!Gawaxab commences BoN journey

By Business Reporter

NEW Governor of the Bank of Namibia, Johannes !Gawaxab has officially commenced duty  following his appointment by President  Hage Geingob on 21 April 2020.

As Governor, !Gawaxab also serves as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Bank.

On assuming duty,!Gawaxab stated that he believes the central bank’s mandate is more than delivering on traditional roles such as monetary policy, and financial stability but it is also about delivering on an economy that provides prosperity to Namibia.

“Therefore, I aim to look at how best do we complement the collaborations between the monetary policy and fiscal policy authorities to bring economic prosperity to Namibia,” said !Gawaxab.

!Gawaxab, a business strategist, and a renowned thought leader has a wealth of experience spanning decades in financial services in Namibia and Africa. He is an accomplished Namibian business leader with an impeccable background and track record in financial services, finance, financial economics, investments and strategy.

Immediately prior to his appointment as Governor of the Bank, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Eos Capital, a Namibian Private Equity firm from its founding in April 2015. Previously, !Gawaxab worked as a senior executive in financial services spanning banking, investments, insurance, property, and casualty, primarily in Southern Africa, West Africa and East Africa. He also worked in Europe.

!Gawaxab has served in high profile senior leadership positions in business and society as chairperson of the Boards of Old Mutual Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana and Malawi, chairperson  of  Rossing  Uranium  Limited,  chairman  of  Namcor  and chairperson of the Social Security Commission.

!Gawaxab is no stranger to macroeconomics and the operations of the central bank. He brings to the central bank an intimate knowledge of the structure of the Namibian economy having most recently served as Chairperson of the High-Level Panel on the Namibian Economy (HLPNE) constituted by the President.

In this role, he was instrumental in steering the panel to solicit evidence-based recommendations, strategies and interventions that  will prove effective in reviving and accelerating inclusive economic growth and employment creation through private-sector-led investment.

!Gawaxab holds various academic qualifications that include a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) and Master of Business Leadership, from the University of South Africa; Master of Arts from the Graduate Business School, Kingston; a Certificate in Global Leadership from the London School of Business and has attended an Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.

!Gawaxab is the third Namibian Governor of the Bank since it was founded on 16 July 1990.