Platform launched to boost SME growth

Namibia’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are expected to benefit from a more coordinated and strengthened national innovation ecosystem through the roll-out of the ScaleUp Namibia (SUN) platform.

The initiative is aimed at supporting high-growth businesses and addressing structural barriers facing entrepreneurs.

Speaking at the launch last week, deputy minister of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts and culture Dino Ballotti said the platform was established to respond to persistent systemic challenges within Namibia’s entrepreneurial landscape.

“SUN was established in response to the systemic challenges entrepreneurs continue to face – not because they lack talent or ambition, but due to fragmentation within the country’s support structures,” he said.

Ballotti said the platform is structured around five strategic pillars: funding, infrastructure, brand awareness, ecosystem data and capacity development.

“SUN promotes collaboration, equity and national connectivity to ensure that innovation efforts drive real economic transformation,” he said.

National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) chairperson Jacob Nyambe at the event said the initiative marks a shift from fragmented innovation support programmes towards an integrated national governance framework for innovation.

“All align around a common purpose, which is to strengthen Namibia’s economic innovation system and enable our enterprises to grow beyond survival,” he said.

He said SUN emerged from collaboration between NCRST and the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), adding that innovation depends on coordinated systems and deliberate infrastructure – gaps the platform seeks to address directly.

With more than 18 innovation support hubs now connected under a single national framework, Namibia is moving towards a more coherent and efficient innovation ecosystem, he said.

Nyambe said while starting a business remains a challenge, scaling enterprises into sustainable and competitive operations has been an even greater obstacle for local entrepreneurs.

“SUN aims to bridge that gap by making the innovation value chain more accessible, from research and development through to commercialisation,” he said.

NIPDB acting chief executive Jessica Hauuanga said the platform also strengthens Namibia’s investment environment by improving access to entrepreneurial support and making opportunities more visible to investors.

“Global competitiveness is no longer defined solely by policy incentives. It is also about how easy it is to start and grow a business, how quickly entrepreneurs can access support, and how clearly investors can identify opportunities,” she said.

By consolidating innovation hubs under a coordinated national structure, the platform is expected to reduce duplication, improve information flow and simplify navigation for both entrepreneurs and investors.

ScaleUp Namibia positions itself as a national mechanism to support SMEs, stimulate high-growth enterprises and ensure innovation contributes more meaningfully to Namibia’s broader economic development objectives.

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