By: Nghiinomenwa Erastus
The Namibia Institutional Investors Forum will bring together policy makers, asset owners, fund and asset managers, in March 2022 to discuss various asset classes in Namibia.
As well as investment policies affecting or impacting investing in Namibia.
The Forum announced last week in a statement through Poiyah Media.
The announcement comes as the country boost total assets (savings) of the non-banking financial institutions regulated by Namfisa standing N$347,3 billion- with around 30% invested outside
The conference will be held under the theme Harnessing Alternative Investment to Drive Economic Recovery which will be held in Swakopmund on 10 and 11 March 2022.
Various captains of industries including investment consultants, legal practitioners, among other key players in the industry will engage one another on investment policies in the country.
Under the spotlight is alternative investment- the growing demand for alternative investments is undergoing a transformation.
Given that the asset class offers a spectrum of very different assets which vary from liquid assets through the absence of market infrastructures.
In the statement the Namibia Institutional Investors Forum (NIIF) explained that the focus on alternative investments has never been more relevant as the investment community continues to solidify their commitment to curb key global challenges.
Specifically the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as Namibia’s own Harambee Prosperity Plan II- the Harambee plan has highlighted the government approach on taking a back seat when it comes to its involvement in the economy.
MNCapital group’s chief executive officer Michael Ndinisa, explained that with the new direction on investment with the support of its various strategic partners it will be hosting the conference.
Ndinisa said that he has been conducting country-specific programmes in an effort to provide platforms for key players in the investment community and policymakers to come together.
To engage one another on investment opportunities applicable to that particular country, as well as what needs to be done to move beyond just investment discussions to deal signing.
He added that climate change and, most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic continue to shift the scale as far as institutional investors’ traditional approach to investment is concerned.
“Institutional investors are gravitating towards sustainable investing and there’s no better timing to enter the new year with more creativity to harness what is already in existence,” Ndinisia mentioned.
Martin Inkumbi, chief executive officer of the Development Bank of Namibia and one of the guest speakers stated that Namibian institutional investors can play a pivotal role in unlocking infrastructure projects among others, railways, renewable energy, housing, and others, such as agriculture.
He said institutional investors can “propel Namibia’s economic growth to a new level”.
Addin that institutional capital can also be deployed as patient capital in the forms of equity and quasi-equity to catalyze and take especially manufacturing enterprises from brownfields to mature enterprises.
Inkumbi explained that the important and imminent benefit of an investment intervention is saving Namibian enterprises from collapsing during the current depressed economic cycle.
At the same time preserving current and future employment and sustaining economic growth.
Another guest speaker at the conference will be James Mnyupe, the presidential Economic Advisor and Namibia’s Green Hydrogen Commissioner.
Commended on planned conference urging the private sector and corporate sectors to join the discussion at hand.
He said there is significant interest from the Global Capital markets for assets that meaningfully answer the call for profitable investments which respond to SDGs and the sustainable decarbonization of industrial infrastructure.
Mnyupe highlighted that Namibia is ideally positioned to contribute to the discourse and investors in Namibia can be at the forefront of creating sustainable value for clients and society at large.
Sound the world funds and investment managers are argued to formalise reporting obligations regarding the inclusion of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues
The planned conference includes; ESG factors considerations, socially responsible investing (SRI) as well as impact investing, swiftly changing the position of ‘alternative investment’ from a ‘by the way’ approach to a mainstream investment strategy.
A key outline of attending this conference will include; engaging policymakers and industry regulators as they discuss Namibia-specific reforms and regulatory frameworks, market trends, and the current environment.
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