Africa-Press – Namibia. The Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade is aiming to enable more small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to export their products.
This was declared by executive director Sikongo Haihambo at a Meet-the-Buyer event hosted by the ministry’s state-owned enterprise, GS1 Namibia, in Windhoek on Friday.
GS1 Namibia is the country’s official provider of barcodes for retail.
“Today, we stand united with one clear objective, and that is to foster connections between local producers and buyers, to help them create market opportunities that will drive the growth and competitiveness of Namibian products,” Haihambo said at the event.
“Every partnership formed here today brings us one step closer to achieving our shared vision of sustainable and inclusive industrialisation.
“The ministry remains committed to supporting initiatives like this one, which aim to empower businesses through innovation, global standards and strategic partnerships,” he said.
“Our local businesses are integral to Namibia’s economic future. Through today’s event we are giving them the tools and access they need to thrive both nationally and internationally.”
The executive director stressed the opportunities for Namibian SMEs to export within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“When you are producing your products, you must have in mind the continental market first and foremost,” he said.
This sentiment was also echoed by Rössing Foundation spokesperson Maria Immanuel.
The foundation sponsored the event.
“We want to support SMEs in terms of capacity building to understand how to interpret international trade, how to claim preferences and so on,” Immanuel said.
“We can start with free trade within the Southern African Development Community while we wait for the AfCFTA.
There are no duties and they are our neighbours, meaning logistics are much simpler,” she said.
Immanuel also called on the ministry to establish industrial parks for SMEs for easier compliance with export regulations.
“That is the only way they can grow, the only way they can buy machinery, the only way to export,” she said. “We must enable them to do so.”
She said much progress has been made, but work remains to be done.
“In the past, the government would host industrialisation meetings and people would ask: But where are the local products?”
According to Immanuel, introducing Namibian barcodes was a major prerequisite to having a presence in the retail chain.
Haihambo thanked business owners and implored them to persist in their efforts.
“The majority of you are still operating from home, from your garages or backyards, from rental space which is uncomfortable. But don’t give up,” he said.
“There are a good number of established companies globally that started in a similar fashion. It is the size of the fight in the dog that matters, not the size of the dog in the fight.”
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