The Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) says expanding market access for Namibian businesses remains a key priority, with the South Africa-Namibia Business Forum having provided a platform for local companies to secure new trade and investment opportunities.

Speaking on the sidelines of the South Africa-Namibia business forum, NIPDB's Acting Chief Executive Officer, Julia Muetudhana, said NIPDB's focus is to ensure businesses move beyond networking to securing contracts, accessing regional markets and increasing exports of value-added products.

The forum, Muetudhana noted, connected Namibian and South African businesses and helped them establish partnerships that will open new markets.

She said the board will continue supporting businesses after the forum by following up on business connections, facilitating investor services and helping enterprises gain market access through manufacturing, innovation, skills transfer and value addition.

Muetudhana said Namibian businesses are also being encouraged to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area to expand into markets beyond Namibia, including Zambia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria.

"And above all that, we need to make sure that we've got economic growth. We need to make sure that these businesses result in tangible results like employment creation and all that. So, from our side, we will continue attracting investment. We will continue following up. We will continue supporting our businesses to ensure that they scale up, they grow, and they focus on the priority sectors. Just like Her Excellency has indicated, the creative industry, the emerging sector, education, and agriculture. So, we want manufacturing; we want to focus on those areas."

She also acknowledged that access to finance, limited market access and maintaining export-quality standards remain some of the biggest challenges facing local entrepreneurs.

However, Muetudhana said NIPDB is addressing these constraints through the MSME Fund, export readiness programmes and initiatives that connect small businesses with financial resources and new markets.

"We also make sure that we connect our MSMEs to financial resources. Like, for example, we've got an MSME fund. It is steered towards making sure that our MSMEs are supported. So, we are getting there, but most importantly, we've got the financial instrument. We've got the trade agreements. We've got the support, even a high-potential pool that we are working with at NIPDB to make sure that our people and our MSMEs are ready to export and are ready to scale up in terms of these priority sectors."

Carusoe Van Der Merwe, a Business and Product Development Officer at Netvend, adds, "From a trade business perspective, we can learn from each other, and collaboration is key in this regard with smart partnerships to elevate the issue around the youth whose entrepreneurial drive is a big takeaway at this moment."

Muetudhana added that improving market access will ultimately contribute to a stronger export basket centred on value-added products rather than raw materials.