15 May 2008
Windhoek — THE City of Windhoek is to open an Information Technology (IT) Training Centre at the Oshetu Community Market, formerly Single Quarters, in Katutura.
The IT Centre is part of a new administration and IT block which has been funded by the City of Windhoek at a cost of N$2 million, and is aimed at strengthening capacity building for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The centre is also aimed at making resources and information accessible to traders and the youth, as well as to provide them with IT and business training.
The business analyst for Micro and Entrepreneurial Development at the City of Windhoek, Claudius Kaverua, said during a media tour to the three informal community markets on Tuesday that the network had to be installed first before the centre would open its doors in the next financial year, which starts on July 1.
The three informal community markets are Oshetu, the Incubation Centre in Shandumbala, and the Soweto Market in the Soweto location.
He said the IT centre would cater for 10 people at a time, and preference would be given to the SME traders operating from Oshetu market.
It would also facilitate the provision of IT and business training to the community in the surrounding areas.
The IT Centre, with support from the City of Vantaa in Finland, has been equipped with an information and communication technology (ICT) training room, 10 computers, 11 desks and chairs, 18 chairs and conference tables and a laser printer.
Kaverua said the City of Vantaa had made provision of N$100 000 in the 2007/08 budget for the equipment, and N$18 000 in the 2008/09 budget for additional resource materials and software.
Besides the training centre, the new office block consists of two offices, a boardroom, reception foyer, staff kitchen and toilet facilities.
The Oshetu Community Market has 40 lockable stalls and 170 open trading areas, and accommodates about 400 small traders.
Kaverua said the market was a project initiated by central Government in order to provide trading facilities for the informal traders.
The City of Windhoek then took over the project and upgraded the existing structures.
The renovations began in 1999 and were implemented in different phases in order to improve the standard of the market.
Nampa
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