WINDHOEK – The Sam Nujoma Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development Awards (SNIEDA) raised N$170 000 at a fundraising gala dinner earlier this week. The SNIEDA were established to recognise and award deserving Namibian enterpreneurs, who have excelled in their respective trades. Founding Father of the Namibian Nation Dr Sam Nujoma, after whom the awards are named, pledged N$5 000 during the event. Windhoek Mayor Agnes Kafula also pledged N$5 000, while the country’s largest mobile network operator, MTC, pledged N$10 000. Several business personalities, including Andreas Nuule pledged a combined N$12 500. The biggest pledge of the night was made by Manager of Entrepreneurial Training and Development at GENNEX, Moira Cloete, who blew other pledges out of the water by pledging N$50 000, bringing the total amount pledged for the evening to N$170 000.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) Tarah Shaanika, Dr Nujoma is an inspiration to many people in and outside Namibia in all spheres of life. ”It is therefore fitting that these awards carry his name and he is made the patron of these awards, so that he continues to inspire us to work harder towards Vision 2030,” said Shaanika. Nujoma said this year’s awards are the fifth since the establishent of SNIEDA, which is an indication that the awards have grown from strength to strength. “When we attained our political independence, we proclaimed truth to our people that Namibia is now an independent sovereign country and will never be colonised again. We further made a clarion to our people that while we obtained political independence the struggle for economic independence continues. By struggle continues we were referring to the struggle for total economic emancipation,” said Nujoma.
According to Nujoma the call for economic independence was not directed at government alone, but at all members of society. “I believe that a united people, striving to achieve the common good of all the members of the society will always emerge victorious. The call for total economic emancipation was and remains also a responsibility of the business community,” added Nujoma. “Societies need information not only to empower and arm themselves, but also to be equipped in the fight against hunger, ignorance and disease. Once people are provided and equipped with all the necessary information, they then need inspiration to confront the challenges and both their subjective and objective realities,” the elderly statesman told guests.
Shaanika pointed to entrepreneurship as the foundation of every economy, a foundation on which the strength of an economy is based. Namibia is also looking up to its entrepreneurs to push its economic agenda in pursuit of the industrialisation and modernisation of its economy as envisioned in Vision 2030, Shaanika said. “Namibia’s economic sustainability will be dependent on the innovativeness and vision of its entrepreneurs and business leaders,” he added. “Through these awards the NCCI wishes to recognise excellence, entrepreneurial drive, outstanding innovation and exemplary business leadership,” Shaanika said. The awards also serve as an inspirational tool for current and potential entrepreneurs to believe in themselves and aim for the top in the business world. The competition for the 2013 awards started on Wednesday this week and will close in November and entry is open to all Namibian registered businesses. ”I would like to appeal to all businesses to enter themselves or their products into this competition,” said Shaanika. Various SMEs will be recognised in different categories, which include the Business Leader of the Year Award for a business leader, whose leadership is considered to have made a significant impact on the business they are leading in the Namibian economy in general. The Business Innovation Award is for outstanding innovation for a product, service or business model, which is unique and considered economically viable and marketable in the local and export markets.
The Financial Service Award is for a financial product targeting SMEs or start-ups, which are considered very innovative and unique in the Namibian market. The Environmental Management Award is for an enterprise, product or service considered to be promoting conservation of the environment. The Capacity Building Leader Award is for an organisation, which has demonstrated an outstanding impact on the development of SMEs. The Enterprise of the Year Award is for an enterprise considered to have achieved the most in terms of introducing new products or services into the market, its level of profitability, growth in turnover and employment.
By John Travolter Matali