WINDHOEK - Emulating a precedent set by previous Boards of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), the Chamber’s directors, under the presidency of Sven Thieme, has appointed Charity Mwiya as the substantive Chief Executive Officer. Mwiya will head the NCCI’s secretariat over the coming five years.
The past two Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the Chamber were also recruited from within the secretariat. The immediate previous CEO Tarah Shaanika initially joined the Chamber as Membership Officer. After serving as Acting CEO, Shaanika was later appointed as substantive head by the Board, which was at the time led by Leake Hangala.
Similar due process was followed in the appointment of Sam Geiseb as the Chamber’s CEO by the then board of directors during the presidency of Joan Guriras. Geiseb was also appointed from within the ranks of the secretariat following the departure of the then CEO John Dammert.
“The NCCI board is very pleased with Mwiya’s satisfactory performance and has every confidence in her ability to head the organisation,” read a statement by NCCI President Sven Thieme.
Mwiya joined the NCCI in 2004, initially heading the trade promotion department and over the years her responsibilities expanded to include appointment as company secretary.
She has been responsible for the planning, organising and the running of numerous NCCI projects and programmes, prior to and during her tenure as Acting CEO. She has also represented the NCCI at local, regional and international assignments, conferences, including trade negotiation meetings.
A holder of a BA Degree in Media Studies, Mwiya has over the years gained skills and knowledge in Chamber administration and management from participating in Business Support Organisation (BSO) and Business Sector Representative Body managerial development programmes. During her employment in the Chamber, she has also diligently served as a member of the Namibia Sweden Working Group, focusing on Trade Cooperation, and as a member of the Namibia-South Korea Working Group on Economic Development Strategies for Namibia.
The NCCI is a voluntary membership-based business sector representative body that operates under and is guided by its constitution. The secretariat is responsible for the day-to-day operations under the NCCI elected national executive board.
With the aim to ensure operational efficiency, accountability and fiscal discipline, Mwiya has been tasked by the Board of Directors to strengthen the chamber’s administrative capacity at local branch levels. To this end, she will present her strategy to the NCCI’s Board, and to the membership at the NCCI Annual General Meeting (AGM) slated for May 2019.