The leadership of the Rundu Town Council says much of the town's prosperity is attributed to the business community.

A fundraising dinner was held ahead of the Rundu Trade Fair, which takes place later this month.

Rundu is considered one of the fastest-growing towns in Namibia, and the town council says it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with some of the demands.

"With Rundu being the most populated and fastest-growing town, it's putting pressure on the infrastructure that we are currently having. The demand is so high for the little service we are able to offer. We discovered that by doing it as a council itself, it might be a challenge, so we rather engage our partners, the backbone, which happens to be the business people, in order to face challenges together," said Gabriel Kanyanga, 
Mayor of Rundu.

It was therefore up to the business community to pledge, either in cash or kind, to help fund the Rundu Annual Trade Fair.

The fair had 102 exhibitors last year, but the town's CEO, Olavi Nathanael, is pushing for more stands this time around.

"We want to create an environment where businesses, large and small, can flourish. We aim to provide a platform for exhibitors to showcase their goods and services, attracting a diverse range of visitors, potential newcomers, and investors to be a leading town of innovation."

The theme this year is 'Innovation and Investment: Paving the Way to Rundu Town's Revived Economic Prosperity', and its patron, John Mutorwa, says the theme is befitting.

"The whole world, including us in Namibia, is still recovering from the deadly and devastating effects of COVID-19, where lives were lost and businesses collapsed, but we are now in the process of trying to revive. The economy in the world is down, but the human spirit must prevail for us to try and rebuild. Now is the time for the residents of Rundu, and now is the time for investors."

Deputy Sport, Youth, and National Services Minister Emma Kantema-Gaomas also addressed the event and called for more youth participation.

"These are events that ensure that we provide, especially the youth entrepreneurs, an opportunity to tap into the market because we know that the challenges business people are faced with are access to funding, access to infrastructure, and access to markets."

The Rundu Annual Trade Fair is scheduled for October 27–November 4, 2023.