Beyond Borders: Albe Botha’s vision for impactful media at Emeraldsand Platforms

Albe Botha, the executive director of Emeraldsand Platforms, is a chartered accountant by profession with a deep understanding of the power of communication. 

“Emeraldsand Platforms is the investment entity of all our media and non-media assets. My role is to coordinate all these different assets to ensure that we continue to share information to empower our communities.”

Botha’s journey into media leadership began with a simple but profound realisation: storytelling matters. “How you tell a story is very, very important,” he says. “To ensure that the message comes across properly, you need to be invested in the business of communicating clearly.” For Botha, communication goes beyond newspapers or breaking news. It is about making people’s lives easier and delivering information that empowers and informs.

Under Botha’s leadership, Emeraldsand Platforms has grown into a “living network”, constantly evolving to meet the needs of its audience, with the company reaching over three million people on a daily basis within and beyond Namibia’s borders. 

“The purpose of Emeraldsand Platforms is just to coordinate all these different communication channels. It’s forever growing. It’s forever redefining itself,” he says.

Discovering purpose

Success, Botha believes, is deeply personal and tied to purpose. “A sense of achievement is far more than money in the bank or a checklist. It’s about having a purpose in life and fulfilling it every day,” he explains. 

He applies the same philosophy to motivating his team, encouraging employees to find their own purpose and expand their potential. “When I see you doing X, but I believe you can do a lot more, I will challenge you,” he says. “No two people are the same, and that’s why understanding purpose is essential to growth.”

Managing momentum is another priority for Botha. He likens leadership to pushing a car: “If you lose momentum, you stop moving forward; to start all over again is difficult, so hold on to momentum. Managing expectations is crucial, whether your own or of those around you.” He stresses that teamwork and company culture must never hinder momentum.

Looking ahead, Botha is focused on authentic storytelling and multimedia engagement. “In the next five years, authentic news is critical,” he says. “People are starting to realise that authenticity matters more than speed or volume.”