Banks urged to serve rural Namibia

Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani has called on commercial banks to expand ATM and branch services to rural communities, saying thousands of Namibians are being forced to travel long distances to access their own money.

In an open letter to the CEO of the Namibia Bankers Association, Venaani said the continued lack of banking infrastructure in many constituencies was placing an unfair burden on some of the country's most vulnerable citizens.

Venaani said teachers, nurses, police officers, pensioners and other residents in remote areas were still having to spend a significant portion of their income on transport to nearby towns to withdraw cash or carry out basic transactions.

"It is both painful and unacceptable that, in an independent Namibia, many citizens are still compelled to travel long and costly distances simply to access their own salaries, pensions or savings," he wrote.

He said the situation was particularly difficult for elderly people, low-income earners and other rural residents who could least afford the additional costs.

Venaani argued that rural communities were helping to sustain the banking sector because their salaries and pension payments were processed through commercial banks every month.

He said banks were continuing to generate substantial profits from customers in rural areas while failing to invest in services that would improve access to financial services.

"The absence of adequate banking infrastructure in rural Namibia is not merely an inconvenience," he said. "It is a direct assault on financial inclusion, economic participation, equality and human dignity."

Venaani called on the Namibia Bankers Association to engage its members and encourage them to expand ATM networks and establish banking facilities in underserved areas.

He said rural Namibians deserved the same level of service and convenience as those living in urban centres.

Venaani requested a response to the letter within 30 days.