The business community is requesting Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) to extend its Annual Duty Penalty Waiver Programme, which ended today.

Long queues could be observed at Windhoek's Grove and Maerua Malls as business owners hurry to have their penalties waived.

The process began in January, and business owners are complaining about the slow service at both locations.

Registered business owners are required to pay an annual fee of N$120, and failure to pay results in penalties.

Youth in Otjiwarongo refuse to lie idle, waiting for job opportunities to be created, and have ventured into selling firewood.

Most residents in Otjiwarongo's informal settlement depend on firewood for cooking and other energy needs, hence the reason to start a firewood business.

Firewood business owner Hamugandjo Shitumba says, "On good days, I would make at least N$1,000 or more. I do have challenges with the car that keeps breaking down when I go get firewood, but I am making money."

The 46th Annual Damara Cultural Festival has given business owners at Okombahe, a settlement in the Daures Constituency, a financial boost.

Due to an influx of cars and people, the gravel roads were watered to limit dust.

The usually quiet streets were populated by stalls stocked with food and other traditional products for sale.

Sanna Namases is one of the locals who decided to grab the opportunity and set up a stall.

A gala dinner was held to raise funds for the much anticipated three-day first-ever Zambezi Tourism and Business Expo slated for this week.

The expo, hosted by MovasK Investment with the aim of showcasing the richness of the region, will be held under the theme "Unleashing Tourism Potential in the Zambezi Region" from the 27th to the 29th of this month.

Zambezi governor Alufea Sampofu, who is also the chairperson of the Zambezi Tourism Forum, applauded the private sector efforts to rise and rebuild the region from the brink of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Head of Customs and Excise at the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA), Wilbroad Poniso, says the agency has been working tirelessly towards streamlining the way of doing business by ensuring efficiency, protection, and compliance in the global supply chain.

Poniso was speaking during an awareness session on the Authorised Economic Operation (AEO) at Walvis Bay.

The  AEO Programme serves as a vital instrument in achieving NamRA objectives.

The business community of Swakopmund is unhappy with beggars and homeless people in the town, saying they are harassing tourists and scaring away potential investors.

Residents addressed a safety interaction meeting at Swakopmund.

Also speaking at the occasion was the town's mayor, Dina Namubes, who says she is aware of the various challenges faced by the community and the factors leading to them.

Women in business have been urged to establish cooperatives that would enhance their enterprises through business-to-business networking.

This call was made by Doreen Sioka, the Minister of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare, during a meeting with businesswomen in Rosh Pinah.

Sioka emphasised that informal businesses play a significant role in contributing to the country's developmental objectives. By forming cooperatives and engaging in business networking, women can further enhance the impact and success of their ventures.

The Namibia Investment Promotion and Facilitation Bill, if unchanged, will see the introduction of compliance officers to ensure that businesses operate within the confines of the laws.

Speaking at the stakeholders' engagement at Keetmanshoop, the Minister of Trade and Industrialization, Lucia Iipumbu, explained the benefits that come with the bill once it becomes law, as well as the National Consumer Policy and the Liquor Act.

President Hage Geingob and his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, have also directed that a business forum be convened between the two countries.

The proposal is that the business forum takes place on the sidelines of the Bi-National Commission meeting to be held in Windhoek.

Leaders would be engaging the business community from both Namibia and South Africa. 

A 17-year-old schoolboy, Antonio Araeb, and his mother established a poultry business in 2021 by buying 30 one-day-old chicks at a subsidized price from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Araeb's love for farming started at Rooi Duine Secondary School, where he is currently studying agriculture as his main subject.

"The Ministry of Agriculture also assisted us with the food tray and the water tray, which you can see there, and now we are doing the poultry business, which is going well."