Windhoek – New Era newspaper, a product of New Era Publication Corporation (NEPC), and the Namibia Sport Commission (NSC) yesterday signed an agreement that will see the newspaper become the official media partner for the maiden edition of the much anticipated Namibia Annual Sports Expo (Nase).
NEPC is the publisher of both the New Era and Kundana newspapers, and also owns the Profectus Advertising Agency. The sports expo, the first of its kind for Namibia, will take place in September later this year.
During the signing ceremony of the agreement in the capital yesterday, NSC Chief Administrator Freddy Mwiya said with the arrival of New Era as the official media partner, they have been relieved of a massive burden on their budget as staging an event of such magnitude as the national sports expo requires huge capital injection.
“We initiated this idea with a zero budget and we have since been hard at work trying to secure funds and partners for this important event. This sports expo will be the first of its kind for our country and we want to make it a success but it has not been easy as far as securing funds – thus the importance of this partnership with New Era newspaper. It will go a long way in helping us in the advertising space and also reaching all Namibians by creating awareness around the expo. So this is a very important agreement and one that comes at the right time,” said Mwiya, who added that the expo will not just be a sport event but also a huge business opportunity for local companies.
On his part, NEPC Acting Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Jakobs said it was a pleasure for the newspaper to be part of such a historic event, emphasising that the upcoming sports expo is an important national project that needs everyone on board – hence NEPC’s decision to come on board as the official media partner.
“New Era newspaper has an 80 percent footprint in all 14 regions and with thousands of its social media followers, I believe it will be the perfect vehicle to drive the sports expo to all corners of the country. Part of this agreement will also see the newspaper publish a full-fledged supplement covering all aspects of the expo, including the business aspect of the event and create awareness. The supplement will be another good opportunity for local companies to showcase their products and services.
As our sport minister Erastus Uutoni continues to remind us, sport is no longer for leisure but it has become a massive industry that feeds and employs millions of people worldwide and its high time we start treating it as such here at home as well. So with this agreement, we as NEPC are playing our part in adding to the bigger agenda of commercialising the Namibian sport industry and creating opportunities,” said Jakobs.
The expo will be the country’s biggest international show dedicated to the sports, fitness and health industries, and will also put special emphasis on the local manufacturing industry with the aim of showcasing and connecting them with potential investors that will be in attendance during the expo.
More importantly, the expo in its design aims to strategically bring together a diverse range of national and international sport organizations, sport goods and equipment manufacturers, technology and innovation providers along with sport retailers, dealers, distributors, sport marketing professionals, sport media experts as well as local and international sports federation, national associations and other internationally renowned sport leaders under one roof.