TSUMEB — At the Copper Festival’s commencement in Tsumeb, the Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, underscored entrepreneurship as a crucial driver of employment and industrial advancement within the country.
According to Namibian Press Agency, who addressed attendees during the festival’s inauguration on Thursday, the theme ’empowering entrepreneurship in a sustainable Namibia’ is pertinent to the country’s broader economic development strategies. The festival, he noted, serves as an important convergence point for entrepreneurial display, offering critical opportunities for interaction and collaboration among business stakeholders.
Alweendo pointed out that the gathering is not just a commercial hub but also a cradle for innovation and enterprise partnerships, making it a contributor to local economic upliftment and a combatant against poverty through job creation.
The minister also shared his vision for Tsumeb, projecting it as a future hub for industries such as agro-processing, mineral beneficiation, and innovation. He assured that the government’s commitment to bolstering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remains steadfast, with plans to enhance funding, market access, and to alleviate barriers that currently stifle the entrepreneurial ecosystem and impede the transformation of SMEs into competitive larger-scale operations.
In his concluding remarks, Alweendo expressed optimism about Namibia’s potential to garner global economic interest, suggesting that the country has reached a pivotal moment in establishing itself as a compelling destination for international investment.