ONGWEDIVA -FNB area business manager for the far north Tomas Iindji has appealed to stakeholders to use the Annual Ongwediva Trade Fair to share info that will develop SMEs.
Iindji who doubles as the Chairperson of the NCCI northern branch said it is imperative to assist and nurture upcoming entrepreneurs as only a fraction of less than 20 percent survive their first year of being in business.
“When I look at the Ongwediva Trade Fair, it is clear that it highlights one thing: celebrating and supporting Namibian small entrepreneurs because when they succeed, Namibian people prosper,” asserted the business manager.
Iindji recently spoke at the opening of the Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair where FNB is among the sponsors.
The trade fair which kicked off on Friday will end on Saturday.
He said although SMEs have a critical role to play in addressing the challenges that citizens face, the levels of entrepreneurship and growth in the small business sector remains low.
Despite this, Iindji said SME contribute heftily to the health of the economy and offers diverse opportunities in society.
“They boost productivity, increase competition and innovation, create employment as well as revitalise our communities,” said Iindji.
From the bank’s side, FNB has dedicated an SME team to assist in developing small business because it understands that small businesses are the foundation of a sustainable economy.
In the same vein, Iindji appealed to the FNB customers to keep on par with the 4th industrial revolution by switching from the manual way of banking to their advanced digital form currently in place.
He said customers should expect to see more advanced high-end products, because the bank aims to improve its way of doing business.