Staff Reporter
WOMEN who hold leadership positions should not be made to feel that they are being done a favour.
“They are just as capable,” said President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah today, on the occasion of the official opening of the Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair (OATF 2025).
She said that she was gratified to learn that 70% of this year’s OATF exhibitors are women and that 60% are youth.
“These are not just figures,” she said, “but this is an empowerment that this Trade Fair has for our women and young people in shaping our economic future.”
President Nandi-Ndaitwah said that, by nature, trade fairs are opportunities for businesspeople to learn from one another and to understand the demand of the market, thus enabling them to be focused on their businesses to make a meaningful contribution to the economic development of the country.
Her verbatim speech follows:
“Allow me to express my sincere appreciation to the Ongwediva Town Council for the invitation extended to me to officiate the 24th Edition of the Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair. These Annual Trade Fairs serve as strategic platforms for Namibia’s economic advancement.
I wish to also extend a heartfelt welcome to the highlevel delegation led by Her Excellency Dr. Phophi Ramathuba, Premier of Limpopo Province of the Republic of South Africa. Your presence here gives tangible expression to the close cooperation committed to under the Bi-National Commission established between the Republic of South Africa and the Republic of Namibia.
Furthermore, it reinforces the Memorandum of Engagement that exists between the Oshana, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, and Omusati Regions in Namibia and Limpopo Province in South Africa, which focuses on a shared commitment to regional economic integration and collaboration for the benefit of our people. Madam Premier, I fully agree with your just delivered statement that we have to work together as the global south to serve our citizens. I also agree with you that women in leadership should not be made to feel that they are being done a favour, they are just as capable.
Within this context, I wish to extend profound gratitude to the people of South Africa and Limpopo Province. I further extend my best wishes to my dear brother, His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic South Africa.
Additionally, I extend my sincere gratitude to local and international exhibitors, entrepreneurs, business leaders, development partners, public institutions, and guests from across the globe. A special mention goes to the Indonesian businesspeople who, since the inception of the Ongwediva Trade Fair have been participating, making this event an intercontinental experience. I call on the Namibian businesses community to take advantage of the country’s interest in Namibia and identify business areas where they could partner with their Indonesian counterparts.
Director of Ceremonies,
By nature, Trade Fairs are opportunities for business people to learn from one another and to understand the demand of the market. Thus, enable them to be focused on their businesses to make a meaningful contribution to the economic development of the country.
I hereby commend this initiative and encourage our local entrepreneurs, SMEs, and Town Councils to seize this opportunity, build cross-border partnerships, explore new markets, and embrace innovation.
Director of Ceremonies,
Since its humble beginnings in 2000, the Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair has transformed into a national flagship trade and innovation event. Today, this platform serves not only as an exhibition ground, but also as a hub for enterprise development, policy dialogue, and investment opportunities. Indeed, the Trade Fair is a reflection of our national aspirations, a space where our ambitions for economic diversification, inclusive growth, and sustainable development come to life.
This year’s theme, “Innovate-Connect-Prosper”, resonates with the essence of the national economic transformation journey we have embarked upon.
Indeed, this is a call to action and a guiding principle for collective efforts towards sustainable economic growth, development and a shared prosperity.
This Trade Fair facilitates opportunities for businesses across regions, sectors and countries to showcase their innovations, connect with markets, and explore partnerships. I am informed that this year’s exhibitors represent a wide range of sectors, from energy, fisheries, health, finance, and arts and crafts, among others.
I am particularly pleased to note that aviation and digital innovation are also represented for the first time, an indication that the Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair is keeping pace with emerging trends and future demands.
This Trade Fair contributes to the Economic Growth,
Transformation and Resilience Pillar of the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP 6), particularly on youth employment, local value addition and digital transformation. In addition, the Trade Fair links businesses and markets and supports the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), particularly those led by women and youth.
I have directed the Minister of International Relations and Trade, and Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy to undertake stakeholder engagements with the business community across the 14 regions. I urge all business people to participate in these regional engagements.
Similarly, I implore Namibian business community to leverage the Intra-African Trade Fair scheduled to take place in Algeria as announced by the Deputy Prime Minister.
It is gratifying to learn that 70% of this year’s exhibitors are women, and 60% are youth. These are not just figures, but this is an empowerment that this Trade Fair has for our women and young people in shaping our economic future.
Therefore, I applaud women and young people for their entrepreneurial spirit, courage, creativity, and innovation.
The Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair has truly grown. As I understand it has attracted a total of 450 exhibitors, including 26 international exhibitors from countries such as, Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Botswana, and South Africa.
This growth underscores the potential of other trade fairs and exhibitions across the country to attract international exhibitors to promote regional and continental integrations in alignment with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
I am pleased to note that this Trade Fair will host Business-to-Business (B2B) matchmaking sessions aimed at knowledge exchange, benchmarking and sharing of best practices between South African and Namibian businesspeople. Therefore, the ideas that will come out of this engagement must translate into tangible results for a shared development. I am also confident that through the participation of all our international exhibitors at this Fair, people-to-people contact, trade and valuable exchanges will be strengthened and will lead to broadening our economic landscape.
Director of Ceremonies,
While progress is evident, challenges remain in our continent and the global South. The infrastructure gaps such as transport both on land, water and air is a serious challenge in the facilitation of movement for both people and goods between our countries.
Thus, being a limitation to the full implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area. It is therefore, important for governments or public and private sectors and business people to work together to provide appropriate investment in the continental infrastructure development. As that is the only way Africa can realize the aspirations of the African people as articulated in the AU Agenda 2063.
Namibia as a member of the AU have to play her part.
Significant achievements have been made in the area of road transport infrastructure as we are connected with tyre roads to all our neighbours. However, a lot has to be done on the rail network and air services sectors. All efforts will be done in the improvement of our rail and the reintroduction of a national airline.
With the discovery of oil and gas in Namibia, and other critical minerals it is essential that moving forward, these sectors should participate in the Namibian expos or trade fairs for our people to understand different services that are required. To enable Namibia to participate in the oil and gas and critical minerals by providing the necessary services. In other words, to ensure the effectiveness of the local content among others.
Against that background I call on financial institutions, training centres, and innovation hubs to scale up programs that provide youth with access to finances, mentoring, and skills training. To ensure that we have the necessary skills in the country to all the industries both traditional and the upcoming such as, oil and gas as well as, critical minerals being discovered in our country.
Therefore, we must start now to develop the necessary skills for these emerging industries.
In conclusion, I encourage all participants to use this platform to engage, collaborate, and forge partnerships that foster shared prosperity. Once again congratulations to Ongwediva leadership and the organizing committee for having put together this mind resourcing event.
Together we must make Namibia to be the best place for all of us to live in. We are too few to be poor and with hard work commitment and integrity a shared prosperity is within our reach.
With these words, I now have the honour to declare the 24th Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair officially open.
