Tertius News is an AI-native newsroom: an AI model reads the source articles linked below — on this story, all of them from one outlet — and extracts what that outlet reported, claim by claim. How this works →

Namibia: Cabinet Approves First Film and Creative City

Namibia's Cabinet has approved the establishment of a Film and Creative City, aiming to position the country as a competitive hub for film production in Africa. The decision follows a period of significant growth in the sector, with 59 foreign film projects and 36 local productions between April 2025 and March 2026, contributing an estimated N$47 million to the economy.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Apr 10–18, 2026 Published Aug 13

Lead

Namibia's Cabinet has approved the establishment of a Film and Creative City, a project designed to position the southern African nation as a competitive hub for film and creative production on the continent. The announcement was made by Information and Communication Technology Minister Emma Theofelus, who detailed the decision in the minutes of Cabinet meetings held on 24 and 31 March. The project is part of broader government efforts to prioritise the creative industry as a driver of economic growth, job creation, and cultural preservation.

Coverage Comparison

The approval was reported by two AllAfrica articles, both of which drew on official government statements. One report focused on the economic and job-creation impact of recent film activity, citing figures from President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah's state of the nation address. The other centred on the Cabinet's decision and the projected benefits of the new film city. Both sources agree on the core facts: the Cabinet has approved the initiative, and it is expected to boost Namibia's creative sector. However, the sources differ slightly in emphasis. One highlights the sector's recent performance, including the number of foreign and local productions and the resulting economic contribution. The other places greater weight on the future potential of the film city, including preliminary estimates of its economic output.

Key Claims

According to President Nandi-Ndaitwah's state of the nation address, as reported by one of the sources, Namibia attracted 59 foreign film projects between April 2025 and March 2026, while local filmmakers produced 36 films during the same period. These activities created 1 240 temporary jobs in areas such as catering, transportation, hospitality, crew, cast, and production. Local hires earned approximately N$18.86 million, and combined foreign and local productions contributed an estimated N$47 million to the Namibian economy, the President said.

Minister Theofelus, quoted in both reports, confirmed that Cabinet "took note of the efforts being made to advance the strategic development and prioritisation of Namibia's Culture and Creative Industries sector as a key driver of economic growth, job creation and cultural preservation." She added that the film city project aims to position Namibia as a competitive hub for film and creative production in Africa.

Projected Economic Impact and Facilities

One of the reports cited preliminary estimates suggesting the film city could generate N$173 million (approximately US$10 million) in annual economic activity and create thousands of jobs. The same report indicated that the facility will include state-of-the-art film production studios, talent casting agencies, and accommodation and hospitality services. The government also intends for the film city to offer world-class infrastructure and platforms for skills development, internships, and on-the-job learning, with the goal of building a pipeline of Namibian creative talent.

These projections are preliminary, and no independent verification has been provided. The estimates are attributed to government sources and should be treated as indicative rather than definitive.

Government Investment and Skills Development

The government is investing in skills development through the Namibia Film Commission, which allocates N$200 000 annually in partnership with the Namibia University of Science and Technology, according to one of the reports. This investment is part of a broader strategy to support the creative industry, which President Nandi-Ndaitwah said the government is prioritising following her swearing-in in March 2025, as part of efforts to expand job opportunities, particularly for young people.

Perspectives

The reports present a consistently optimistic view of the creative industry's growth and potential. Government officials are quoted directly, emphasising positive outcomes such as job creation, economic contribution, and the strategic importance of the sector. The tone is informative and forward-looking, with no critical or dissenting voices included. The figures cited—59 foreign projects, 1 240 jobs, N$47 million contribution—are all from official sources and have not been independently corroborated. The projected N$173 million annual economic activity from the film city is described as a preliminary estimate, and its realisation will depend on successful implementation and market conditions. Overall, the coverage reflects the government's framing of the creative industry as a key pillar of economic diversification, but independent analysis would be needed to fully assess the sector's trajectory and the film city's viability.

How this outlet told it

AllAfrica as of Apr 18, 2026, 11:45 AM UTC

Framing: Positive development of Namibia's creative industry — Optimistic

Facts Included:

Namibia attracted 59 foreign film projects between April 2025 and March 2026
Local filmmakers produced 36 films
1 240 temporary jobs were created
Local hires earned about N$18.86 million
Film productions contributed an estimated N$47 million to the Namibian economy
The government is prioritising the creative industry
The Cabinet has approved the establishment of a Film and Creative City
The government is investing in skills development through the Namibia Film Commission

Read the source article →

AllAfrica as of Apr 10, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC

Framing: Establishment of a Film and Creative City — Informative

Facts Included:

The Cabinet has approved the establishment of a Film and Creative City
Preliminary estimates show the film city could generate N$173 million in annual economic activity
The film city could create thousands of jobs
The film city will provide state-of-the-art film production facilities and talent casting agencies

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimNamibia attracted 59 foreign film projects between April 2025 and March 2026. Local filmmakers produced 36 films during the same period.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AllAfrica as of Apr 18, 2026, 11:45 AM UTC
Claim1 240 temporary jobs were created in the film industry, with local hires earning about N$18.86 million.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AllAfrica as of Apr 18, 2026, 11:45 AM UTC
ClaimFilm productions contributed an estimated N$47 million to the Namibian economy.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AllAfrica as of Apr 18, 2026, 11:45 AM UTC
ClaimThe government is prioritising the creative industry and investing in skills development through the Namibia Film Commission.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AllAfrica as of Apr 18, 2026, 11:45 AM UTC
ClaimThe Cabinet has approved the establishment of a Film and Creative City.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AllAfrica as of Apr 18, 2026, 11:45 AM UTC
ClaimThe film city could generate N$173 million in annual economic activity and create thousands of jobs.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via AllAfrica as of Apr 10, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimThe film city will provide state-of-the-art film production facilities and talent casting agencies.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AllAfrica as of Apr 10, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: AllAfrica 7 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-13