To truly develop Namibia

Kehad Snydewel We talk a good game as Namibians, but we are prone to not embracing real change. A small shift here, a small innovation there, but large-scale comprehensive change always seems out of reach. We use a million excuses to keep the status quo, never truly examining how much we are losing because of this. The pandemic has changed all this completely. Namibia is reinventing itself, and reinventing how it works with Working from Home (WFH) becoming more and more accepted. We have to realise that we as Namibians are in this together and need to pull together. Our losses manifest themselves in lack of growth of our economy, insufficient stimulation and development of our sectors, but even more worryingly, it is stunting the development of our education, our students and putting Namibia’s ‘bold’ Vision 2030 in jeopardy. As a Namibian and a true son of the soil, that pains me greatly as I believe in this country and the resilience of all its people. I’ve seen with my own eyes how companies, entrepreneurs and people that have been retrenched have picked up the pieces, pivoted their business or expertise and continued to survive. During what is undoubtably the toughest chapter in our history, economically speaking, we are showing that we are truly resilient, resourceful and proactive. As employers and employees, but also as entrepreneurs and even informal economy operators, we need to pull in the same direction, to put it within the African context; we are talking about evoking the spirit of ‘Harambee’ and leveraging the ‘Ubuntu’ philosophy. This is the Year of Resilience; we all need to be resilient to make it through the pandemic successfully. I believe we can succeed, as long as we don’t lose sight of these concepts. By working together, by sharing our knowledge and championing each and every Namibian company, we make all of us stronger. Even if that means that sometimes we don’t get the deal or the business we were vying for, as long as a Namibian company gets the business, we still win! This is not an easy concept to grasp for a lot of people, but it is essential that we change our mindset. If Namibian companies compete and are awarded contracts or tenders, especially if they are chosen over foreign entities, it means that the business stays in Namibia. The products and services will be sourced in Namibia, sub-contractors will likely be Namibian as well, as are the employees of these companies. Even more relevant and valuable is the fact that the money made on these projects stays within Namibia and benefits the country. It benefits the country through the payment of salaries to the employees, purchasing of products and services and, of course, through the payment of taxes. Essential to any country!But we cannot achieve this if we begrudge each other success. If we don’t honestly and totally embrace the principles of ubuntu and harambee we will still be talking about growth, development and innovation in 10 years with nothing to show for it. Which is something which can and must be avoided at all costs if we are to truly build a viable, competitive and resilient nation for our future generations. We can establish an environment where everything is set up to stimulate an innovative economy from a grassroots level and be the catalyst for an innovative economic sector in Namibia. Building ourselves and each other up as Namibians for Namibia. *Kehad Snydewel is the managing director of Green Enterprise Solutions.

To truly develop Namibia

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Republikein 2025-04-18

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To truly develop Namibia

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Republikein 2025-04-18

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