STAFF WRITER
Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has continued for more investments in the tourism industry following the completion of work at the re-imaged N$260 million Mokuti lodge on Friday night.
Speaking at the official launch of the spruced up lodge Ngurare who gave a speech on behalf of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, thanked the OL Group for believing in Namibia with their capital, their vision and their time.
“Thank you for choosing to build here, invest here and stay here. We see your work and we are grateful for it,” he said.
Ngurare said the tourism industry contributes approximately 6.9% directly to Namibia’s Gross Domestic Product, generating around N$14.3 billion in economic activity and sustaining more than 57,000 direct jobs.
“These are livelihoods, businesses and communities that depend on a thriving tourism sector. Namibia recorded a strong recovery in tourist arrivals in 2024, though arrivals declined in 2025 meaning that tourism cannot be taken for granted. “It requires continuous investment, effective marketing, quality service and supportive policy to remain competitive,” he said.
Ngurare said the inauguration is a culmination of all of OL’s success in the tourism industry.
Mokuti Etosha has been reimagined from the ground up, with new common spaces including the entrance and restaurants, renovated rooms and enhanced junior suites, the newly unveiled Ombala Presidential Suite and the extraordinary SkyBoma.
The re- imaging of Mokuti lodge has been going on since 2022.
Executive Chairman of the OL Group, Sven Thieme, said the investment stands as one of OL Leisure’s clearest statements of the company’s belief in the future of Namibian tourism.
“The total investment in Mokuti is one of OL Leisure’s most direct statements of our belief in the future of Namibian tourism. We made this commitment in the aftermath of a global pandemic that devastated the hospitality industry. We made it because we take a long view and because this is our home. We made it because we believe – with every conviction at our disposal – that Namibia is a premier global destination and that premier destinations deserve world-class products. Mokuti is that product,”he said.
He said the investment has served as a tangible engine for local job creation, employing a total project workforce of 115 people during construction.
The project also stimulated indirect economic opportunities through approximately 15 local material and equipment suppliers. Crucially, this momentum translates into sustainable hospitality careers, as Mokuti is expanding its permanent operational workforce from 120 to 136 employees, supplemented by 13 fixed-term staff within this financial year., Thieme said
Alongside the newly designed reception area, refreshed swimming pools and premium restaurants, the re-imagination also features the unique SkyBoma, an eight metre dining structure raised above the treetops and inspired by the architecture of Etosha’s termite mounds, which has welcomed overnight guests since October 2025.
Mokuti forms part of OL Leisure’s six property portfolio, built under the philosophy of Namibia through our eyes. Together, these properties allow guests to move through Namibia’s full range of landscapes, from mountain and desert to coast, wildlife and river, under a single, consistent standard of hospitality.
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