The 14th edition of the Eenhana Annual Expo's fundraising gala dinner raised over N$414,000 towards its successful hosting. 

The event is scheduled for July 29.

The Rani Group of Companies became the official sponsor of the Eenhana Annual Expo after pledging N$100,000 to the initiative. 

Local construction company Onangwe Investment pledged N$52,000, and First National Bank Namibia pledged N$51,000.

Last year, the pledges stood at N$360,000, out of which N$33,000 worth of pledges were not honoured.

Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises, Iipumbu Shiimi, said accelerating research into economic development and how to conduct profitable business undertakings is imperative.

The country's institutions of higher learning, he said, should lead such research undertakings.

"Development is hard, but it's possible; it's also possible in this area. So you are all challenged to work as partners with the government to develop this region and this town. It's a platform where we can encourage more entrepreneurship. When kids come here, they can see that people are trading here. I can also become a businessman. So we want to applaud Eenhana town for creating the expo."

Shiimi added that platforms, including the Eenhana Expo, provide a platform for businesses to interact and innovate around innovations in product offerings that would resonate with the needs of the people. 

The town's mayor, Omri-Onn Kavandje, says the initiative has seen significant, positive growth over the years, attracting both local businesses and other entities from across the region.

"Our analysis shows that COVID-19 and the preceding economic crisis and meltdown still have hard and negative impacts on our doorstep, and reviving the economy is the right thing to do. We are reinventing the theme of the economy."

This year, the fair will be held under the theme 'Reviving the local economy through business resilience, innovation, and diversification'.