Africa-Press – Namibia. Business and investment opportunities abound at Nkurenkuru following the town’s strategic positioning as the administrative and commercial hub of Namibia’s newest region, the Kavango West region.
It has been an eye-opener to see the town’s growth in the past 12 years first-hand.
Initially finding accommodation was challenging – now one is spoilt for choice with six places to choose from. One at the riverside even has a conference centre and a well-appointed restaurant.
Local shops now compete with three outlets of national supermarket chains, and numerous newly constructed business centres provide space for clothing, furniture, footwear and other retail outlets.
The town now has an expo centre with a conference hall – previously a community hall was the only place for meetings and events.
The shantytown open market has been replaced by a small and medium enterprise business park with secure units from which garment manufacturers, hairdressers, barber shops and other small enterprises operate.
It has an area for food and vegetable sellers, with ample space for future expansion.
A new service station ushers in competition for the one that previously provided fuel to motorists.
Residential suburbs are developing, and housing no longer tops the list of challenges faced by the town. There is even a well-equipped private hospital and a pharmacy to service the health needs of residents and visitors.
Evidently it is the town’s two tertiary educational institutions, which reportedly collectively have a student enrolment exceeding 8 000, driving the local economy. A vocational training centre under construction will boost student numbers next year.
It is blatantly obvious that there are business opportunities which largely remain untapped, and topping the list is student accommodation.
Opportunities abound in many economic sectors, including agriculture value addition and food processing, tourism, building construction, furniture making, and tourism.
Situated 134km west of Rundu and 45km east of Mpungu, Nkurenkuru nestles on the Okavango River and means ‘the old place’ in Kwangali.
On the opposite bank of the river is the Angolan town Cuangar. Nkurenkuru’s history is intertwined with that of the Kwangali people, part of the five Kavango kingdoms.
It was an honour hosting hompa Kudumo Siwombe at an event colleagues and I were running at Nkurenkuru.
The hompa is the king of the Kwangali clan.
On 30 December 1886 an agreement was reached by the Germany and Portugal colonial powers, defining the Okavango River as the border between their two colonies.
Members of the same family living in this area had no say in the matter, and from then onwards lived in two different countries under border controls and movement restrictions.
A police post at Nkurenkuru has since 17 June 1910 remained insignificant until the Finnish Missionary Society established a mission station on New Year’s Day in 1929.
Nkurenkuru and that geographical part of Namibia offers a uniquely beautiful landscape one finds in this corner of Africa only.
It is easy to reach travelling the traditional route through Rundu, but the Tsumeb, Tsintsabis and Mpungu route is spectacular and my favourite.
Entrepreneurs, now is the time to visit Nkurenkuru and check out business and investment opportunities.
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