THE Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade has described the annual trade and investment mission to Namibia from 6 to 10 June as a great success.
The mission, which aimed to explore potential business and investment opportunities, create networks for sellers, buyers, agents, suppliers, as well as cross-exchange partnerships in the education, health, culture and sports sectors, was led by Namibia's ambassador to the United States, Margaret Mensah-Williams.
According to a statement from the ministry, the mission was multisectoral with a focus on education, mining and mineral beneficiation, logistics and container terminals, agriculture and agro-processing, low-cost housing, tourism and hospitality, water and power generation, the creative industry and culture, pharmaceutical and medical supplies, including herbal medicine, marine resources, as well as natural resources.
The annual trade and investment mission is an initiative of the Namibian embassy in Washington, and was facilitated by the trade ministry and the embassy.
This is the sixth mission since its inception in 2014.
The last mission was in 2019.
The US delegation, consisting of 11 delegates comprising one high-ranking delegate from the US government and 10 from the private sector, arrived in Namibia on 6 June.
"The president and chief executive officer of the US African Development Foundation (USADF), Travis Adkins, was representing the US government," the statement reads.
USADF is an independent federal agency working directly with Africa's most vulnerable and underserved communities to secure economic development and growth at grassroots level.
"The agency is a community-level connector, awarding grants and technical assistance of up to US$250 000 to African-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs), agribusinesses, and promising youth and women entrepreneurs," the ministry says.
Representing the private sector were two Namibian honourary consuls from the states of Texas and Virginia, Robert Braubach, and Nin Aseeya Ra-El.
The delegates had multilateral engagements with president Hage Geingob and various high-level government officials, private sector representatives, and members of civil society.
Apart from a courtesy visit to the president, the delegation also paid visits to the minister of industrialisation and trade, Lucia Iipumbu, the governor of Erongo region, Neville Andre, the charge d'affaires at the embassy of the United States in Namibia, Jessica Long, among other officials and executives.
The delegation toured Meatco, Namport, Namibia Breweries, Seaworks Fish Processers, Gemstone Market, Karibib Gemstone Training Centre, Erongo Winery, and Penduka Village.
The delegation had a meeting with Ben Nangombe, executive director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services on 7 June.
In attendance was representatives from the University of Namibia (Unam) School of Medicine, the Central Medical Stores, and the Namibia Medicine Regulatory Council.
Unam vice chancellor Kenneth Matengu did a presentation, which led to a fruitful discussion.
During the visit to the Erongo region on 9 June, the delegation, accompanied by Mensah-Williams, paid a courtesy visit to the governor and Namport.
In Windhoek, the delegation toured Penduka Village, a non-governmental development organisation working with women based at Goreangab Dam at Katutura.
Penduka Village provides work for about 499 women, 39 of whom are on a permanent contract and 460 on contract, to produce clothing items, bags, bedding, towels, deco pieces, toys, etc., by hand.
The village has a shop that provides a platform for the products to be displayed and sold to visitors, mainly tourists.
Forming part of the mission was the 'Doing Business in Namibia' Seminar and B2B meetings that was held on 7 June at the Safari Hotel, and officiated by Iipumbu.
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According to the ministry, the seminar was well attended with a total of 117 Namibian and US delegates, excluding the leadership, but mostly local representation of the government, the private sector and civil society.
The forum was a great opportunity for local business representatives to network and build relationships in their areas of expertise.
Furthermore, this also gave government institutions the opportunity to promote their projects and products, the ministry said.
The ministry, however, recommended that the facilitation of the incoming trade and investment mission should be spearheaded by the Namibia Industrial Promotion and Development board (NIPDB), with the ministry only playing a supporting role.
"The NIPDB got the mandate and budget when its precursor, the Namibia Investment Centre, transformed into a parastal," the ministry said.
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