President Nandi-Ndaitwah urges faster investor responses at Bipa One Stop Centre

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has instructed officials at the Business and Intellectual Property Authority’s One Stop Centre to speed up responses to investors, warning that delays are driving business away from Namibia.

“When investors come to your desk, you must know exactly what is required and respond without delay.

It should not take a whole week to inform them whether their request is approved or not,” she says.

The president made the remarks during an impromptu visit to the centre on Tuesday, accompanied by prime minister Elijah Ngurare.

She engaged with staff and management on the centre’s mandate to facilitate the ease of doing business and improve coordination among government institutions involved in investment approvals.

She stressed that investors must be treated as “special partners” and should receive what she described as red-carpet treatment whenever they engage with government officials.

The president said officials working at the centre should know exactly what is required from investors, and as professionals they should communicate clearly and promptly.

“It should not take you a whole week to inform an investor whether the response is positive or negative.

Do not keep people in uncertainty, because that frustrates them,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

She warned that in the era of modern communication technology, negative information spreads quickly and can harm the country’s reputation.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said the economy, particularly in the current global environment, is led by the private sector and that both local and international businesspeople are critical partners in economic growth and job creation.

She said the government expects collaboration with the private sector to grow the economy and create generational wealth in an ethical and transparent manner.

Nandi-Nadaitwah acknowledged that Namibia is increasingly being described as a difficult place to do business, a perception she said must be addressed urgently.

Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed confidence in the ability of Namibians to deliver quality public services, saying the country has the capacity to improve efficiency and professionalism across government institutions.

The One Stop Centre was established to centralise key investor services under one roof, reduce administrative bottlenecks and improve transparency and predictability for investors operating in Namibia.

The centre operates from Bipa’s headquarters, which relocated to the former SME Bank building in Ausspannplatz in July 2025.

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