ONGWEDIVA – The Namibian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI)’s northern branch chairperson Tomas Iindji, in his New Year message, said it remains the prerogative of the chamber and government to prioritise the interest of the local businesses and guard them against unfair competition attacks.
“Remember, no business is safe from unfair competition attacks. It must still be the responsibility of the chamber and our able government to protect our local businesses,” Iindji said.
He said the chamber will this year engage in discussions pertaining to unfair and unethical competitions in some industries and sectors.
Equally, he said the chamber will push the agenda of the Namibia Investment Promotion Act (NIPA) and many other reforms for the benefit of the business community.
He stressed that there should be guidelines that maps out which sectors foreign businesses are permitted to engage in.
“There should be boundaries now, it’s high time, if we do not do that this year, come 2020 there will be no more local businesses,” he stressed.
New Era, at the end of last year, reported that the revised Namibia Investment Promotion Act of 2016 (Act No. 9 of 2016) is expected to be promulgated in the first quarter of 2019.
Amongst other factors, the Act was reviewed to align investment promotion and facilitate issues with the government’s sustainable goals.
The revised Act also seeks to ensure that admission procedures for foreigners are transparent.
In the same vein, Iindji also pleaded with the business community to put the interest of their employees first.
Iindji stressed that a happy workforce is committed to the success of the company and work towards attracting more business.
“A big part of keeping employees happy is creating a healthy workplace. By creating a positive, safe and healthy environment, employees morale is increased, work-life balance is improved, and ultimately, there’s a positive impact on the company,” said Iindji.
He also appealed to the local businesses to honour their taxation obligations in order to build the country.