WINDHOEK- A total of 4 941 jobs have been created in the manufacturing sector, in the private sector during the 2016/17-2018/19 financial years.
This is according to the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP) progress, goals and outcomes report released last week when President Hage Geingob delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) since his inauguration as Namibia’s third Head of State on 21 March 2015.
Under the economic advancement pillar, the report shows that the Namibia Industrial Development Agency (Nida) Act was promulgated in December 2016 and the board of directors appointed.
Nida is the implementing agency for the Industrial Policy and sector growth strategies, responsible to foster economic transformation.
The report outlines that government facilitated manufacturing initiatives aimed at creating 5 500 jobs by year three and 8 000 jobs over the HPP period.
The government managed to complete the business plan for the pharmaceutical plant, however, its construction with assistance of Cuban experts has not commenced due to budgetary constraints and lack of a skilled project champion. Consequently, no productive capacities for pharmaceutical products in the local market or jobs have been created.
Keetmanshoop garment factory is one such project where construction was completed in 2016, and the plant will be used to manufacture school uniforms.
Operationalisation will commence upon appointment of a contract manager.
At full production, the factory is expected to create 60 permanent jobs and 35 trainees on the floor.
The other projects mentioned is the Northern Tannery plant in Ondangwa, where construction of the oxidation ponds which was delayed due to relocation as a result of town council requirements is nearing completion.
Upgrading is due for commissioning in January 2020 and once completed, the tannery has capacity to create approximately 60 jobs and would unlock significant value for the agricultural sector in the Northern Communal Areas.
However, the report shows that budgetary constraints and weather conditions (heavy rainfall) affected the project timeline.
Another project the HPP reveals is the Mangetti/Kavango Cattle Ranch which was scoped to create 2 000 jobs by establishing a cattle ranch, fodder production and tourism facilities.
The business plan was completed and the game fencing commenced, however progress to date is reported to be slow.
Moreover, government reported that some projects such as the Karirib Gemstone Centre and Otjiwarongo Garment Factory has been affected due to lack of funding, hence construction and operations did not commence.
On the targeted investment promotion, Geingob led a total of 12 investment promotion events and engagements in some markets such New York (2016), Johannesburg (2016), and 2918; Windhoek (2016), Paris (2017), Jakarta (2018), Beijing and Shanghai (2018), Abu Dhabi (2019), London (2017), and 2018 and Lisbon (2019).
In November 2016, Namibia hosted the international Investment Conference, where profiled projects were presented to delegates.
The report indicates that a total of 34 investments were secured during the period under review.