Nkurenkuru: Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has called for unity and collaboration across sectors such as technology, mining, and agriculture to drive growth and development. Speaking at the 7th Nkurenkuru Expo gala dinner on Saturday, he urged business, public institutions, and communities to treat their efforts as investments in regional progress, not once-off gestures.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Ngurare emphasized that local authorities must deliberately open opportunities for young professionals and small businesses instead of concentrating tenders in a few hands. He noted that some town councils had broken large contracts into smaller lots, enabling more local contractors to participate and later becoming key sponsors of community projects. If more local contractors could benefit from local tenders, they can later become key financial supporters of community projects, he said.

Ngurare stressed that the real empowerment should build the capacity, ingenuity, and creativity of the people. He warned that those responsible for tenders should be guided by national interest rather than personal connections. Unity must also translate into value chains that keep money circulating within regions. He referred to young farmers who already have markets but lack machinery to expand production, arguing that government support should help such producers supply local shops so that 'a lot of money remains in the region' instead of flowing out through imports.

He tied collaboration to industrialization, recalling the goal for each region to establish at least one manufacturing plant based on its strengths, including agro-processing opportunities. He cited mango products as an example, saying that these factories could anchor job creation and broaden opportunities for youth and small enterprises.

Ngurare further stressed that Namibia's small population should be an advantage, not a weakness, if citizens support rather than undermine each other's initiatives. He stated that Namibia's population of about three million can sustain local businesses if citizens support one another instead of undermining ventures because of personal or family grudges. If Namibians believe in themselves and support one another, they can produce, create employment, and enrich their people.

He emphasized that the Nkurenkuru Expo must reflect this spirit of unity and collaboration, bringing together business, communities, and government to build lasting partnerships that extend beyond the event itself.