The Bank of Namibia has issued a commemorative banknote to mark the country’s 30th Independence anniversary that falls on 21 March every year.

The banknote that has a face value of N$30 was unveiled at State House on Saturday during President Hage Geingob’s inauguration for the second five-year term.

On the front side of the banknote are the portraits of Namibia’s three presidents, the Founding President and Father of the Namibian Nation  Sam Nujoma, former President Hifikepunye Pohamba and our current President Hage  Geingob.

On the backside of the banknote, there are images of two black Namibian rhinos to contribute to the continued awareness campaign against rhino poaching. The black rhino is one of Namibia’s iconic animals and has become a central feature of Namibian tourism.

The new commemorative banknote also incorporates some of the advanced security features available such as the braille dots for visually impaired people, raised prints, see-through window and the Bank’s logo printed with colour shifting effects.

According to the Bank of Namibia governor, it is envisaged that the N$ 30 commemorative banknotes will be in circulation during the month of May 2020.

“The notes will be issued to the public through commercial banks’ banking halls and public members are encouraged to get these treasured memorabilia for themselves as they are printed in a once-off limited volume,” he said.

The N$30 commemorative banknotes, Shiimi said, once issued into circulation, are to be accepted as legal tender for the payment of goods and services and it can also be used as a collector’s item.

This is not the first time the bank has issued a commemorative banknote. On 19 March 1995, the Bank issued three series of commemorative coins, namely, a copper-nickel N$1, a silver N$ 10 and a gold N$ 100 to mark our 5th Independence Anniversary.

On 21 March 2000, the Bank issued an N$10 silver coin, an N$20 silver coin and N$2 gold coin to mark our 10th Independence Anniversary.

In 2010, the Bank issued an N$10 commemorative circulating coin and a N$20 silver coin to celebrate the Bank’s 20th Anniversary.

The governor Ipumbu Shiimi said the banknote was printed on a new material called a polymer and has distinct security features as well as design.

Shiimi said the idea was inspired by what he heard the youth saying on NBC regarding celebrating independence

“Among these young Namibians, there were those who believed that Namibians have many reasons to celebrate their independence. As in every situation of this nature, there were some young people who believed that we have not yet arrived in the proverbial “promised land” and, therefore, we do not have much to celebrate.

“I was moved by this free expression of opinions of our young people. To me, by its own measure, this is one major reason for  Namibians to celebrate our achievement as a country because a countless number of young people in the world do not enjoy the freedom of expression that we have in Namibia.

“I was particularly impressed by one young boy. This young Namibian clearly narrated the reasons why Namibians should be proud of the progress the country has made over the last 30 years,” Shiimi told the gathering at State House among them heads of state from African countries and ambassadors.

He added that as the Bank of Namibia, they share the views of the young people who believe that Namibians have all the reasons to celebrate the progress that the country has made over the last 30 years, hence, the decision to issue a 30-year anniversary commemorative note.

Shiimi was quick to add that they are not oblivious to the socio-economic challenges that the country is facing, but they believe that to continue making progress, it is appropriate to look back and appreciate the journey travelled to date.

According to Shiimi, Namibians need to choose hope instead of fear and panic.