President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has praised Namibian Breweries Limited (NBL) for its continued growth and investment in the local economy. She made the remarks during a visit to the company's brewery earlier today.
Dr. Nandi-Ndaitwah commended the NBL for enhancing local value addition, job creation, skill development, responsible drinking initiatives, digital transformation, and sustainable water management.
"We really need to manage our water in a manner that will be able to sustain us as long as our country is there. So all the measures you explained to us in the brewery room are very encouraging. As you mentioned, you continue to conduct research to determine the best ways for us to conserve water. I was one of those people who were very worried when we had such a severe drought. I was concerned that the Namibian brewery might close, given that more than 90% of your product relies on the water we need. But because of your innovation and your resilience, the brewery remains here and grows strong."
Nandi-Ndaitwah further stressed the need to strengthen private-public partnerships for better business opportunities globally.
"The government, through the line ministry, will continue to work together with the ministries because we want our industries to grow. But at the same time, we have to look for the market. I really don't want Namibians; when you are planning, don't plan for our population. Plan for SADC, plan for Africa, plan for the world."
Waldemar Von Lieres, the Managing Director of NBL, explained that "Last year and this year, we pioneered by partnering with universities UNAM and NUST to run awareness campaigns on responsible drinking and moderation, investing N$200,000 annually in these initiatives. This year, we launched our own internal responsible consumption and moderation programmes, and we continue to pioneer by developing industry partnerships with mining and other industrial partners to really promote responsible consumption."
In 2025, NBL invested over N$300 million in local production capacity for its wine and cider lines and an additional N$150 million in digital transformation initiatives, including the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning.
NBL's brands now reach 12 African markets.