Education leads Capricorn 2026 report

Capricorn Group has launched its 2026 Social Value Report, offering an account of how the organisation, the Capricorn Foundation and its subsidiaries, Bank Windhoek, Capricorn Asset Management, Entrepo and Bank Gaborone, are translating purpose into value across Namibia and Botswana.

More than a record of investment, the report captures the people, partnerships and practical interventions that are strengthening opportunity, dignity and resilience in communities.

Covering the financial year from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, the report consolidates the group’s corporate social investment and sponsorship activities. It demonstrates how these investments advance national development priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Zero Hunger, Quality Education, and Decent Work and Economic Growth.

A total of N$29.3 million was invested by Capricorn Group, its subsidiaries and the Capricorn Foundation in corporate social investment and sponsorships across Namibia and Botswana.

The Capricorn Foundation, which is funded by Bank Windhoek, Capricorn Asset Management and Entrepo, invested N$14.1 million in programmes spanning education and training, economic advancement, vulnerability, health and sustainability.

Assisting since 2020

Since its establishment in 2020, the foundation has invested N$56.7 million in initiatives that uplift communities.

Education remained a central priority, with 25% of group-wide corporate social investment directed to education. Sport received 21%, vulnerability and welfare 17%, and economic advancement 14%.

Progress against the group’s priority SDGs included 11 392 people receiving daily or weekly meals, while 3 000 malnourished children were supported through nutrition interventions. Additionally, 300 backyard and community gardens were established, 35 000 children were supported through early childhood development and learning materials, and 800 rural artisans were trained.

The group also recognises employee volunteerism as an important source of social value. Through the Changemaker programme, employees are encouraged to contribute their time, skills, networks and practical support to community initiatives, extending the group’s impact beyond financial investment.

The power of partnerships

The report also profiles partnerships that strengthen rural enterprise, vocational skills, youth employment, healthcare access, food security, sustainable agriculture, education and support for vulnerable communities.

Gerhard Fourie, Capricorn Group and Capricorn Foundation chairman, said: “As our portfolio matures, we are working towards deepening impact by supporting initiatives beyond initial funding, enabling them to build capacity, strengthen sustainability and expand their reach over time. The foundation is a collective platform through which Capricorn Group and its subsidiaries give practical expression to our purpose of being Connectors of Positive Change.”

Marlize Horn, Capricorn Foundation executive director, added: “This report is more than an account of money invested or projects supported; it is a record of people, partnerships and possibilities. Our ambition is not simply to do more, but to be more intentional, collaborative and evidence-led – connecting community needs with credible partners, ideas with resources, skills with opportunity, and people who want to make a difference with practical ways to do so.”

Bank Windhoek managing director James Chapman said the bank’s support for the Capricorn Foundation reflects the inseparable link between sustainable business and thriving communities.

“We reaffirm a simple but powerful belief that when business success is connected to social progress, value extends far beyond the balance sheet,” he said. “It reaches classrooms, clinics, farms, homes and communities; it builds confidence, dignity and resilience; and it helps create a Namibia in which more people can participate meaningfully in the economy and shape their own futures.”