The Namibian is not just a news publisher, but also an important socio-economic development agency for Namibia.

The Namibian strives for excellence in all its endeavours, such as the annual youth-empowering The Namibian Newspaper Cup, the informative current affairs newspaper, its supplements and Desert Radio.

The supplements especially come in handy to get a detailled analysis of what's happening in the country.

The Namibian is ensuring that there is always in-depth, well-investigated content. The publication truly sticks to its slogan: 'Still Telling It Like It Is!'

The recent 'Spotlight on Mining' supplement ahead of the Mining Expo and Conference 2024 was perfect to ensure stakeholder expo presence, inputs and seats - a job well done.

Still applauding great initiatives, it would be good if the grassroots level could also be covered - small-scale miners, farmers, construction contractors, new start-ups, etc.

To allow ordinary people to speak out on how they may feel left behind by the system would be good.

We cannot only publish what the fat cats in suits say about local economic development.

Go down low and dig up the stories from the bottom.

The various ministries should raise awareness and do community engagement at least once or twice annually to indicate development projects, opportunities for empowerment and how ministry funds are used.

Drafting and publishing annual reports is not sufficient to prove what was done in the regions through line ministries.

We need tangible evidence to be published.

If a tractor was bought for cultivation in the Kunene region, let report illustrations show the tractor and the user, because such illustrations not only motivate similar local economic development, but build trust in service delivery.

Other newspapers should follow suit. Stop waiting for the government to advertise tenders. If your business is able to produce similar publications, do it for national development.

The Namibian cannot work alone, help them!

Manycoloured Manley Nowaseb