20 Years of Helping Namibians on The Way Up!

Supporting entrepreneurs and fostering an enterprise culture across Namibia’s 14 administrative regions motivated the founding of SMEs Compete.

This has always been, and continues to be, the core purpose of our social entrepreneurship organisation.

Midway through the implementation of a donor-funded programme – one previously replicated elsewhere without success – we undertook essential adjustments to ensure it better served Namibia’s historically disadvantaged entrepreneurs, many of whom had courageously entered business with limited capital and skills.

As we examined the shortcomings within Namibia’s micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector, it became clear that new and more effective interventions were required.

In response, we developed targeted programmes, including a diagnostic tool designed to rapidly assess the obstacles preventing entrepreneurs from achieving sustainable business success.

We did not stop there.

Additional challenges identified across the sector were addressed with equal determination. Soon, a comprehensive suite of support measures emerged – each crafted to help fledgling, novice and emerging entrepreneurs gain meaningful traction in their business journeys.

These initiatives encompassed the creation of business-linkage strategies and the facilitation of market access opportunities. We ensured that new entrants could participate in expositions, trade fairs and market days – platforms essential for visibility, confidence building and commercial growth,

Traditional mentorship models – often characterised by audit-style interactions between mentors and mentees – were comprehensively restructured. In their place, we introduced a more responsive and development-oriented business mentorship intervention.

This new approach was designed to equip emerging entrepreneurs with essential skills and provide structured guidance in decision-making, thereby strengthening their capacity to participate meaningfully in the national economy.

At the outset, start-up funding was provided by one of the founders and was subsequently strengthened through support from a commercial bank under a public-private partnership arrangement.

We pause to recognise the visionary leadership of the late Lazarus Ipangelwa, whose foresight and commitment played an instrumental role in shaping the foundations of SMEs Compete.

Although he did not live to witness the full impact of his contribution, his legacy endures in the thousands of entrepreneurs whose lives have been uplifted through the work of SMEs Compete over the past 20 years.

We further acknowledge the invaluable support of many individuals and institutions who stood behind the creation of SMEs Compete.

We honour the late Harold Pupkewitz and Namibia’s esteemed entrepreneur, Navin Morar – two champions of enterprise development whose dedication to national development continues to inspire us.

We extend our profound gratitude to Namibia’s private and public sector institutions, to the many firms, organisations and entities, and to the local and international development agencies, whose steadfast support over the past two decades has enabled us to fulfil our mandate: empowering entrepreneurs to grow and sustain their businesses.

To the thousands of entrepreneurs across the full breadth of our business landscape – those we have supported, guided and walked alongside – we trust that our efforts have eased your path and strengthened your resolve during moments of challenge.

As we celebrate our 20th anniversary we salute you, Namibia’s entrepreneurs, the driving force within our MSME sector.

You are the creators of wealth, the generators of opportunities and the builders of livelihoods. Your contribution to national economic progress is both recognised and deeply honoured.

– Danny Meyer is reachable at danny@smecompete.com

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