DEVELOPMENT Bank of Namibia (DBN) chief executive officer Martin Inkumbi has called for value-addition to natural resources to help create jobs in the country.
Inkumbi said this at the international symposium organised by the University of Namibia’s southern campus at Keetmanshoop yesterday.
The symposium was titled “Strategies for a Successful System of Innovation”.
“Industrialisation is moving at a slow pace,” Inkumbi said, adding that the DBN wants to see more “value-addition financing proposals” seeking funds for their projects.
Inkumbi said the DBN is transforming the economy through projects that have a high degree of development impact.
“The areas where we seek to make an impact through financing are the NDP5-identified sectors of manufacturing, transport, logistics and tourism,” he explained.
“We are also actively engaged in providing financing for affordable land, housing and electricity generation,” he continued.
Inkumbi said Namibia cannot immediately expect new technology outside of possible breakthroughs from indigenous knowledge.
“We can seek to finance products and services that are new to Namibia. We can also expect new and improved marketing methods and forms of organisational efficiency,” he stated.
He then commended the organisers of the symposium, saying innovation is a prerequisite for economic growth and competitiveness.
The //Karas Innovative Hub (KIH), which will focus on geosciences, a technology transfer lab, start-up entrepreneurship, and value chain acceleration in the south of Namibia, was also launched.
The KIH is set to drive innovation by creating an enabling environment through research and development.
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