The national airline of Ethiopia was asked to take over the management of Air Namibia because Air Namibia was seen as being "incapable of running the (aviation) industry. According to the government newspaper New Era, trade and industry minister Jesaya Nyamu made the request last week in Addis Ababa during the extra-ordinary congress of the African Union. Allegedly neither Air Namibia’s managing director Gernot Riedel nor board chairman Reinhold Vekui Rukoro were aware of the ministerial plea.