Marythar Kambinda
KATIMA MULILO – The Zambezi region is a great hub for tourism investment.
This was the view of MovasK Investment’s managing director Maibel Kabajani at a fundraising gala dinner in Katima Mulilo last week under the theme, ‘Unleashing Tourism’s Potential in the Zambezi region’.
Over 5 000 visitors were expected to attend the subsequent expo, which took place at a local hotel.
Kabajani stated that the aim of the fundraising and subsequent expo was to showcase the richness of the region.
“The Zambezi region is strategically positioned. We are the only country that exists between four bordering neighbours, comprising Zambia, Angola, Botswana and Zimbabwe. There is, thus, a lot of potential when it comes to trade and investment because we have trade relations with all our neighbouring countries,” she stated.
Kabajani added that Namibia, as a whole, is a great tourism hub for investors from outside the country, and this is due to its political stability, which could provide an inflow for direct or indirect foreign investments.
The expo was a collaboration between the Katima Mulilo Town Council, the Zambezi Regional council and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.
The services that were offered at the expo included arts and crafts, clothing, beauty products and services, corporate services, hospitality, transportation, food stalls, agricultural products as well as entertainment, with a fun hub for children.
Zambezi governor and chairperson of the Zambezi Tourism Forum Lawrence Sampofu applauded MovasK Investment for the initiative to showcase and promote tourism within the region.
He said it was indeed a good thing to see partnerships being formed with the private sector to develop communities.
“As a region, we are once again casting a spotlight on the importance of the youth’s involvement in tourism and reaffirm our commitment to upskill and empower them where we can.”
“Tourism means a lot more than just travelling for adventure or sightseeing. It represents something much more than having fun; it’s our livelihood, cash crop and life,” said Sampofu.
He added that the time was now to seize the opportunity to rethink how things have been done when it comes to promoting tourism in this region.
“We believe tourism gives real opportunities for wealth-creation, as it impacts many lives. Therefore, this creates ample reason to rethink tourism and explore investment in the sector,” the politician noted.
Sampofu furthermore encouraged the business community in the region to support the initiative, as it would not be a one-time event.
Sylvester Kabajani, the project manager at MovasK Investment, likewise observed that there is great potential in tourism within the region.
This involvement of stakeholders would, thus, be of great benefit – not only during the expo but for the region as a whole.
He said the Zambezi region is more of a transit point for tourists, as it does not have services or infrastructure to keep tourists within the region.
The expo would, therefore, be a learning point on what needs to be improved within the sector, as well as help market the services and products that are found within the region.
The Development Bank of Namibia (DBN), the National Housing Enterprises (NHE) and the Roads Authority (RA) all pledged N$10 000 each for the event.
Other sponsors included the office of the Zambezi governor, Trinitas Engineering, RK Investment, Bank Windhoek and the Protea Hotel as well as members of the community.
A total of N$45 000 was pledged, with event organisers stating the event will be much bigger next year.
*Marythar Kambinda is an information officer at the MICT Zambezi regional office.