Burglars caused extensive damage to the Keetmanshoop !Homs-Ai SME Park when they smashed the premises' glass doors to gain entry to offices and SME stalls. 

The break-in occurred over the weekend. 

Johannes Kisting, ||Kharas Regional Head for the Ministry of Industrialization and Trade, says police arrested one suspect in connection with the burglary. 

The regional head could, however, not say what items were stolen from the offices and the SME stalls during the burglary. 

A two-day workshop is underway in Gobabis to review the needs and constraints of indigenous, emerging charcoal producers in Namibia.

The workshop is hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of Industrialization and Trade (MIT) and will also aim to develop a common understanding of industry operations and identify market access.

A business support and value chain expert at MIT, Shumon Khalid, pointed out that a well-supported charcoal industry has vast development potential.

The Ministry of Industrialization and Trade has concluded its regional stakeholders' engagement on consumer protection, the liquor licencing process, investment promotion, and related matters in Gobabis, Omaheke Region.

The engagement focused on the operation of the country's economy, aiming to provide more frequent platforms to aid in the quest for transformation and to bring information to the community to ensure that laws align with the needs of the citizens.

The Ministry of Industrialization and Trade, in collaboration with the German Sparkassenstiftung for International Cooperation (DSIK), has embarked on the training of 1,400 medium enterprises across the country on business skills.

The programme, which aims to transform micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will run until the end of July, and will mainly focus on MSMEs in the mining and agriculture sectors.

These include areas of management, business planning, forecasting, record keeping, budgeting, and market expansion.