Trustco, which emerged last year from a gruelling fight with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, where it is listed, has secured a close to N$1 billion investment from an American company.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Trustco, Quinton van Rooyen Junior, said the investment is a vote of confidence in Namibia's future.

In an interview with nbc News about the investment of N$950 million, Van Rooyen Junior said foreign investors should, before putting their money down, look at how safe the country is, its legal and financial environment, and its governance structures.

On why the Riscowitz Value Fund has decided to invest in Trustco, van Rooyen said there are promising prospects in Namibia, such as the recently discovered mineral resources coupled with a stable political environment.

The economy is growing post-COVID, and the world has recognised this fact, he commented.

However, the current investment will go towards existing portfolios of the company, such as property, finance, and resources.

"For Trustco, this investment injects liquidity into the company. It enables us to start our projects—the insurance business, student lending, and financial lending—all of which will accelerate growth in the company. The specific investment will be going to the existing portfolio Trustco currently has, so we diversify not only the shareholder base but also the company and its assets."

The founder shareholder, Next Capital, and other entities associated with the founder of Trustco Van Rooyen Senior, the deputy CEO, said they have invested over N$1.4 billion over the past few years in Trustco and have now decided that this debt be converted into equity as a proactive way to manage debt.

This, he said, will also unlock cash for future investments.

"No, we have not paid dividends for quite some time. All available free cash was reinvested into the company to grow the asset base, and this investment will accelerate dividend payments."

With its close to N$1 billion investment, Roskowitz will hold about 25% to 28% of the non-controlling shareholding in Trustco if the negotiations go according to plan, Van Rooyen Junior said.

Trustco's underlying asset value, the deputy CEO said, according to the latest audit stands at N$4.7 billion, and its market capitalization is the number of shares issued and their price, which is roughly half a billion dollars.

So is its fight, with the JSE over and the suspension of the trading of its shares lifted on Africa's biggest stock exchange.