NamPost on Friday opened the Nkurenkuru Post Office and handed over Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment to two community centres in Kavango West, to help expand access to financial and digital services for rural residents.
Speaking at the event, minister of information and communication technology Emma Theofelus said the equipment for community libraries and centres is a practical demonstration of government’s commitment to inclusion.
“NamPost has, for decades, been an institution that connects Namibians. Today, it is also evolving into a broader platform for service access, financial inclusion, digital convenience and economic participation,” she said.
She said the launch is aligned with the National Development Plan and the goal of “leaving no one behind”.
Citing the 2025 Namibia Financial Inclusion Survey, Theofelus said financial inclusion improved from 78% in 2017 to 86% in 2025, but rural gaps remain.
“A total 91.7% of adults in urban areas are financially included, compared to only 79.3% in rural areas,” she said, adding that some rural residents still travel more than three hours to reach a bank.
“With devices such as this, the phones you have in your hands, you might not need to travel those three hours.
“These figures show why institutions such as NamPost matter. A trusted national footprint, combined with responsible digital innovation, can help close the distance between citizens and the services they need.”
The minister noted that community libraries and centres are the spaces where the digital journey begins.
She urged residents to safeguard and utilise the equipment. “Let these centres become engines of skills development, entrepreneurship and job creation.”
Kavango West governor Verna Sinimbo said NamPost’s donation of computers, printers and mobile internet, valued at about N$1.1 million, would start at Nkurenkuru and Katjinakatji before reaching other centres.
“This is more than equipment. It is an investment in access, dignity and opportunity,” she said, stressing the need for digital literacy training and inclusion of vulnerable groups.
NamPost chief executive Willem Mouton says the Nkurenkuru branch is one of 12 additional service points opened in the past 10 months, taking the national footprint to 148 outlets.
He says the expanded network supports the social cash grants programme, through which more than 250 000 Namibians receive their monthly payments.
