OMUTHIYA – Amid widespread business closures and nationwide job losses as a result of an economic meltdown, the Omuthiya Town Council says it has repositioned itself as an emerging and preferred business destination for informal, small and medium enterprises.
Council said this with reference to the recently established business ventures such as Build It Omuthiya and the construction of Cunene Africa complex to house Shoprite, as well as the establishment of Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust at the town.
“As much as the economy is bad, we have not experienced any shop closures in town; instead we have seen a rise in the number of projects that bring growth both economically and employment creation,” stressed the town council’s economic development planner, David Israel.
Israel further pointed the completion of 50 NHE houses, saying they will bring and attract more people which means increased buying power.
“We have also experienced an increase in the number of new Chinese business personnel establishing shops, migrating from other towns. Another notable sign the economy is relatively stable is the increase of vendors from nearby regions coming to trade in Omuthiya; so all these are economic indicators that we are still on the right trajectory,” boasted Israel.
Contrary to the local business fraternity’s impressions, Israel is upbeat.
Furthermore, Israel said the economic backbone of the town is with the human resource within, working in villages within the catchment areas, of which Omuthiya serves as the preferred town for immediate service.
“These catchments include teachers, police officers, nurses and the community who in general are subsistence farmers.This is supplemented by the town’s strategic location as it serves commuters to and from the far northern regions as well as Angola. The proximity of the town to Etosha is also another benefit especially for the hospitality industry,” he
added.
In addition, he said, to stay afloat and to lure more investors council offers incentives when acquiring land for development purposes.