Windhoek
Team Namibia has appealed to the public sector to procure local services in support of achieving the country’s Harambee Prosperity Plan on economic transformation. This pillar is fundamental in alleviating poverty and forming an inclusive wealth system.
The plea comes in wake of recent visits carried out by Team Namibia officials to different government ministries, including the president’s office, which continue to utilize imported products, one of them being the bottled water brand Nestlé.
“Presently, there are an estimated nine different local brands of water, therefore availability should not be a factor,” says Roberta da Costa, CEO of Team Namibia.
“Attempts to persuade the public sector to procure local goods have proved to be futile, as imported goods are purchased despite the availability of their locally manufactured counterparts. The public sector should be the driving vehicle and exemplary agent for ensuring that our Namibian manufacturers and service providers are their first choice of preference” da Costa added.
Since inception, Team Namibia has taken definitive steps to ensure that local products and services gain a competitive advantage over imported products, through promotional platforms and gaining access to local markets. However, consumers and government agencies repeatedly purchasing imported products prevent the country from attaining its goal of eradicating poverty and reducing income inequality, and prohibit businesses from expanding.
Da Costa added that every purchase decision made to procure imported products over local products result in the reduced demand for local products, making it impossible to increase employment and address the unemployment rate of 27%.
The Growth at Home Strategy under the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development clearly stipulates that access to markets, particularly the domestic market, is one of the biggest challenges and key success factors for businesses in contributing to economic transformation.
Although the Growth at Home Strategy explicitly states that the public and private procurement system can play a significant role in stimulating demand for local products, Team Namibia is convinced that the public sector is not doing enough to put control mechanisms in place to ensure that government offices are procuring local goods as they should.
“Team Namibia understands the importance of supporting the growth of our local markets and we have actively created promotional and marketing campaigns to achieve increased brand recognition for our member products and services among Namibian consumers,” says da Costa. She also made further reference to the Harambee Prosperity Plan which aims to increase the volume of locally produced goods supplied to the public and retail sector, which are in line with the Namibian Retail Charter.
Active promotion of local products and services have been the driving force at Team Namibia so that job creation, development, support and strengthening the economy become a reality.
Team Namibia has achieved this by providing firm foundations for members to experience the benefits of awareness, marketing, and promotional and educational campaigns.
Team Namibia continues to focus its efforts on providing effective, efficient and professional solutions to capturing the hearts and minds of local consumers, showing them the value of locally produced products and services.
“As Namibian citizens it is important for us to support the individuals that are part of the production process,” da Costa emphasized.
Public and private institutions are encouraged to contact Team Namibia for assistance in accessing locally produced products and services.