Oct 20, 2025 (The Namibian/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) --
When Namibians go viral online, their applause travels worldwide, but their earnings rarely do.
Our creators are still unable to fully monetise on YouTube, receive PayPal payouts, or access Apple Pay's ecosystem.
Yet, across the Orange River, South Africans enjoy all these services.
That shouldn't be the case, especially when our currencies and banking systems operate as one.
Namibia belongs to the Common Monetary Area (CMA) with South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini.
The Namibia dollar is pegged 1:1 to the South African rand; our banking regulations mirror South Africa's, and most of our major banks, such as FNB, Standard Bank and Nedbank, operate across both countries under the same group compliance frameworks.
In practical terms, there is no financial or regulatory reason Namibia should be excluded from digital monetisation that already works in South Africa.
The information and communication technology ministry's recent engagement with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to advance social-media monetisation talks is a promising step.
Pair that with Namibia's alignment under the CMA, and we have a compelling, low-risk case for inclusion.
Platforms like YouTube, Meta, PayPal, and Apple Pay can extend existing South African monetisation infrastructure to Namibia with minimal technical adjustment.
What's needed
Our real bottlenecks lie in coordination. We need: a joint pilot between the ministry, Bank of Namibia (BoN) and a commercial bank to process small-scale YouTube or PayPal payouts locally; a verified creator registry with tax IDs and simplified Know Your Customer to make due diligence easier for platforms; and transparent settlement rules and foreign exchange guidance from BoN so banks can confidently accept international platform payments.
Namibia can also lead regionally by proposing a CMA-wide monetisation initiative, allowing Lesotho and Eswatini to benefit from the same regulatory readiness.
That is over 70 million people across the rand zone, a far stronger argument for platforms assessing regional returns. That strengthens our negotiating power when engaging Big Tech platforms.
The creative economy is not just entertainment, it's trade. Each video, podcast, or TikTok viewed abroad is an export of Namibian culture and knowledge.
Keeping those earnings abroad denies us tax revenue, youth employment and digital innovation.
It's time to turn policy intent into payment reality.
With our CMA membership, we already have the infrastructure. The next step is simple: use it.
Let the next Namibian creator who trends globally also be the first to get paid, in Namibia, in Namibia dollars.
Timo Neisho is an information technology practitioner with extensive experience in software development, enterprise systems and digitalisation. The views expressed in this article are entirely his own.
The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.
COMTEX_469667976/2029/2025-10-20T12:32:58
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