Windhoek
Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has urged all stakeholders in the country to collaborate on the establishment of a national brand.
While officially opening the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) International Expo in Swakopmund on Wednesday, the PM noted that nation branding takes the idea of niche marketing to a new level. She added that even countries with only a few major assets to promote to the rest of the world are seeing the benefits of positioning themselves in a particular niche and then initiating a global public relations campaign to communicate that branding.
“Nation branding basically aims to measure, build and manage the reputation of countries, which is closely related to place branding. The branding and image of a nation state and the successful transference of this image to its exports can open up new export destinations. This is also referred to as country-of-origin effect, which we see with Namibian beef and beer. An effective nation brand can also improve a country’s ability to attract a talented and creative workforce and add weight to its cultural and political influence in the world,” said Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
She cautioned however that the Namibian brand should not be confused with Team Namibia, which plays an important role to mobilise Namibian consumers to buy local, as well as drive the promotion of the production of quality local products and services.
“After the global downturn, governments around the world started scrambling to rebuild economic strength and reputation. Many countries have begun to initiate public relations campaigns, hoping to communicate an attractive global image that will attract business, tourists and investors”, remarked Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
She added that in many ways, countries can be understood as the sum of their identity and reputation. And, just like brands, the strengths or weaknesses of a country can influence peoples’ decisions to choose them as places to visit, live or invest in.
“Therefore, a country’s identity, whether conveyed by a brand or otherwise, and reputation can provide a competitive advantage in a global market for tourism, education and investment,” said Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
She further pointed out that nation branding appears to be practised by many countries as there is increasing interest in the concept from developing nations on the grounds that an enhanced image might create more favourable conditions for foreign direct investment, tourism, trade and even political relations with other states.
A nation brand usually portrays a typifying image of the country, its government and its people accompanied by a slogan.
The new slogan of the South African brand, for example, indicates “inspiring new ways”, which was designed to capture the spirit of South Africa. Similarly, the brand of Egypt is “where it all begins”, while that of Morocco is “essence of mystery” and in Canada you can “keep exploring”, while Japan promises “endless discoveries”.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila further remarked that international “best country brand assessments” have emerged as a result of work done in this area.
She highlighted one prominent research poll, the Country Brand Index (CBI), which has emerged as an expert at ranking countries’ brands. For example, according to the 2014-15 CBI world rankings, Japan leads while in southern Africa, South Africa is ranked 40th.
“I therefore wish to urge all stakeholders in Namibia to come together and come up with a national brand. Government through the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development can coordinate the drive towards branding Namibia together with key stakeholders such as Team Namibia, Namibia Tourism Board, Namibia Trade Forum and NCCI.
“What is needed is a nationally coordinated umbrella strategy to brand and position Namibia as a source of quality goods and services and as a tourism and investment destination. Of course, such an exercise does not come cheaply, but the ultimate benefits will outstrip the costs by a huge margin. Our country needs bold ideas if we are to succeed to secure market access for domestically produced products and services,” said Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
Additionally, the PM believes that branding Namibia will also perfectly complement the country’s industrial policy that guides Namibia’s approach towards industrialisation over the next two decades, as well as Namibia’s growth at home strategy that is the execution strategy for the industrialisation agenda.
In a related matter, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila mentioned that progress is being made with the replacement of the Foreign Investment Act of 1990 with a modern Namibia Investment Promotion Bill.
While the 1990 Act deals exclusively with the treatment of foreign investors in Namibia, the Investment Promotion Bill attempts to create the required regulatory space for the government’s transformation agenda, its industrial policy and the progressive realisation of socio-economic rights.
“Therefore, the Bill provides for the legislative protection of investors and the protection and promotion of investment so as to achieve a balance of rights and obligations that apply to all investors, both foreign and domestic,” said Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.