WINDHOEK – The Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) is in the process of advocating for the establishment of a National Procurement Policy that will encourage all businesses to source their goods and services locally and which should result in the rapid development of small and medium enterprises in the country.
According to the chief executive officer of the NCCI, Tarah Shaanika, the proposed policy will also provide guidelines to both the private sector and state owned enterprises (SOEs) on how to source their goods and services locally, specifically from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in order to speed up growth in this crucial sector. “We have the suppliers that can provide goods and services in the same quality and quantity as foreign suppliers. We want goods and services for new and existing projects to be sourced from Namibian suppliers,” said Shaanika, adding that a detailed written submission of the NCCI’s national procurement policy is expected to be submitted to government very soon.
Shaanika made these revelations while providing an update of the chamber’s upcoming national SME conference scheduled to take place in Rundu on Friday, October 11. SMEs from around the country, senior government officials as well as SME service providers will gather at the annual conference, which this year takes on the theme “Growth at Home – the Role of Business”.
Discussions at the conference will review the procurement opportunities available for the Namibian SME sector while government, private sector and local authority representatives are expected to take to the stage with presentations. The conference in Rundu will also discuss some the challenges and bottlenecks in the sourcing of local goods and services.
Shaanika said many SMEs in Namibia make every effort to adhere to specified delivery times and packaging requirements but that some of them still fall short. “Our SMEs need to set the example of honoring promises as it is not only their names in the balance but also that of the entire country. We want to develop SMEs that are able to deliver what they promise,” noted Shaanika, adding that additional SME issues to be discussed include training and access to finance.
By Edgar Brandt