Coetzee, JohanNghishidi, Jonas Jacob2019-06-272019-06-272016-11http://hdl.handle.net/11660/9860This paper examines how banks in Namibia are incorporating environmental risks into their lending processes. Over the last decade considerable work has been undertaken in banks in various parts of the world to consider the environmental impact of projects they finance as part of their lending decisions. Loans are the very nature for the existence of banks and therefore, the proper management of loans is a key priority for banks. Since most projects financed by banks are associated with a certain degree of environmental impact translating into risks, these risks can result in a decrease in the borrower's repayment ability, a weakening in the value of the security and potential risks to the bank's reputation. In Namibia, no literature exists documenting how banks have performed in incorporating environmental risks into their lending processes as well as documenting banks' environmental reports as part of their corporate social responsibility. A qualitative research method through interviews was used for the study, where open-ended questions were administered on five banks in Namibia. The findings indicate that incorporating environmental risks remains a huge challenge for Namibian banks due to the lack of in-house capacity to undertake such a process, coupled with their lack of environmental awareness and training. Furthermore, the lack of awareness of environmental risks are further exacerbated by the fact that most bank people dealing with lending processes have not undergone environmental risk assessment training or related training associated with risks in lending processes. There is a need for banks in Namibia to consider developing integrated reporting systems that consider an enterprise-wide risk management (ERM) framework recognising the interconnectedness of different risks and establish clear organisational reporting structures in order to ensure processes and policies are in place to manage these risks.enDissertation (M.A. (Development Studies))--University of the Free State, 2016Sustainable developmentSustainable bankingEnvironmental risksEnvironmental impact assessmentsCorporate social responsibilityDissertationUniversity of the Free State