Charles Ndeumane
The Atusheni Community and Agricultural Show provided free stalls to women and youth during its recent exhibition in Omuthiya.
The exhibition concluded last Saturday.
Formerly known as the Face of Namibia Project, Atusheni Community and Agricultural Show (ACAS) is a non-governmental organisation that has been active for nine years, previously holding exhibitions in Walvis Bay. Last week, ACAS relocated its activities to the Omuthiya sports stadium, where the exhibitions will now be held annually.
One of the event organisers, Mary Shikongo, told New Era that the primary goal of their exhibitions is to uplift the youth and women through business opportunities. “Stalls are normally N$500, but we also offer some for free to vulnerable women, youth, SMEs and mostly entrepreneurs and startups to showcase their products or market their upcoming businesses. We also provide free access to vocational training in various fields to all interested participants.
The exhibitions used to run for four to six days in Kuisebmond, Walvis Bay. However this year, we decided to host it in Omuthiya, the capital city of Oshikoto region. We solely rely on sponsorships. This will be the ninth annual show organised by our organisation – next year we will celebrate a decade,” she said.
The exhibition granted free stalls to local entrepreneurs in the agriculture business, upcoming entrepreneurs and SMEs to showcase and market their products, while creating employment opportunities for the youth. The event brought the Omuthiya community together, and customer entrance was free.
Shikongo encouraged young people and women from Omuthiya and surrounding areas to seize the opportunity offered by the exhibition to showcase their products, and earn an income during next year’s ACAS.