About the Conference
In a renewed drive to attract foreign direct investment and to market the country as an attractive investment destination, the Government of the Republic of Namibia under the auspices of the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development (MITSMED) will host an International Investment Conference, entitled Invest in Namibia International Investment Conference 2016 under the theme “Promoting Investment for Inclusive Growth and Industrialization” from 8 - 9 November 2016 at the Safari Conference Centre in Windhoek, Namibia
The Conference, organized in collaboration with key stakeholders aims, to present attractive opportunities to local, regional and international investors in targeted sectors that have the potential to contribute towards economic growth and job creation.
The Invest in Namibia International Investment Conference 2016 will showcase a pipeline of targeted investment projects in sectors such as:
- Housing;
- Agriculture;
- Energy;
- Logistics and Infrastructure;
- Manufacturing and;
- Tourism
Conference Background and Rationale
Africa as a continent is on an unprecedented growth trajectory and is described as the new frontier. Several African economies have over the last few years registered positive economic growth in excess of 5.5% on average, which is far above growth experienced in mature markets. International institutions are ranking sub-Saharan Africa positively on several scores, in terms of good governance, peace and stability, and security of tenure thereby offering good returns on investment.
Namibia enjoys political stability and good governance, a solid macroeconomic architecture supported by financial stability with a sound monetary policy and attractive investment incentives, which are pre-requisites for an attractive investment climate. Although Namibia has experienced positive economic growth over the last few years, that growth has not been sufficient to improve the standard of living for all. Moreover, despite some gains on several fronts, critical social imbalances still exist in Namibia, including high income disparities, poverty and high unemployment, especially among the youth. It is for this reason that the Government has declared a full scale war on poverty, committing itself to demystifying the challenge of unequal income distribution. To build on the solid governance and stability indicators, the Government is committed to bring socio-economic prosperity to all Namibians, by creating a more inclusive economy.
Against this background it is considered prudent for Namibia to host the Invest in Namibia International Investment Conference 2016 in an effort to stimulate investment into the economy and to achieve national development goals and objectives as set out in NDP4 and as complimented by the Harambee Prosperity Plan.
Conference Objectives
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides a set of universally applicable goals that balances the three dimensions of sustainable development: environmental, social and economic. The UN SDGs Summit that Namibia attended resolved that all member states should provide regular feedback on progress being made hence the need to ensure our national agenda includes our commitment to the SDGs.
These goals are linked to Namibia’s overall socio-economic goals as set out in Namibia’s National Development Plan (NDP4) (Office of the President; National Planning Commission, 2012) which are:
High and Sustained Economic Growth
Employment Creation
Increased Income Equality
Expected Outcome
Key amongst a myriad of expectations is that the conference will result in targeted growth that is premised on value addition and beneficiation, industrialization and diversification of the economy.
Resource Persons
This high-level event will feature presentations by international and local expert resource persons drawn from a variety of sectors.