Namibia is looking at expanding agricultural production to reduce imports.

It is for this reason that the country hosted an inaugural Agriculture Investment Conference and Expo in Windhoek. 

The two-day conference brought together stakeholders from government, farming, finance and the private sector to explore investment opportunities across the agricultural value chain.

The aim was to attract private investment, find a way to create jobs and strengthen the country's capacity to produce more of what it consumes.

The Acting Executive Director at the Namibia Investment Promotion Development Board (NIPBD), Ndapewa Hangula) stated opportunities in agro-processing and export-orientated farming.

"We have seen some investment flowing into these subsectors within the agricultural space, fruit farming we have seen. In terms of, we have also highlighted the statistics in terms of what is locally produced and what is imported. Now, the gap is too huge. We are apparently only producing 4%, and 96% of what we consume is imported. That alone gives you a huge opportunity to see what you can do about it."

Political Analyst Joseph Diescho argued that food production is not only an economic activity but also an important part of national identity and self-reliance.

He says, beyond attracting investment, Dr. Diescho also called for a shift in how Namibians view agriculture and locally produced food.

"Agriculture is the cornerstone of development and economic food security; you can call it self-reliance. We need to turn to ourselves as Namibians."