2008-05-02Staff Report 2 "By Desie Heita Windhoek The Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) is sticking to its tradition of having an annual conference dedicated to address challenges facing the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. This year's conference will take place next week and will address the challenges facing SMEs in entering the procurement and tendering market of Government ministries, local governments and large companies in the private sector. ""The NCCI is very concerned about the tender specifications for many Government and private companies' procurement requirements which prohibit SMEs to qualify and successfully bid for the supply of several products and services thereby giving them a clear chance to grow and realise their full potential,"" said Tarah Shaanika, the Chief Executive Officer of the NCCI. Shaanika said although many SMEs have built capacity over the years, which enable them to supply reliable products and services to Government at different levels and to the private sector, the SMEs' share in the procurement market remains very small. This year's conference will be held on May 8 at the Safari Hotel and Conference Centre. Last year's SME conference concentrated on the elements of enterprise development and a SME tool kit was launched at that conference to bridge the capacity gap in the sector. Mike Beaurain, the Director and Head Personal and Business Banking at Standard Bank described this year's conference as an attempt to create a platform for the public and private sector to inform and educate the SMEs on the possible business opportunities that exist within the respective industries of the private sector. Standard Bank Namibia has been the main sponsor for the conference pumping in N$60??????'??" 2008-05-02Staff Report 2
