sea of the find and decisions to be made on the method of transport from the wells to the economic points of utilization. This trend seems to follow most projects in the sector as the Reconnaissance Energy Africa gas exploration in the North-East of the country (which is some 1600 km away as the crow flies from the Kudu project), for failing to have a public consultation and even further issues surround the desire to carry out fracking in what is deemed an ecologically fragile environment.
The Kudu Gas concept
ReconAfrica states on its website https://reconafrica.com/ that it has a licence to explore the Kavango deep basis which it describes as a “world class Permian basin� that could generate billions of barrels. They also acknowledge that they are still in the exploratory phase which will be started with a three (3) well drilling program. ReconAfrica at a minimum now has a challenge to rectify any misconceptions that are accruing, while the Government of Namibia must restore public, environmental and investor confidence.
Readings:
https://www.namcor.com.na/kudu-gas/ https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/africa/266293/reconafrica-namibia-frackingenvironmentalists/ https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.96/jka.272.myftpupload.com/wpcontent/uploads/Dan-Jarvie-ReconAfrica-Geochemical-Analysis-1.pdf
Source: ReconAfrica Promotional website
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AUGUST, 2020
OCTOBER 2020 FUEL PRICES
N$ 11.65 per litre 95 Octane Unleaded Petrol
N$ 11.58 per litre Diesel 50ppm
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OCTOBER, 2020
NAMCOR
NAMCOR (National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia) is the national oil company of Namibia. The Board of Directors through its Chair (Ms.Jennifer Comalie) has announced the reappointment of its’ Managing Director, Mr. Immanuel Mulunga to serve from 1 October 2020 for a 5 year term. The company has over the last 5 years seen unqualified audits, building of a NS 5 billion Oil Storgae facility and rollout of retail service station across the country. NAMCOR has also announced that to help it achieve its objective of having a larger market share, it now has added its own branded range of lubricants for sale at its retail outlets.
NAMCOR's branded oil range (Courtesy of NAMCOR)
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OCTOBER, 2020
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MINING New Owners for Elizabeth Bay Mine
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amdeb Diamond Corporation (Pty) Limited has sold its Elizabeth Bay Mine to the Sperrgebiet Diamond Mining (SDM) Proprietary Limited, which is a
subsidiary of the wholly owned Namibian company called Lewcor Group. Lewcor is a diversified natural resource company that performs land-based exploration, mining and rehabilitation operation and services in Namibia. The Elizabeth Bay Mine is located in Lüderitz and was put up for sale in 2018 because there was a need for a new owner that could afford the day to day operations of the mine. The new buyer was found in 2019 at a price of US$ 8.3 million (approximately N$ 120 million). Namdeb’s Chief Executive Officer explained that despite selling the mine which was the last resort, “it is hard to part ways with the mine since it is an asset that has made a
great contribution to the community of Luderitz, Namdeb and Namibia at large”. According to Namdeb’s Board, Deputy Chairperson, the taking over of Elizabeth Mine by SDM will spearhead the much-needed economic opportunities in Luderitz and Namibia at Large, especially at this crucial time of high unemployment rates, coupled with the Covid-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, SDN is looking forward to successfully operating the mine in a way that would yield a long-term plan for both onshore and offshore mining.
Readings: https://www.namibiansun.com/news/namdebsperrgebiet-conclude-buyingof-elizabeth-bay2020-10-06/ https://www.namibian.com.na/95280/read/Elizabeth-Bay-mine-dealfinalised https://www.sperrgebietdiamonds.com
Credit: The Namibian Newspaper
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OCTOBER, 2020
RENEWABLE ENERGY Anirep Promoted to NSX Main Board
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pha Namibia Industries Renewable Power Limited (Anirep) which started as a Capital Pool Company (CPC), was in September 2020 promoted to the
main board of premier on the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX). The promotion came after Anirep completed the acquisition of stakes in two renewable companies; HopSol Power Generation (Pty) Ltd and HopSol Africa (Pty) Ltd. Prior to the promotion, Anirep was listed since 2019 on the developmental board. A Capital Pool Company is a new shell company listed on the stock exchange but has no commercial transactions and no assets, except cash and its goal is to identify and acquire an active business. Anirep is the first listed strategic investor in renewable energy projects in Namibia and the second capital pool company. In 2019, the company reported to have successfully raised more than N$110 million from its target of N$250 million, which was raised from institutional and retail investors via a private placement process. Anirep was formed and incorporated in Windhoek,
Namibia in 2018 with the sole purpose of facilitating the investment of long-term capital into infrastructural renewable energy projects in Namibia and Sub-Sahara Africa, with much concentration on renewable sector in generation, transmission and distribution. So far, out of the 150MW target, Anirep has installed 100MW solar plants countrywide, and is now made up two established solar PV grid connected utility plants of 10 MW with sustainable long-term cash flows and the leading EPC O&M Contractor for solar PV. According to the Anirep Board, the upgrade will allow the company to become a significant clean energy utility with sustainable cash flows and will aid further allocation of capital by an investor. As of September 2020, Anirep shares are reported to be priced at N$10 per share.
Readings: https://www.observer24.com.na/anirep-gets-nsx-main-board-nod/ https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-a-stock-exchange-358113 https://www.namibian.com.na/95282/read/Alpha-Industries-elevate-toNSX-main-board https://www.anirep.com https://thebusinessprofessor.com/lesson/capital-pool-companydefinition/
Credit: RDJ Photo (bottom) and NSX Logo (map)
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OCTOBER, 2020
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22 September 2020 - PRESS RELEASE CRONIMET goes Nexentury! CRONIMET announces a merger with Namibia’s O&L Group and launches O&L Nexentury. Munich, August 18th, 2020. CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions GmbH (the Company), a German-based renewable energy project development, EPC, investment, and asset management company has merged with the Ohlthaver & List Group (O&L), Namibia’s largest privately held group of companies. After half a decade of successfully partnering with CRONIMET in Namibia through a joint venture, O&L has acquired the majority stake in what was CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions GmbH, from the exiting major shareholder CRONIMET Mining Energy AG, in Switzerland. And in cementing the corporate merger, today the Company announces the launch of its new trade name and brand “O&L Nexentury”. As of August 2020, “CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions” will no longer be marketed and from this point on the Company and its subsidiaries will operate under the trade name and brand O&L Nexentury GmbH. “With this merger, the two companies have aligned their renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure business models to expand development and asset aggregation throughout Africa and into Europe.”, stated Rollie Armstrong, Co-Founder and Managing Director of O&L Nexentury GmbH. “Capitalized with O&L Group’s rich Namibian history, its corporate culture and its financial muscle and combined with what was CRONIMET’s project development expertise, team diversity and track record, the new O&L Nexentury is set to be a major international force.” Steffen Kammerer, Co-Founder and Managing Director, added, “We are thrilled to officially be part of the O&L family after many successful years as partners as we inaugurate our next century by building a future together that enhances life and grows a profitable and long-term sustainable business.” “With this merger the O&L Energy Business enters into a new and very exciting area. By building an international business in Namibia, Africa and Europe we follow the O&L purpose ‘Creating a Future, Enhancing Life’”, said Bernd Walbaum, Managing Director of O&L Nexentury GmbH. About O&L Nexentury: O&L Nexentury GmbH is a German-based renewable energy company that develops, builds, finances, owns and operates utility scale solar PV power plants across sub-Saharan Africa. In just a few years, O&L Nexentury GmbH has become one of the leading solar photovoltaic developers and independent power producers in Southern Africa, with operating PV plants and projects under development in Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and several other African countries. To date, Nexentury has completed, is constructing, was awarded or has achieved pre-financial close on 11 African projects representing more than 40 MW of power, and has a development pipeline consisting more than 500 MW of utility scale PV and PV-Energy Storage project throughout Africa and Europe For further information on Nexentury please visit our website: www.olnexentury.com About the O&L Group: As a truly African company employing more than 6,000 people in various business sectors, the Ohlthaver & List Group is rooted in, and committed to, Africa and her people. O&L is Namibia’s largest privately held group of companies, with revenues contributing roughly 4% to GDP. It has business interests in food production, fishing, beverages, farming, retail trade, information technology, property leasing and development, renewable power generation, marine engineering, steel retailing, advertising and the leisure and hospitality industry. With annual revenues of over N$5 billion, O&L is a major contributor to state coffers and is in the position of being a significant contributor to GDP in Namibia. Wherever it operates, this diverse group is actively engaged in uplifting the lives of its employees, its consumers, and society generally. O&L is relentless in pursuit of its Purpose: ‘Creating a future, enhancing life’ while actively pursuing its Vision of ‘being a catalyst for positive change, creating new realities and fulfilling dreams’. www.ohlthaverlist.com Presss Contact Michelle Deville michelle.deville@ol-nx.com +49 7634 3500061 www.rdjconsulting.co.za
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OCTOBER, 2020
WATER Zambezi Schools to Receive New Toilets and Showers
Walvis Plans for a Direct Potable Reclamation Plant
he government of Namibia has constructed a new cleansing block amounting to about N$500 000 that includes eight toilets, six basins and four
ith the growth in population, demand for especially the basic resources such as water, food and housing also increase. This is the case
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showers for a school situated in the Zambezi region. The learners attending the Sikosinyana Senior Secondary School located in the Sibbinda Constituency will no longer have to utilise the bushes when needing toilets and showers after the realisation of this project. The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture made this exchange at the handing over ceremony in September. The Sikosinyana Senior Secondary School is one of the prime 32 schools in the region to gain from the government's Covid-19 School Infrastructure Renovation and Construction Programme. The program is budgeted for about N$14,9 million in total, and according to Regina Ndopu-Lubinda, the Chief Regional Officer of the Zambezi region, the purpose of this programme is to help the schools abide by the Covid-19 regulations. She revealed this at the delivering ceremony held on the 12th of September, and further informed the gathered attendees that 17 additional ablution facilities will shortly be handed over as 50% of the contractor’s work has already been done. Furthermore, Ndopu-Lubinda said that the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) is responsible for the construction of about six additional ablution blocks. At the time, 50% of this project had been completed at four schools, while the work at two other schools stood at 30%. The Sibbinda Constituency Councillor also took the platform at the same event to address the students and teachers to be guardians of these facilities and help combat vandalism. He believes that the lack of accessibility to established sanitation can create major problems within the learning environment.
Readings: https://www.namibian.com.na/94703/read/More-toilets-showers-forZambezi-school https://www.nbc.na/sikosinyana-secondary-school
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the town of Walvis Bay today. In fact, the Walvis Bay Municipality’s General Manager, John Esterhuizen recently disclosed that due to the growing population of the harbour town, along with the decrease in rainfall statistics in the region and the scarcity of water, the town is envisioning the establishment of a Direct Potable Reclamation (DPR) plant to create safe drinking water from managed municipal waste water. This decision was made following the example of the Windhoek – Gammams Wastewater Treatment Plant, as well as after carrying out the necessary research applicable for the area. According to Veolia, a water solutions and technology provider, the Windhoek – Gammams Wastewater Treatment Plant has been generating drinking water from its waste water for 50 years. The plant is known to be the first in the world to advance this type of process, authorised in 1968. Direct potable Reuse is the process of treating wastewater further that which has already been treated at a sewage facility. The purified water is then tested for drinking and afterwards re-settled directly into a drinking water distribution system. At the moment, the locals at Walvis Bay rely on Boreholes in the Kuiseb River and Omdel Aquifer to obtain their water. Hence, the authorities of the town had first resorted into the construction of a large seawater desalination plant to solve the water challenge of the town. However, due to the unfortunate hold up in setting it up, a Direct Potable Reclamation became the preferred substitute, as it was found to be less costly. Meanwhile, it is important to note that the planned reclamation plant at Walvis Bay is considered a short-term solution, until a long-term is brought forth.
Readings: https://www.namibian.com.na/94440/read/Walvis-to-turn-waste-waterinto-drinking-water https://allafrica.com/stories/202009080792.html https://www.namport.com.na/news/835/namibia-walvis-to-turn-wastewater-into-drinking-water/ https://www.namport.com.na/about-namport/walvis-bay-municipality/545/ http://www.walvisbaycc.org.na/ https://www.veolia.com
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OCTOBER, 2020
ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY The 2020 Campaign
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National
Cleaning
he arrival of September comes along with a very important subject in Namibia, that is – “The National Clean Up Campaign” which was officially
launched for the first time in 2018. Since then, at the end of September every year, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), together with many local “environmental wellness”– related institutions from both the public and private sector, get together and sensitize the public on the need to clean up the country. Despite the spread and impact of Covid-19, this year it was no different, but with a few procedures to be followed. The MEFT launched the Annual National Clean-Up Campaign for 2020 at the end of September, and during the launch, the Minister (MEFT) informed that the campaign activities planned were scheduled to run from 23 September to 31 March 2021. This means that for this year, Namibia will not have a dedicated national clean-up day, but individuals, groups and institutions may conduct clean-up activities any day of the campaign period and beyond, while adhering to all safety measures against Covid-19. In fact, due to Covid-19, the Minister recommends that all clean-up activities should be carried out by citizens while at the same time observing social distancing requirements as well as the use of masks to prevent the further spread of the virus. In order to coordinate cleaning, the Ministry is developing interactive platforms through which participation using virtual platforms such as social media will be encouraged, and the public is advised to look out for the “Trash Tug Challenge” which will be administered via social media platforms. Additionally, the Ministry also hopes to reward those dedicating themselves in cleaning up. To stand a chance to win prizes, individuals and groups conducting clean-ups are encouraged to take pictures before and after the clean-up, and then post the pictures using the hashtag #KeepNamibiaClean# stand a chance to win exciting prizes.
Readings: https://economist.com.na/56034/environment/annual-national-cleanup-campaign-launched/
Credit: RDJ Consulting
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OCTOBER, 2020
Credit: RDJ Consulting
N$346 000 Set Aside for Kunene Clean Up Campaign
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he Kunene regional governor has put in motion a clean-up campaign in the town of Outjo. This was announced while he adressed a number of Local
Authority Chief Executive Officers, Mayors and other attendees outside the offices of the town’s municipality at the launch event held on the 15th of September 2020, where discussins about the 2020 National Cleaning Campaign took place. In addition, he stated that the campaign is set to run up until the 13th of October throughout the region. Adaptive Building Land Construction (Ablc Nam) offered its support to the initiative by making a donation of 140 drums and other necessary materials for the campaign, including dustbins, black plastic refuse bags, water and masks. These materials were distributed to numerous local authorities within the region and made possible by the N$346 000 sponsorship by the company. The governor extended his thanks to the company for its donation as he beleived that it would help add value to people's lives. According to Ablc Nam, the plan for the clean-up campaign was brought to light atfter encountering mounts of waste that was inadequately diposed off during their trip to Khorixas and the various informal settlements in neighnboring towns within the region.
Readings: https://www.namibian.com.na/94790/read/N$346-000-for-Kuneneclean-up-campaign
Namibia Auctions 100 Buffalos
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he Namibian government has recently put up 100 buffaloes for sale as it tries to ease pressure on grazing land at the Waterberg Plateau Park. These
include a sum of 70 female and 30 male buffaloes from the park which had already been rounded up in “boma” enclosures. According to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), “it makes conservation sense to reduce the number of wildlife whenever the [land’s] carrying capacity is exceeded so that we can reduce the pressure on grazing and other resources in the park.” According to the MEFT, bidding for the animals will be open to game farmers in Namibia and abroad who rear animals for big game hunters to shoot, since its meat is eaten by many people. The buyers will however be expected to meet welfare and legal criteria and are expected to take responsibility for the animals soon after their bids have been accepted. However, foreign buyers are required to provide proof of exports rights in order to move buffalos to their homes.
Readings: https://economist.com.na/56034/environment/annual-national-cleanup-campaign-launched/
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OCTOBER, 2020
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ROADS AND TRANSPORT Upgraded Roads for Choto
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he Katima Mulilo Town Council and the Roads Authority (RA) through a memorandum of agreement that provides capacity building and
technical support, including roads, storm water engineering and project management joined forces with the expressed mission to enhance and revamp the gravel road of the two access roads in the town. Residents of the Choto location in Katima Mulilo who are unable to get to their homes due to roads that are easily flooded during the rainy season will now benefit from the joint venture between the Katima Mulilo Town Council and the Roads Authority. Since August 2020, the town council has commenced with improving and re-gravelling two of the access roads. On the 23rd of September 2020, the Katima Mulilo Town Council spokesperson, Pasval Ellijah stated that the council will over the course, disburse roughly N$600 000 for the purchasing of gravel material, with RA to cover the remaining expenses. In addition, she disclosed that this upgrade includes the installation of culverts making it possible for the flow of problematic storm water. According to an article published by the Namibian newspaper on the 24th of September 2020, the project is anticipated to be finalized by the end of October 2020,
but with a possibility of extension due to any disruption in getting the needed gravel materials in time.
Readings: https://www.nbc.na/news/katima-town-council-roads-authority-signcapacity-building-and-technical-support-mou.20054 https://www.namibian.com.na/95015/read/Facelift-for-Chotoaccess-roads
NAMPORT
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he Namibian Ports Authority (NAMPORT) has throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, continued to be a literal lifeline for goods and services required
by Namibia and landlocked countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. One area where NAMPORT via the Walvis Bay port is showing preference by shippers is for roll on / roll off vessels. This makes NAMPORT and the Port of Walvis Bay an important strategic centre to the region’s development.
Readings: https://www.namport.com.na/ https://www.namport.com.na/news/849/Namport-continues-to-bethe-preferred-harbour/
Roll on/ Roll off Ship (Courtesy of NamPort)
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DID YOU KNOW?
that Namibia’s railways saw the first train in the year 1895 and that it was immediately used for commercial purposes?
OCTOBER, 2020
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From GHG to H2O
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amibia being a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has via its Intended Nationally Determi-
-ned Contributions (INDC) in 20154 gave support to international efforts in tackling climate change and mitigating GHG emissions. The country aims for a reduction of about 89% of its Green House Gases GHG emissions at the 2030-time horizon compared to the 2010 business as usual (BAU) scenario. On reflection, the largest energy sector that contributes to Namibia’s GHG emissions is the Transport sector, estimated to account for as much as 70% of all emissions based on current data. With this in mind, there needs to be mitigations that not only reduces emissions but will provide the practical alternatives so that the required growth and development of the country’s economy. One possible and practical solution is the use of green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is the term used to describe hydrogen that has been created using renewable energy as the energy source of its production process. Hydrogen can then be created from electrolysis of water or from the steam-methane forming process. Namibia is well placed not only to replace its GHG imports related to transport and remote energy generation with hydrogen, but utilizing its large gigawatt (GW) renewable energy capacity, could become an exporter of hydrogen and affiliated value added products such as ammonia.
green hydrogen concept (Courtesy of geopura.com)
Green hydrogen also has the added advantage of allowing an increase in intermittent renewable energy into the National grid through its “balancing” impact and after sunset generation that could be achieved in the longterm. As one looks at Namibia’s vision of growth and development, the options to be clean and become a productive hub are improving by the atom.
Readings: www.met.gov.na the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) www.irena.org
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Hydrogen Fuel Cell powered Bus (Courtesy of IRENA)
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OCTOBER, 2020
TELECOMMUNICATIONS CodeCave Coming Soon!
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n the era of technology helping us navigate the challenges brought about by social distancing and travel bans, innovations are being made daily to
make life easier for everyone. In September 2020, DoBOx Trust announced the provision of a Centre that is adequately equipped, allowing technology lovers and coders to conduct their business adequately. The Centre is called CodeCave and is powered by Paratus Namibia Holdings Limited internet services. The CodeCave with its high-speed internet access, will be operated at a fee by the DoBOx Trust (which is part of Dololo). DoBOx is working in conjunction with the Finnish Embassy's Fund for Local Cooperation (FLC). The main aim of the Centre is to boost the entrepreneurial and technology ecosystem in Namibia. The Centre will give developing entrepreneurs a shared space with access to computer facilities, and it will empower coders and software developers to improve their skills, exposing them to a dynamic network at the same time and will also provide shared resources for teaching coding and software development. In order to entice interested parties and also promote awareness, the CodeCave is inviting freelancers who need a place to code, and coding enterprises via a 30-day user promotion.
Paratus Proves Profitable Amidst Covid-19
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espite the negative impact of Covid-19, some sectors like the ICT sector are showing growth. One result of the increase activity in the ICT sector
is the increase in the profitability of the main subsidiary, Paratus Namibia Holdings Limited which rests on the back of the revenue growth and improved operating margins. This growth has been estimated to yield a 30% increase in earnings for the financial year 2020 (ending in May 2020). According to an update from Paratus Holdings on the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) news platform, shareholders should expect the results of the financial year 2020 to be substantially higher than 2019. The increase can be attributed to an increase in shareholding in Paratus Telecommunications to 100%, the Covid-19 restrictions and the longer period of the financial period of 16 months. Paratus Holdings’ major shareholder is the Capricorn Group.
Readings: https://www.namibian.com.na/94911/read/Paratus-signals-better-resultsfor-2020
Readings: https://allafrica.com/stories/202009250744.html https://www.namibian.com.na/95056/read/Aspiring-coders-get-aplayground
Credit: RDJ Consulting
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OCTOBER, 2020
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FINANCING Standard Bank Finances Construction of 20 Homes in Twaloloka-Walvis Bay
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Old Mutual Contributes Towards 2021 National Census
ince the tragic fire incident in the Twaloloka community of Walvis Bay in July 2020, which left residents homeless, individuals and various firms
made donations to assist those affected. Donations included food, clothes, sanitation essentials like mobile toilets, masks, sanitizers, water, etc. These actions have helped ease the burden of the residents of the location. Standard Bank Namibia joined the move by raising funds for housing. The Bank has reported to have launched the Footprint Socks Campaign under the Buy-a-Brick Initiative to sell specially designed socks in order to raise funds for the project of building houses for the victims.
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s Namibia prepares for its fourth (4th) Population and Housing Census Survey scheduled for 2020, Old Mutual, in its celebration of 100 years of existence
-in the country has come forth to assist the Census process with a contribution of about N$120 000. Census is a national survey that is carried out by governments to know how many people are living in a country, along with information on number of people per household, their gender, age, sex and race. In Namibia, the national census is conducted every ten (10) years, and this is important as it helps with planning and budgeting.
At the moment, the campaign has raised enough funds to kick start with the project, and will be assisting the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) at Walvis Bay to construct 20 houses on a piece of land adjacent to Twaloloka (now called Otweya) to replace shacks which were destroyed by the fire.
Kosmas Egumbo the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Old Mutual who spoke at the handover of the contribution to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) explained that as signatory to the United Nations’ Development Goals, the contribution was in line with the company’s ethics. He added that his company is looking forward to a successful census whose outcome may help different sectors to have financial literacy and inclusion in order to facilitate growth and develop the right products and services.
Readings:
Readings:
https://neweralive.na/posts/bank-assists-shack-dwellers-to-build20-homes
https://abc7news.com/census-2020-faq-what-is-the-used-for/5718714/ https://nsa.org.na/post/old-mutual-played-their-part https://www.namibian.com.na/95290/read/Donation-made-for-Nationalcensus https://www.oldmutual.com.na/about-old-mutual/news/oldmutual-namibia-helps-mobilise-better-data-better-decisions-andbetter-lives
An informal Settlemnt in Namibia - Credit: RDJ Consulting
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OCTOBER, 2020
WOMEN IN INDUSTRY Interview with Ms. Sabrina Steinhauser Interviewed by Ms. Kina Indongo (Communications Specialist - RDJ Consulting)
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n this article, we had the honour of speaking to an international powerhouse Ms. Sabrina Steinhauser. And get insight into the extraordinary world of the working woman from a different part of the world.
Personal Journey Ms. Steinhauser has a Bachelor of Science in Geography with focus on Economics from the LudwigMaximilian-University in Munich, Germany, and a Master of Arts Degree in International Business Studies with focus on Marketing from the University of Applied Science in Kufstein, Austria.
Professional Journey Like many other remarkable women, Ms. Steinhauser has an impressive occupational background. Starting her career with Internships in the government sector: During her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree she completed two internships which were her first real practical experience in her career. The first internship was with the Chamber of Trade and Commerce (German Economic policy organisation focused on expanding sustainable growth and development opportunities in government) in Munich in the Foreign trade department where she championed the Export Tournee Bayern 2010 / 2011 campaign, with authority over the full process of organisation, planning, execution, management, and follow-up for a total of 19 events.
Believing in yourself is crucial when you want to be successful in a world where you belong to the minority. www.rdjconsulting.co.za
OCTOBER, 2020 Ms. Steinhauser was the point person between a diverse regional, political, and event stakeholders to achieve key milestones and she served as the public face of public relations for each event, including managing press releases and post-event evaluations. Her second internship was at Bayern International (Bavaria’s first SMB export promotion company) where she acted as key support specialist for international delegation trips and trade fairs, including handling fair and event benchmarking. Furthermore, she coordinated creative and conceptual development of individual delegation brochures, press releases, web presences, and event materials and contributed to public relations and event participation. Ms. Steinhauser's first job position was as the Executive Assistant at CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions GmbH. As an Executive Assistant she was responsible for the Office Management of the company’s Headquarter as well as international subsidiaries and was responsible for the management of the group’s marketing department. Additionally, she supported the Legal and Human Resources department as well as the project management department. After two and a half years in this position she was promoted to Corporate Manager where she headed the corporate department and took over directorship roles in their Namibian entities CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions Namibia and OLC Solar Energy Corporation.
“Since I was a child, my dream was always to be the General Manager of a big company in the USA someday. I actually don’t know why but I suppose because of some Hollywood movies.” ............................
"Now that I have reached this goal, I can say it is definitely worth all the effort, the long days in offices and the hard work. You constantly develop a better version of you and at the end of the day it is you should be proud of.” said Ms. Steinhauser.
Ms. Steinhauser
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After a year and a half in this role she was promoted again to General Manager of CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions GmbH (now trading as O&L Nexentury GmbH) just before her 30th birthday.
O&L Nexentury GmbH As General Manager at O&L Nexentury GmbH, Ms. Steinhauser is heading the Corporate department and oversees the company's group entities on a corporate and project management level. In July 2020 the merger with the O&L Group in Namibia O&L Nexentury was born out of CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions GmbH and O&L Finance Trading Corporation. O&L Nexentury is a leading African focused renewable energy Independent Power Producer (IPP) developer, an engineering, procurement, and construction contract management company and a strategic investor in the IPPs it develops. With a focus on utility scale PV, its own developments range from a few hundred kilowatts to multimegawatt on and off-grid installations. The company specializes in the development, financing, construction, and longterm operations of captive photovoltaic and hybrid PV/ thermal/ battery storage power solutions to power Africa’s public and private sectors. Nexentury provides its clients innovative and bankable power generation facilities while ensuring cost effective and reliable clean energy supply.
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Within her scope of work as the General Manager of the O&L Nexentury group she directs the company operations on a daily basis, including overseeing strategic execution in critical areas such as marketing, workforce development, project management, accounting, finance, and business administration. Apart from that, Ms. Steinhauser also handles all approvals, controlling payments, cash flow, legal, and planning for key projects and supervises the accounting and VAT including liaising with leadership teams on budget planning and financial statements. As a key member of the board, she is also involved in forward-thinking business stewardship and roadmaps and administers bank accounts, exchange control approval for loans, visas, and new company foundations.
Woman in the workplace Ms. Steinhauser doesn’t think that she employs any specific skills to accomplish her role but rather a combination of different skill sets. She adds that she believes her personality plays a major role within this combination. She citates Muhammad Ali: “It's the lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and believe in myself” said Ms Steinhauser. “Believing in yourself is crucial when you want to be successful in a world where you belong to the minority” said Ms Steinhauser. This combined with endurance, hard work and an efficient teamwork can move rocks in her opinion and resolve any problem. Over the past years Ms. Steinhauser has learned to concentrate fully on the problem and the problem and its why and how to get back in line. This allows her to work in a focused and efficient way “The crucial point is how we decide to
deal with challenges. To overcome setbacks in the long term, we must show endurance, we need to keep at it and – especially in a male-dominated working world - not let ourselves be beaten.” said Ms. Steinhauser In fact, she believes that most people are afraid of challenges because they doubt themselves. She says of herself that even though challenges can be overwhelming sometimes making you think “I cannot do this, I don’t even know where to start” it is challenges that drive her motivation and her ambition. “Since I was a child, my dream was always to be the General Manager of a big company in the USA someday. I actually don’t know why but I suppose because of some Hollywood movies.” said Ms. Steinhauser and she achieved that dream just before she turned 30, she was promoted to General Manager of a leading African focused renewable energy company and is now based in Cape Town. “Coming from a little village in the Bavarian forest, I never felt like rural life was for me. I wanted to see the world and make a difference, and I wanted to be that boss lady in an international company.” said Ms. Steinhauser. Ms. Steinhauser said she kept her dream alive by constantly reminding herself of this goal through school, university, and job interviews. Her path was not easy, and it came with a lot of sacrifices, but she never lost her focus on her goal, which kept her going even through rough times. “Now that I have reached this goal, I can say it is definitely worth all the effort, the long days in offices and the hard work. You constantly develop a better version of you and at the end of the day it is you should be proud of.” said Ms. Steinhauser. She adds on how O&L Nexentury played an important part in her career. With O&L Nexentury she had the opportunity to help shape the future in addition to her own
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personal success due to the company's flexible and supportive working culture. The areas of renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure are contributing to a better, sustainable tomorrow in Africa and in Europe, which gives her additional drive to do her best everyday as she knows that she is contributing to a better and more sustainable future. to a better and more sustainable future.
Challenges However no success is without its fair share of challenges. One of the challenges Ms. Steinhauser faces is a male dominated and conservative industry. As a young woman in a leading position she often experiences an attitude of disregard. “I feel that as a woman you must constantly prove yourself and perform on a much higher level than our male counterparts. Even after you proved yourself you must still fight for acknowledgment and recognition.” said Steinhauser.
“It's the lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and believe in myself”
Muhammad Ali
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OCTOBER, 2020
YOUTH IN ACTION Interview with Mr. Olavi Hangula Interviewed by Ms. Kina Indongo (Communications Specialist - RDJ Consulting)
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n our youth section we had the opportunity to catch up with the mover and shaker Mr. Olvai Hangula. In this article, we get insight into the private and extraordinary journey of the young business and political analyst.
Personal Journey Mr. Hangula’s educational background dates back to Van Rhyn Primary School. He then continued on to Windhoek Gymnasium Private School for his secondary education, where he received a scholarship in his final year of High school to attend the United World College in New Mexico. He spent two years at the college completing an International Baccalaureate Diploma which he obtained in 2017. He is now in his final year at the University of Rochester completing a B.A International Relations and Business Administration.
Professional Journey Like many other remarkable youth, Mr. Hangula has an impressive and diverse occupational background. His first real job was in 2011, when he was employed as a Tv Presenter on the popular Holiday/Frenzy Special Day Tv Show on NBC. In 2013, he went on to become the Junior SADC Tourism Minister at the Regional Tourism Organization of Southern Africa in Pretoria. Subsequently, he was then appointed as the National Youth Council Ambassador for a one-yearterm in 2014.
I would rather seek happiness my entire life than settle for misery.� www.rdjconsulting.co.za
OCTOBER, 2020 Mr. Hangula has also been employed in all types of occupations while still in University, these include being a Sound Technician, Administrative Secretary in the Admissions office and Campus Police Officer. In 2019, he interned at Eos Capital as an Investment Analyst. In 2020, he went on to Intern with Jefferies International and was subsequently offered Full Time employment as an Investment Banking Analyst in London
Business and Political analyst As an International Relations Major, Mr. Hangula studies were specialized Policy, Politics and Development. With his academic wisdom, he began to analyze social phenomena in line with political philosophy to give an objective proposal on how to best overcome these phenomena. His articles can be found online on different platforms. As a self-driven individual, Mr. Hangula looks within for the fire that keeps him going. That fire is kept alight by the mere fact that he has not achieved all his dreams yet. The ambitious young man says he keeps a mental checklist of all things he still wishes to achieve for himself, family and society. “Until I have achieved those, I will not stop putting in the thoughts, planning, work, effort and faith necessary to see to the success of my goals/dreams/vision.” says Mr. Hangula.
much potential confine themselves to Namibian borders.
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, we will forever have multiple greedy ones.” says Mr. Hangula.
Other Projects
Do not limit yourself to Namibian borders, opportunity does not contain itself to borders. Mr. Hangula
Vision Mr. Hangula wishes to see a Namibia where profits from mineral resources are better centralized for the distribution and benefit of all Namibians. Perhaps a Sovereign Wealth Fund engaged and involved in the investment activities within Fisheries, Mining, Tourism and Agriculture. Which then redirects dividends to the government for the upkeep of the population and exports profits for investments in foreign markets. “If we do not have a certified can conduct enough research and and accountable middl-
Challenges As we know, no journey is without its unique challenges. The challenge Mr. Hangula is facing is that he often finds himself alone whilst abroad. For instance, he is currently the only young Namibian employed in a Wall Street bank in London, He says it saddens him to witness so many Namibian youths who contain so much potential confine themselves to Namibian borders. www.rdjconsulting.co.za
True to his nature, Mr. Hangula is a director of a Nonprofit called LiftUp! Namibia. An organisation that raises funds and resources in the U.S for distribution towards remote schools around Namibia. He is also owner of Elso Okuryangava, a Namibian soap distribution outlet. Serving the residents of Okuryangava with 100% Namibian manufactured affordable soap products. The model is environmentally conscious, as customers are urged to bring their own containers to be refilled with cleaning products.
Conclusion Mr. Hagula’s advice to his peers “Do not limit yourself to Namibian borders, opportunity does not contain itself to borders -why should you? Chase a better life by being comfortable with leaving your comfort zone, nobody ever achieved anything by being comfortable. If you are not happy, do not settle, seek your happiness. I would rather seek happiness my entire life than settle for misery.”
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OCTOBER, 2020
TENDERS
CAREERS
NAMPOWER Description: NamPower hereby invites qualified, competent and registered companies to submit their bids for the following: Procurement of Civil Works & Mechanical and Electrical Erections for Gerus Sub-Station 400kV Auas Feeder Bay Extension. Bid Closing Date: No closing date published Description: NamPower hereby invites qualified, competent and registered companies to submit their bids for the following: Construction of Masivi Sub-Station, Civil, Road and Building Works. Bid closing date: No closing Date published
Description: NamPower hereby invites qualified, competent and registered companies to submit their bids for the following: Construction of Medium Voltage (MW) and Low Voltage (LV) Networks at Mpanda JPS in Kavango West Region. Bid closing date: No closing Date published
Description: Namibia Power Corporation (Pty) Ltd (NamPower) invites competent and qualified Namibian companies to submit proposals for the provision of Covid-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and services. Specifications: • Temperature guns; • Re-usable masks; • Face shield/guard; • Hand Sanitisers; • Hand gloves; • Service - Office disinfection. Bid closing date: 13 November 2020
NAMCOR Description: NAMCOR hereby invites appropriate and prospective firms to submit bids for the following: Manufacturing, Supply & Delivery of Forecourt and Deli Express Uniforms for NAMCOR for a Period of Two (2) Years. Bid closing date: 30 October 2020 Description: NAMCOR hereby invites appropriate and prospective firms to submit bids for the following: Appointment of an Advertising Agency for NAMCOR for a Period of Two (2) Years. Bid closing date: 13 November 2020
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MINISTRY OF MINES AND ENERGY Position: Senior Cartographer Location: Windhoek Closing Date: 09 November 2020
Position: Control Geotechnician Location: Windhoek Closing Date: 09 November 2020 Position: Geo scientist Location: Windhoek Closing Date: 09 November 2020
OCTOBER, 2020
CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS
David Jarrett (Managing Consultant) RDJ Consulting Services CC Chilombo Olga Priscila (Operations Manager) RDJ Consulting Services CC Misozi Mugala (Research Intern) RDJ Consulting Services CC Kina Indongo (Communications Specialist) RDJ Consulting Services CC Lydia Kalilo Namutenya (Research intern) RDJ Consulting Services CC
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