Productively Using Available Resources

There are many challenges entrepreneurs will encounter on their entrepreneurial journey, but pundits tend to place accessing funding at the top of the list.

In a security-based lending environment that values collateral over project-based funding, accessing funds is an impediment, but entrepreneurs will also face other challenges.

Examples of challenges include the lack of skills and knowledge, the cost of doing business in a geographically large country with a small domestic market, unfriendly and obstructive bureaucrats, and conducting business in a skewered environment that favours foreign investors.

Although funding is always an important factor, depending on the entrepreneur’s personal circumstances and access to start-up or business development needs, it may not be considered to be at the top of the list.

Some entrepreneurs may have benefited from generational wealth, others have financial backing from an investor or there is a relative who can provide the security requirements required by a bank against a loan.

For those entrepreneurs, funding will not be included on their challenge list, but for most, locating affordable workspace is a challenge.

At the beginning of nationhood with foresight, the founding fathers and mothers of Namibia positioned transformation and inclusivity on the nation’s economic development agenda.

Throughout the demographics of a diverse population, there were opportunities for individuals with an entrepreneurial ambition to venture into business.

Enterprise and entrepreneurial development support programmes were crafted by the public sector.

In a complementary and collaborative manner, the private sector and development community incorporated others as a strategy to make it attractive for young and older Namibians to start and operate an enterprise anywhere in the country, and thus transform the business landscape.

At both national and local government levels, enterprise incubation centres and small and medium enterprise business parks were constructed at towns across the country to offer affordable workspaces.

But the shocking state of disrepair and the lack of basic maintenance of the business parks managed by a public enterprise is evident in many towns.

It has been reported in the media that services such as water, waste removal and electricity have been suspended at many of the business parks by local authorities.

The vacancies are visible in some of the centres – in the units still occupied by rent-paying tenants, they are required to carry drums of water from their homes.

The public enterprise cites unpaid rent and the tendency of tenants to use units for storage instead of productive purposes as significant challenges.

However, lease agreements that govern the rental requirements must provide for the eviction of tenants who are in default.

In terms of finding a lasting solution to the perennial issue arising from suboptimal property management, there are several options available, such as learning from the Windhoek and Katima Mulilo local authorities how to properly manage incubation centres and business parks.

Public-private partnerships with reliable property management firms or transferring the management of business parks to regional councils and local authorities are other options.

The lack of affordable workspace is a challenge that can easily be addressed with renewed enthusiasm, and by using available resources.

• Danny Meyer is reachable at [email protected]