THE Olafika SME development mentorship programme officially commenced yesterday.
The programme, which is the brainchild of businesswoman Twapewa Kadhikwa, has as main sponsor the Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC).
The initiative, which is also supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), and the local economic development agency (Leda), which is part of the regional and local government ministry, is meant to train entrepreneurs with the essential knowledge and skills needed for business success. Olafika was officially launched on 9 August 2018.
Kadhikwa explained that they aim to teach small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners to understand themselves and their business needs in order to be successful and grow their businesses, especially those living in rural areas.
“Seventy participants from five regions were chosen through a targeted application process, and will be trained as well as mentored over a six-months period. During this period, participants share and discuss case studies, business scenarios, and real-life situations,” she said.
Olafika will have an annual intake of five SMEs per region, culminating into 70 SMEs annualy. The NDTC invested N$700 000 into the programme, and they believe that this is real economic empowerment and development for Namibia.
During the training period, the programme will cover six chapters, and will be divided into three training blocks, which are block 1 taking place from 20 to 24 May; block 2 taking place from 29 July to 2 August 2019; and block 3 taking place from 14 October to 18 October 2019. The intervals between training blocks will be dedicated to intensive mentorship and guidance for each SME participant.
Olafika is needed to sharpen potential entrepreneurs.
“Today, we live in the millennial age, and modern economies are no longer able to absorb large numbers of people into formal employment. Therefore, we need to build a culture of job creators: business-minded individuals who generate opportunities for themselves and others. We need entrepreneurs. ‘The time is now’,” stated Kadhikwa.
The commencement ceremony for olafika was held yesterday at Rock Lodge, where key stakeholders as well as all participants of the development programme officially celebrated the start of the initiative.
The first of the three training and development sessions kicked off immediately after the official proceedings.
Kadhikwa wants olafika to be a household name representing and renaming the development sector of Namibia, focusing on SME development and mentorship.
“Olafika should represent the Namibian entrepreneurship vision in domestic and international forums, and additionally create a forum that provides factual, balanced and easily understood research-based information, designed to positively change public perceptions, and support development, innovation and create competitive industry growth within the Namibian business sector,” she noted.
– charmaine@namibian.com.na; Twitter: Char_Ngatjiheue.
