Omaheke key for business, food security – Nganate

Omaheke governor Pijoo Nganate says his region is a key contributor to Namibia’s food security and agricultural exports through its extensive grazing lands and cattle-ranching industry.

Speaking during a ministerial business community engagement organised by the Ministry of International Relations and Trade and the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy on Monday, Nganate said the region is also home to promising opportunities in other sectors, including horticulture, wildlife-based tourism, renewable energy, and small-scale manufacturing.

“Our region is often called Namibia’s ‘Cattle Country’, a name we’ve earned from our strong tradition of livestock farming. This tradition remains the backbone of our local economy. The region also has vast untapped potential in many other sectors,” the governor said.

He further said Omaheke could be positioned as Namibia’s eastern gateway, bordering Botswana, which provides unique opportunities for cross-border trade, logistics, and investment partnerships.

The Trans-Kalahari Corridor, which passes through Gobabis, gives the region a competitive advantage as a transit and trade hub, linking Namibia to markets throughout the Southern African Development Community and beyond.

The Ministerial Business Community Engagement is a series of engagements where the ministry travels from region to region to engage with the local business community.

The engagement provides a platform for dialogue between government officials and the private sector, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and is aimed at fostering mutual understanding, identifying business opportunities, and aligning policies to support Namibia’s active participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Entrepreneurs at the event, such as Pieter-hain Kazapua and Hiskia Tjatjitua, noted the importance of such discussions. Tjatjitua called for empowering traditional authorities in the petroleum business and establishing an equity board to assist projects lacking collateral.

-Nampa

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