Some 1,400 Business OwnersCountrywideTo Be Trained By July 2023

By:Fransina Nghidengwa
The Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade, in partnership with the German Sparkassenstiftung for International Cooperation (DSIK) through the Ministry’s Empretec Namibia Programme, will deliver an entrepreneurial training interventionover the coming months.
Enhancing Entrepreneurship Development Programme in Namibia- or Empretec Namibia – is an initiative of the Government of Namibia working in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP Namibia), with the aim of unlocking the growth potential of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Namibia through a competency-based behavioural entrepreneurship training and the provision of a bouquet of business advisory services.
Industrialisation and Trade Minister Lucia Iipumbu said the training will improve the business health and livelihood of Micro-Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country, reaching 1,400 MSMEs by July 2023.
Some 107 entrepreneurs were trained under the Ministry’s Empretec Namibia Programme in collaboration with the DSIK since 2019.
The partnership aims to strengthen the capacity of MSMEsin Namibia through the provision of business simulation training workshops, starting this month.
“This training is a national training that will be undertaken in all 14 regions to provide micro business simulations to the MSMEs to help entrepreneurs learn and manage their businesses successfully,” Iipumbu said.
Along with partner Empretec Ghana and the local United Nations Development Programme, she said the Ministry will continue to train basic entrepreneurial skills based on behavioural aspects.
This year the Ministry plans to develop 30 certified business development advisors with the help of Empretec Ghana.
Through Empretec Namibia, the Ministry is committed to continue consolidating the key enterprise training programmes, which include the training of future coloured gemstone and jewellery artisans and entrepreneurs through Karibib Gemstone Centre.
This year another 25 trainees will start training in gemstone cutting and polishing in June 2023.
The intervention has seen at least 50 trainees since 2019 being absorbed in the diamond cutting and polishing industry.
“We have also trained at least 40 charcoal MSMEs since 2020 exposing them to the full value chain from producing basic firewood to value-added products such as biochar and animal food,” the Minister added.
This, she explained, is to enhance entrepreneurship development by delivering entrepreneurial training interventions to strengthen the capacity of MSMEs through the provision of business simulation.
Meanwhile, the DSIKrepresentative and project manager Angela Njunju said her organisation has reached over 25,000 people in Southern Africa.
Njunju further said 20% of those MSMEs have increased their profits by 17%, more of them owned a bank account, 94% are happy with the post-training follow-up, 11% increased the number of employees with a regular salary and 424% of farmers increased their record-keeping, and were able to budget.