Windhoek — An investigation into the viability of private equity vehicles for small and medium enterprises in Namibia has begun.

The initiative was concretised through the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Business Financial Solutions, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für  Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German government, Bank Windhoek and the Global Compact Network Namibia (GCNN).

The memorandum of understanding is for a joint project by the four institutions to commission an in-depth market analysis on the need and relevance of private equity to SMEs and an investigation into the economic viability of private equity vehicles in Namibia.

The project is run under GIZ/GCNN's Public-Private-Partnership framework and the costs are shared between the parties. The study will also investigate the relevance of supporting SMEs to access equity capital.

The partners are jointly financing the study themed "Study on a Private Equity Initiative for Emerging SMEs in Namibia." Local economist Robin Sherbourne will conduct the study.

Upon the completion of the study, the partners will share the key data with Namfisa, the Bank of Namibia and other stakeholders, including the public to support the financial inclusion initiatives of government and the Bank of Namibia.