SMEs in Namibia

NAMIBIA, A 34-YEAR-OLD adult nation, has a growing number of start-up, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in pursuit of making their mark in their respective industries.

As a village boy, I speak around the fire like an African boy.

Allow me to share a story that I hope would help us understand and plan our economy better.

Two of our main newspapers earlier this year advertised an entrepreneur workshop, of which the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade was a sponsor.

As an unemployed nurse, I applied, had an interview, and got the opportunity to participate. Let me confess: I only applied because I’m unemployed.

The six-day training workshop was in March, and we were enlightened on the advantages and possible opportunities of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.

By the end of the workshop, we had gained knowledge and skills.

And guess what? I was the second-best participant overall and the youngest among 30.

What stood out for me was the entrepreneurial competencies David McClelland, a psychologist at Harvard University, identified as part of successful entrepreneurs’ characters: the motivation to achieve.

The workshop was very educational, but the problem was that none of us were funded to either start a business or expand our enterprises.

There are more than 70 000 registered SMEs in Namibia. Are they doing well? If not, who has the solution and what can be done?

Between money and education, which one would you choose to get you to succeed?

I don’t feel good when our policymakers tell the youth to create jobs for themselves, while they know the environment is not conducive and there is no money to start a business.

Some people are also telling the youth to create employment, while they have been working for the government for decades, but have failed to found or create businesses.

Fellow Namibians, do we actually understand what it takes to start a business and create employment?

The World Bank’s statistics are very clear: Namibia is ranked 104th among more than 190 countries on planet earth today with regards to ease of doing business.

The economy is failing to absorb those of us who have studied nursing, education, marketing, and economics. Would it be able to absorb even 30% of our technical and vocational graduates?

The current Namibian economy is suffering congestive cardiac failure, and it is currently in the intensive care unit.

The biggest challenge facing MSMEs is finance.

Therefore, I humbly submit that this nation needs a strong economic foundation. MSMEs in Namibia’s access to credit should get serious consideration. Do not just train people, but also give them capital to start their businesses.

In conclusion, I am ending this piece by paraphrashing the words of Nangula Uaandja, my role model, from Etomba village, whom I met in 2011 as headboy of Etomba Combined School.

She says the 2024/25 budget represents a pivotal move in sculpting a thriving Namibian economy and reaffirming the government’s commitment for micro, small and medium entrprises to thrive and create opportunities for employment.

Long live Namibia, a daughter of international solidarity, midwifed by the United Nations.

Alfeus Hamundja