WALVIS BAY – A Chinese business delegation during a visit to the Erongo Region last week was impressed with the business opportunities available in the region.
The delegation representing two businesses from China were in the region on an invitation facilitated by the Chinese Ambassador to Namibia, His Excellency Xin Shunkang and the chairperson of the Erongo Regional Council, Councillor Hafeni L. Ndemula. The focus of two of the delegates, Yu Xiaofeng the general manager of Sogecoa Zambia Limited and Ren Fu Li, the vice president of Anhui Foreign Economic Construction (Group) was mainly in the area of infrastructure development. Ambassador Shunkang and businesswoman Yu Xiaofeng showed a keen interest, especially in the mining of semi-precious stones during their visit to the Crystal Gallery in Swakopmund and were impressed by the high quality of the stones. According to Shunkang semi-precious stones are in greater demand in China than diamonds and could be sold for double their local worth in that country. According to him the cutting and manufacturing process before exporting could also add huge value to such stones. “Small miners could benefit greatly if joint projects are undertaken between the Erongo Region and China,” he said.
During the visit, the governor of the Erongo Region, Cleophas Mutjavikua, reiterated the council’s commitment to develop the region in order to create jobs and to alleviate poverty. “Based on the already existing excellent relations between Namibia and China, the Erongo Regional Council has embarked on this venture to strengthen the ties with possible future cooperation initiatives in fields of mutual interest such as education, hospitality, recreational facilities and infrastructure development. The current expansion of the Namibia Ports Authority (Namport) also roused the interest of the visiting delegation, with members expressing interest in joint ventures with the port. The visitors were particularly impressed by infrastructure projects such as the Erongo Quarry and the Small Scale Miners project.
By Eveline de Klerk