Namibians show interest in US trade

27
Namibians show interest in US trade
Namibians show interest in US trade

Africa-Press – Namibia. SEVERAL Namibian entrepreneurs have shown interest in pursuing business opportunities in the United States after making contacts at the Namibia-US trade summit held in Namibia early this month.

This was said by Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) chief executive officer Charity Mwiya on Monday, although she could not provide further details.

“Yes, there have been some interest,” she told The Namibian in a brief response.

The Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development chief information officer Elijah Mukubonda said the ministry was still collating data from different sources to have a clearer picture of the situation.

The NCCI small and medium-scale enterprises development officer, Travis Mathews, sent out a memo on Monday last week to the Namibian business community requesting feedback.

“We are eager to hear from you on any partnerships or opportunities that came out of this engagement,” he wrote.

“The NCCI team is on call for any support you may need regarding your domestic and/or international trade and investment pursuits and we encourage you to reach out to us for assistance,” he added.

Several individuals and organisations in the US are also ready to assist Namibians establish trade links in the world’s biggest economy.

Robert Braubach, the honourary consul of Namibia based in Texas, who also attended the trade forum in Windhoek, advised Namibian businesses that the key to success of the trade mission is follow up and quick response to inquiries.

“I am available to answer questions and be helpful to connect Namibian companies with the right trade partners in Texas,” he said.

According to a report from the office of the Texas governor in Austin released in February this year, Texas has been the number one exporting state in the US for over 20 years with more than US$375,3 billion in exports recorded in 2021.

Also ready to assist Namibians is the US-Africa Development Foundation whose president Travis Adkins said it is the only US government foreign assistance agency that is solely connected to the African continent.

He told delegates at the trade forum that the agency, which has a job-creation mandate in host countries, invests in agriculture, renewable energy as well as training women and the youth in partnership with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the government.

“I want our agency to have a presence in southern Africa and we are happy to be in Namibia meeting government ministers and the president,” he said.

Adkins said the US-Africa Foundation had two models of grant funding which could be available to Namibians.

One involves partnerships with the government where the agency co-funds projects and the other for small businesses.

“We also fund SMEs to levels of US$10 000-US$200 000 depending on their projects, including small-scale farmers and mechanised farming partnerships to help them achieve self-sufficiency,” said Adkins.

For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here