Dr Michael Nokokure Humavindu
The news of the unfortunate demise of our minister, comrade, liberation hero and elder Immanuel Uarotua Ngatjizeko have sent high voltage shockwaves across the Namibian society. Tributes keep on pouring in as we lament the loss of one of our national heroes. The tributes are testimony to the fact that the work and impact of the late Cde Ngatjizeko are pervasive across both the political and economic divide. On both the political and social scenes, the work and contributions of our fallen hero are as towering as himself and will continue to galvanize us to take up that mantle that he so dearly handed over to us.
However, Cde Ngatjizeko’s work in the industrialisation and trade sphere is equally a sizeable and respectable corpus of work that needs to be highlighted duly.
Hence, I shall confine myself to the colossal contributions that our fallen hero has made at our Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade. Cde Ngatjizeko served the ministry during the periods of 2005-2008 and then in 2015-2018.
During his first tenure, we saw a significant change in the manufacturing sector to also diversify from food and beverages to other sectors. It was also during his tenure that we saw an increase in the garments and apparels sector’s activity. These early outcomes were instrumental in laying the seeds for a compressive national industrial policy that was finally launched in 2012.
During the second term of being the minister of Industrialisation and Trade, Cde Ngatjizeko was quite instrumental in ensuring that we launched 10 Sector growth strategies covering sectors such as charcoal, taxidermy, cosmetics, wildlife products, metal sector and seafood.
These sector growth strategies launched in 2016, are the critical planks driving our Growth at Home Agenda. Further on, he oversaw the work towards developing the Peugeot-Opel automotive assembly during his tenure, which was eventually launched in December 2018 by His Excellency President Hage G. Geingob. We can proudly exclaim that he midwifed our major attempt to set up an automotive industry amidst regional limitations, realities and confines.
Cde Ngatjizeko was quite an ardent supporter of small businesses and during his tenure, he oversaw the introduction of the 2016-2021 National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Policy. For the first time, we had a much broader and less nuanced definition of the sector. To help institutionalise the development of the sector, Cde Ngatjizeko also worked and ensured the launching of Empretec Namibia, our agency platform to help drive and develop a culture of entrepreneurship in the country. Many of us will also remember his insistence, during the 2017/18 period, for the now defunct SME Bank to institute proper governance mechanisms in place that led to the illumination of some issues in the institution.
We also cultivated a closer relationship with the Namibia Informal Sector Organisation (NISO) during his tenure, which led to the development of a memorandum of understanding in 2019.
The current work on developing a National Informal Economy Policy emanates from the said memorandum of understanding.
Cde Ngatjizeko was also the regional and consummate statesman, as, during his tenure, the ministry worked duly on the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap of 2015-2063. This later culminated in 2019 into a SADC Protocol on Industry.
We can reflect on numerous achievements and key interventions as a ministry of industrialisation, given his hands on and attention to detail help us through the phase of setting up our country on an industrialisation oriented path.
So, we remember our fallen Cde and minister fondly, over his guidance, we have achieved many gains for the attainment of Vision 2030- a highly prosperous and industrialised Namibia!’
My condolences to his wife, his children and his broader family and friends.
May his soul Rest in Peace! Suva Mohange!