In a seamless transition which represents change with continuity, Minister of Finance Calle Schlettwein recently appointed a new Board of Directors for Agribank. The new Board’s term runs from 1 September 2018 to 31 August 2021. The new Board is led by Michael Iyambo as Chairperson, with Dagmar Honsbein as Deputy Chairperson. Honsbein also chairs the Finance, Risk, Audit and Compliance Committee (FRACC). Other members of the five-member Board are Dr Michael Humavindu, who chairs the Credit and Investment Committee (CIC), Phanuel Kaapama who chairs the Human Resources Committee (HRC) and Peyavali Hangula. Hangula serves on the Finance, Risk, Audit and Compliance as well as the Human Resources Committees.

Two of the previous directors, namely former Board Chairperson Terttu Uuyuni and Oiva Mahina, who chaired the Human Resources Committee, retired from the Board and were not available for re-appointment after serving on the Board for eight and six years, respectively. Following is a brief profile of each of the new Agribank board members;

Michael Iyambo is a knowledgeable and successful commercial farmer, with a focus on horticulture. Iyambo’s successful farming business resulted in him receiving the following awards: Namibia Business Awards’ Award for Excellence (2011), Large Scale Horticulture Producer of the Year (2014), Freshmark Supplier of the Year (2016); and his appointment as the Chairman of the National Horticultural Task Team, Vice Chairman of the Karst Area Horticultural Association as well as Vice Chairman of the Potatoes and Onions Producers Association (Namibia). Iyambo was recently appointed as Chairperson of the Namibia Agronomic Board. His knowledge about the industry, and sound business acumen, provide for optimum advice on credit analysis. In addition to the Board chairmanship, Iyambo serves on the Credit and Investment Committee of the Board.




Dagmar Honsbein has fundamental and practical insights in value chain management as well as financial systems and resources mobilisation for development. She is equally comfortable in providing professional services at policy and grassroots levels. Her extensive knowledge in the productive sectors are invaluable as the Bank gears itself to serve its clients and respond to their needs in an ever-changing agricultural environment. Honsbein is a fellow in International Marketing from Reutlingen University in Germany and holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering and Applied Sciences from Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom; as well as a Master in Leadership in Development Finance, from Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Germany and a BSc in Wood Engineering from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She is a Certified Expert in Microfinance, SME Finance and Climate and Renewable Energy Finance, as well as Financial and Managerial Accounting. In addition to chairing the Finance, Risk, Audit and Compliance Committee, Honsbein also serves on the Human Resources Committee. With her husband, she farms commercially in the Khomas region.

Dr Michael Humavindu boasts a strong academic and professional background in economic research and modelling, industrialization, MSME development and development banking. Dr Humavindu spent eight years in development finance at the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN), where he worked on project finance, deal structuring, credit assessments, and the design of policies such as the Microfinance Policy and Development Impact Framework. Presently a Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development, Dr Humavindu is optimally positioned to lead discussions and test the Bank’s policies against the fiscal space, sustainable finance and the country’s economic agenda. Dr Humavindu holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Umeä, an MSc in Finance and Investments from the University of Durham, United Kingdom, an MA in Economics from the University of Stellenbosch, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Economics from the University of London, United Kingdom. He chairs the Board’s Credit and Investment Committee and serves on the Finance, Risk, Audit and Compliance Committee.He is a Trainer of Trainers in Investment Appraisal as well as a Certified Development Banker. Dr Humavindu is an emerging communal farmer in the Otjozondjupa Region.

Peyavali Hangula is a Chartered Accountant in Namibia and South Africa, registered with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia (ICAN). She holds an Honours Bachelor of Accounting Science (CTA) from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and a Bachelor Degree in Accounting from the University of Namibia (UNAM). She completed her articles with Deloitte Namibia and thereafter was seconded to work for Deloitte in Atlanta, USA, for a period of 6 months to gain international experience in the field of auditing. Hangula’s work experience in the financial environment spans over a period of ten years. She possesses a wide range of skills in the areas of accounting, financial reporting, corporate governance, internal controls; external and internal audits a well as in regulatory reporting. Hangula has worked for Standard Bank of Namibia as a Financial Reporting Manager and as a Regulatory Manager. She now works for FirstRand Namibia as a Manager: Finance. Part of her community outreach involves serving as the National Treasurer and Chairperson of the Finance Committee of Scouts of Namibia. Hangula serves on the Finance, Risk, Audit and Compliance Committee, as well as the Human Resources Committee.

Phanuel Kaapama is employed at the University of Namibia (UNAM) as a Lecturer for Governance and Development Studies, where he is also serving as the current Head of the Department of Political and Administrative Studies. He holds a National Diploma in Public Administration from the Polytechnic of Namibia, as well as an MSc. in Development, Planning and Administration from the University of Bristol (UK). His research interest revolves generally around issues of development theory and practice. He regularly gives media commentaries on Namibian, African and world politics; and has published a number of academic papers. Prior to joining the academia in the year 2000, he worked for the National Planning Commission (NPC) as Namibia National Coordinator, Capacity Building for Economic Management Programme on secondment from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Windhoek. From 1997 - 1998 he worked for the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) as the Head of the Policy and Advocacy Department. His first formal job was as the Founding Secretary General of the National Youth Council of Namibia from 1994 – 1997. Kaapama was part of the
High - Level Committee for the Preparation of the 2nd National Land Conference and is also a member of both the Technical Committee and Negotiating Team in the Bilateral Negotiation with the Federal Republic of Germany on 1904 Genocide, Apology and Reparation. He also boasts extensive farming experience in both communal and commercial agricultural sectors. Kaapama Chairs the Human Resources Committee and also serves on the Credit and Investment Committee.

Commenting on the new Board, Agribank chief executive officer, Sakaria Nghikembua, stated: ‘We are excited about the new Board. It’s a good story of change with continuity. This is a solid Board with experienced individuals who have established track records. It’s the type of people we should be having on Boards of public enterprises for progress. The appointing authority has done an excellent job here’.

Issued by:
Sakaria Nghikembua
Chief Executive Officer

For enquiries, kindly contact the Marketing and Communication Division at:
Tel.: 061 2074332
Fax. 061 2074206

Agribank advanced N$358 million worth of new loans in the financial year ended 31 March 2018, up 18% on N$304 million in the prior year. This was one of the many achievements highlighted by the bank’s chief executive officer, Sakaria Nghikembua, at the bank’s annual general meeting held on 26 September 2018. The bank also received a clean bill of health, receiving an unqualified audit from its external auditors for the year. This achievement followed intensive clean-up by the bank, after a qualified audit in the year ended 31 March 2017 because of legacy issues related to collateral securities records. Agribank is one of few public enterprises in Namibia which produce audited annual financial statements within six months of financial year-end.

At the occasion, Nghikembua informed stakeholders that the bank delivered on most of the promises made at the last annual general meeting, despite a difficult operating environment. He revealed that the bank grew its loan book by 6% year-on-year, from N$2.61 billion in 2017 to N$2.77 billion in 2018. Interest income on loan advances grew by a somewhat slower 4%, from N$167.5 million in 2017 to N$173.7 million in 2018. The slower growth in interest income, compared to the loan book growth, was as a result of the bulk of the disbursements for new loans occurring only in the last five months of the financial year. According to Nghikembua, the bank recorded a N$29.8 million overall surplus for the year. Whilst this remains a positive achievement, an increase in provisions for bad debts on loans advanced reduced the surplus level compared to the N$99 million achieved in the prior year. This is because the level of arrears remains relatively high.
The Agribank chief also noted that the bank had made good progress in slowing down the rate of increase in operational expenses over the past three years, moving from an annual increase of 17% in FY 2015/16 to 11.3% in FY 2016/17 and 7.5% in FY 2017/18.

According to Nghikembua, the biggest portion of the new loans went to farmland purchases, followed by large stock loans, consolidation of debt and seasonal production loans. The Khomas region received the highest allocation of loans at N$61 million, closely followed by Otjozondjupa (N$60 million), Hardap (N$40 million), Omaheke (N$39 million), with Oshikoto (N$31 million) completing the top five regions for collateral-backed loan disbursements. In contrast, the Zambezi region received the highest disbursements for the newly introduced no-collateral loan product at N$6.5 million, followed by Omaheke (N$3.9 million), Kavango (N$2.7 million), Oshana (N$2.6 million) and Ohangwena (N$2.4 million) respectively. In total, N$26 million worth of no-collateral loans were disbursed during the financial year. The bank has experienced more impressive growth in this loan product subsequent to financial year-end.

Statistics revealed at the AGM further show that the youth (up to age 40) received 27% of the total new loan funding from Agribank, while 36% of the funding went to people within the age group 41 – 60. The balance went to either clients above the age of 60 years or to registered legal entities.

“As a member of the Association of African Development and Finance Institutions, we rate ourselves in three core areas of governance guidelines, financial prudential standards and operational guidelines and I am pleased to announce that Agribank obtained an overall score of 78.4% in 2018, compared to 77.2% 2017”, Nghikembua stated, adding “this score is reviewed annually by our external auditor and has significantly improved from 64% in 2015/16 to current levels. The improvement means that the bank has been consistently enhancing its operational efficiencies, governance standards and financial management policies and practices”.


Nghikembua was also upbeat that the bank continues to make a consistent developmental impact in up-skilling and building capacity of farmers, noting that more than 5,000 farmers benefitted from the bank’s advisory services during the year through training, mentorship, lectures and farmers information days. “We need to assist more emerging farmers gain skills and knowledge to improve their productivity, increase production, employ more people and contribute to economic expansion”, Nghikembua enthused.

Meanwhile, he reiterated that the bank has to manage a tight liquidity situation because of the high level of arrears and declining treasury transfers, specifically over the past three years. The high cost of funding when raising capital in the market is another challenge that is likely to impact on the developmental mandate of the bank as its interest rates will require on-going upward reviews. Nghikembua however expressed confidence that these challenges can be addressed through a prudent mix of funding sources to keep Agribank lending rates affordable and sustainable in the long-term.

At the occasion, Dr Michael Humavindu, who chaired the AGM, stated that the bank has covered significant ground in creating a platform to make a meaningful contribution to the economy. “We are on course to play our part fully in the economy. As we do so, we remain grateful for the shareholder’s support and that of our other strategic stakeholders”, stated Dr Humavindu. He added that although the bank is facing liquidity constraints, it is implementing different strategies to alleviate liquidity pressure in the short-term and eliminate it in the long term. “We have continued our efforts to ensure financial sustainability. Collection efforts continue, despite all the odds, and we are on a trajectory to grow the loan book through new business”, he stated.

On his part, Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein, commended the bank for its efforts to diversify its loan book, noting that the bank plays an important role in the land reform process. According to the Minister, Agribank’s role is to service the agricultural sector in order to realise its optimal potential to create jobs, improve productive capacity and create wealth. Whilst commending the introduction of the agro-processing loan product, the Finance Minister also encouraged the bank to further develop financial products that will create value chains other than livestock and horticulture. Schlettwein further pledged his support to the bank, as it strives to fulfil its mandate in the land reform process in the country.

The Agribank AGM was attended by the shareholding Minister, Agribank board members and management as well as senior officials from the Ministries of Finance and Public Enterprises.

Issued by:

Sakaria Nghikembua
Chief Executive Officer

For enquiries, kindly contact the Marketing and Communication Division at:
Tel.: 061 2074332
Fax. 061 2074206

Two Agribank-financed farms will be auctioned on Friday, 27 July 2018. Both farms are in Otjozondjupa region and have already been advertised in local newspapers. The auctions follow hot on the heels of an announcement by the Bank that it had moved from a soft to a hard collections approach. Commented Sakaria Nghikembua, Agribank's chief executive officer "This is a last resort for us. There is no other option but to execute on the auction. The only thing that can stop the process now is payment of the arrears by the clients before the auction date. In the absence of that, the process will go through to the end".

Nghikembua added that these two auctions should not be seen in isolation but as part of an ongoing series. He emphasised that if clients persistently fail to honour their loan repayment commitments, the Bank will dutifully follow the same route. He added that the Bank had not only geared its internal structures to implement recovery strategies much faster than in the past but has also bolstered its collections efforts by recently adding new law firms to its legal collections panel.

Nghikembua once again appealed to clients to act before it is too late, saying "if a client waits until they are listed or until we have a judgement against them, it is too late. The best is to avoid these two situations by making repayment commitments and making every effort to honour such commitments".

Issued by:
Mr Sakaria Nghikembua
Chief Executive Officer

For enquiries, kindly contact the Marketing and Communication Division at:
Tel.: 061 2074332
Fax.: 061 2074206

In 2015, Agribank announced that it will launch a no-collateral loan product for full-time communal farmers. In response to the announcement, many farmers submitted their applications. Following a period of refinement which resulted in delays, the bank is pleased to announce that approvals for ERFP loans have commenced, with over N$1.2 million worth of loans having already been approved. The bank currently has loans worth N$25 million on its applications shortlist. These loans are at various stages of credit appraisal. The bank introduced the ERFP in response to market demand for collateral-free products for full time communal farmers. The newly approved ERFP loans were re-appraised against criteria set after a comprehensive review to ensure that adequate risk mitigating measures were put in place for this product.

Agribank wishes to inform the public that priority is first being placed on previous applicants, whose applications are being re-appraised anew to determine viability. Once the bank has dealt with the existing shortlist, it will then invite new applications for this product. Says Sakaria Nghikembua, chief executive officer of Agribank: ‘we are quite excited that this product is back on track following comprehensive review. In the interim, we had introduced the salary-backed no-collateral loan product which is doing very well. The ERFP takes care of communal farmers who do not have full time employment and also have no tangible collateral to offer against their loans. This is yet a further way in which we continue to catalyse the transformation of agriculture in Namibia’.

Issued by:
Sakaria Nghikembua
Chief Executive Officer

For enquiries, kindly contact the Marketing and Communication Division at:
Tel.: 061 2074332
Fax: 061 2074206

Over past 18 months, Agribank has requested defaulting clients to make repayment arrangements to settle their arrears. Some clients have heeded this call and have continued to honour their arrangements. Others have made arrangements and failed to honour them. And yet others have made no arrangements and no payments, ostensibly on the mistaken understanding that, being a state-owned bank, Agribank will not repossess their farms. The Bank wants to place on record that it is not its objective to auction any farms except as a last resort.

However, the bank believes that it has allowed for sufficient time to sensitise its clients about the imperative for them to honour their repayment obligations. The bank further believes that it has sufficiently indulged its clients not only to make appropriate repayment arrangements but also to honour such arrangements.

Agribank wishes to inform its clients that it is intensifying its efforts to move from soft to hard collections. This means clients not honouring their commitments will be listed on credit bureaus more swiftly whilst those persistently failing to honour their commitments will have legal action taken against them. A number of files have already been handed over to lawyers for legal action in this regard. The process has also been tightened to ensure that the bank takes legal action against defaulting clients more swiftly than in the past.

Against this background, Agribank once again appeals to its clients to ensure that they pay their instalments when due to prevent arrears; and in the event where a client is already in arrears, to make and honour repayment arrangements to prevent legal action, default judgement and auctioning of their farms.

The sustainability of the bank depends on regular and adequate repayments by clients on loans advanced to them. In the absence of such commitment, the bank will not be able to fulfil its mandate to provide loan financing to existing and new customers to transform agriculture.

Issued by:
Mr Sakaria Nghikembua
Chief Executive Officer

For enquiries, kindly contact the Marketing and Communication Division at:
Tel.: 061 2074332
Fax.: 061 2074206

Agribank has opened a new office in Gobabis in the Omaheke region this week. The office is situated in the Old Mutual Building in River Street and will serve clients in the entire Omaheke region.

Speaking at the official inauguration ceremony, Agribank chairperson Terttu Uuyuni stated that the Omaheke region plays an important role in contributing to the Bank’s loan book. “In the 2017/2018 financial year, Agribank recorded new business of over N$357 million of which the Omaheke region contributed N$40 million representing 11% of new business. This illustrates that Gobabis is a strategic growth centre for Agribank and we are confident that opening an office here will not only bring our services in town, but will create opportunities for Agribank’s growth”, Uuyuni enthused.

As part of its socio-economic transformation pillar of the strategic plan, Agribank provides training and mentorship services to farmers through the Agri-Advisory Services Division. During the 2017 – 2018 financial year, Agribank conducted 17 such interventions in 13 different locations in the Omaheke region, targeting both communal and commercial farmers. These interventions include farmers’ information days, evening lectures, short training courses, practical sessions and excursions which covered topics such as record keeping, animal health, as well as financial and grazing management. The Agribank chairperson was pleased “that 461 people benefitted from these interventions in the Omaheke region alone of which 329 were male, while 132 participants were female”.

At the same occasion, Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein, who officially inaugurated the Agribank Gobabis office, congratulated the Bank for expanding its footprint to strategic growth centres and bringing its services closer to their clients. The Finance minister also applauded the Bank for embarking upon the arrear collections strategy as part of its financial sustainability initiatives. “Gone are the days where treasury support to state owned enterprises went unchecked. In fact, going forward, Government will require commercial public entities to become self-sustainable although shareholder support can still be granted where necessary”, the Minister noted. Schlettwein further urged Agribank to continue to introduce new products that are responsive to the needs of the clients to accelerate the transformation of the agricultural sector.

Agribank loans can be utilized for purchasing farm land, production, livestock, farming infrastructure, vehicles and equipment, bush management, aquaculture, poultry, piggery, post settlement support as well as for value addition through agro-processing.

Issued by:
Sakaria Nghikembua
Chief Executive Officer

For enquiries, kindly contact the Marketing and Communications Division at:
Tel.: 061 2074332/Fax.: 061 2074206

In line with its strategic focus on employees, Agribank recently saw the first group of its middle managers complete a six months’ leadership training course. A total of 14 middle managers participated in the course which covered aspects such as leading self, leading change, leading others, leading performance and leading engagement. The theoretical training aspects were complimented by actual work application in-between the theoretical modules. The training is part of the Bank’s strategic people transformation agenda that is expected to result in a modern institution that is best placed to deliver superior customer service and effectively fulfil its mandate. Facilitated by the Organisational Development division of the Bank, the course was delivered in-house through the services of specialist training consultancy Capacity Trust.

Speaking at the certification ceremony, Agribank Chief Executive Officer, Sakaria Nghikembua, stated that “the Bank is committed to develop leadership and management capacity as well as create a pipeline of leadership competencies to guarantee business continuity at all times. This program had a tremendous impact on the business from the word go as it was a very practical process and demanded of participants to already apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills in the work environment”.

According to Nghikembua, the bank has implemented a well-managed performance management system that is focused on creating a culture of performance and service delivery in the bank’s quest to serve as a catalyst for the transformation of the agricultural sector in Namibia. It is for this reason that the next phase of training would focus on leadership development for Senior and Executive Managers within the organisation.

Issued by:
Sakaria Nghikembua
Chief Executive Officer

For enquiries, kindly contact the Marketing and Communications Division at:
Tel.: 061 2074332/Fax.: 061 2074206

Following a petition by a group of farmers who are in arrears with their loans, the governance structures of agricultural lender, Agribank, have reviewed the petition and have responded to the demands made by the ‘concerned’ farmers as per attached and signed response. Commenting on the bank’s response to the petitioners, Agribank chief executive officer, Sakaria Nghikembua, stated that “it is important to ensure that the bank is managed prudently for its sustainability. This is a cardinal principle from which we cannot detract. The only way this bank can be there for the future is by ensuring it is able to collect loans disbursed and do everything necessary to attain that outcome. We continue to invite clients in arrears to approach the bank for discussions related to their repayment arrangements. As far as practically possible, we would reach such agreements”.

See Attached and Signed Response

Issued by:
Sakaria Nghikembua
Chief Executive Officer

For enquiries, kindly contact the Marketing and Communications Division at:
Tel.: 061 2074332/Fax.: 061 2074206

Agribank has awarded full bursaries to three first-year students studying at the University of Namibia as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative. The bursaries cover tuition fees, academic books, accommodation, meals and academic expenses like examination fees.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Agribank chief executive officer, Sakaria Nghikembua, stated that Agribank’s vision is to serve as a catalyst in transforming the agricultural sector. “Transformation is effected by the Bank in many forms, primarily through agricultural loan financing, but also through capacity building – in this case funding tertiary studies”, Nghikembua noted.

According to him, “the ultimate aim is to produce graduates who can innovate and transform the agricultural sector, and to shape the perceptions of the upcoming generation to see agriculture as a critical pillar of the economy.” Nghikembua urged the beneficiaries, who are pursuing undergraduate studies in crop science, fisheries and aquatic science as well as veterinary medicine, to study hard and be good brand ambassadors of Agribank.

Whilst beneficiaries are not obliged to work for Agribank after graduation, they are expected to work in Namibia for a number of years equal to their bursary years.

At the occasion, Nghikembua further revealed that the Bank has spent over N$1 million on corporate social responsibility initiatives in the financial year ended 31 March 2018, which include supporting agricultural shows, agricultural related training activities, farmers’ information days, farmers’ unions and financial literacy, amongst others.

Issued by:
Sakaria Nghikembua
Chief Executive Officer

For enquiries, kindly contact the Marketing and Communications Division at:
Tel: 061 2074332/Fax: 061 2074206

Interest rates for some Agribank products will see a modest increase of 0.50 percent (50 basis points) effective 1 December 2017. The Bank’s interest rates have not been adjusted since November 2013.

Notwithstanding the increase in some products, the Government subsidised interest rates will remain unchanged at 4%, while penalty interest rate on arrear balances will similarly also remained unchanged at 2%. Overall, Bank’s interest rates remain competitive relative to the market.

Subsidised loans are loans to communal farmers under the National Agricultural Credit Programme (NACP) and resettled farmers under the Post Settlement Support Fund. The NACP was established in 1995 for communal farmers to access credit in order to increase food production and become surplus producers, create jobs and alleviate the cycle of poverty. It also serves as a preparatory stage for small scale farmers in communal areas before they could be considered to qualify for the purchase of commercial farmland under the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme (AALS).

The new interest rates per loan type are indicated in the table below: