Namibia Appoints New Gambling Board Leadership as Regulator Advances Digital Reforms

Namibia has appointed a new six-member Gambling Board, with senior police official Eliaser Iiyambo taking over as chairperson. The leadership change comes as the regulator prepares digital monitoring and licensing reforms.

Namibia's Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has appointed new leadership to the Gambling Board of Namibia (GBN), reinforcing the government's focus on transparency, accountability and regulatory modernisation.

The appointments were announced on November 6, with Eliaser Iiyambo, deputy head of the Windhoek City Police, named chairperson. He succeeds retired police commissioner Ben Shikongo, whose term recently ended.

Iiyambo brings more than 26 years of experience in law enforcement, criminal investigations and public safety. Anastasia Siteketa has been appointed deputy chairperson, while Tudiminapo Shindume, Rachel Mundilo, Penehafo Shindume and Elsie Hindjou complete the six-member board.

The new leadership will serve a three-year term, running from November 2026 to October 2029.

Environment, Forestry and Tourism Minister Indileni Daniel called on the incoming members to prioritise accountability, innovation and sustainable national development.

The appointments come as Namibia prepares significant improvements to gambling supervision.

The regulator is seeking a Central Electronic Monitoring System (CEMS), designed to record and report gambling transactions across licensed operations in real time.

A separate integrated licensing and document-management platform is also planned to automate applications, improve regulatory workflows and strengthen compliance reporting.

Both procurement processes have a submission deadline of November 26, 2026.

The transition follows a positive financial development: the Gambling Board recently transferred N$15 million in dividends to the government for the 2025/26 financial year.

For Namibia's gambling industry, the new leadership and planned digital systems could improve licensing efficiency and financial transparency. Their impact will depend on successful implementation and the regulator's ability to strengthen oversight while supporting sustainable industry development.