Gertze urges KAITE to focus on investment and job creation

ǁKharas Governor Dawid Gertze has urged the organisers of the Keetmanshoop Agricultural, Industrial and Tourism Expo (KAITE) to adapt the annual event to changing economic conditions and make it a more effective platform for investment and job creation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 70th edition of KAITE in Keetmanshoop on Tuesday, Gertze said the exhibition should play a greater role in agricultural transformation, industrial development, tourism promotion and entrepreneurship. “As we look towards the next seven decades, KAITE must become an increasingly effective platform for investment, agricultural transformation, industrial development, tourism promotion, entrepreneurship and sustainable employment creation,” he said.

Measurable objectives - Gertze urged the organising committee to develop a structured five-year development programme, starting with the next exhibition, in collaboration with the Karas Regional Council, relevant ministries, financial institutions and the private sector. The programme, he said, should set measurable objectives for investment promotion, business partnerships, agricultural innovation, climate resilience, cooperation between communal, emerging and commercial farmers, tourism and industrial development, and improved market access and value addition.

He added that the programme should include annual targets and transparent reporting to track investment attracted, businesses supported, partnerships established and jobs created. “By KAITE’s 75th anniversary, we should be able to demonstrate tangible progress arising from the opportunities created through this platform. Let the next five years mark a deliberate transition from showcasing economic potential to realising it,” Gertze said.

More than a platform - He said KAITE had brought together people from different sectors of the economy for seven decades, providing a platform to exhibit products, exchange knowledge, establish business relationships and explore growth opportunities. “It has provided a meeting point for agriculture, industry, tourism, entrepreneurship, investment and community enterprises. Its longevity is a testament to the enduring spirit of the people who recognise that economic progress is best achieved when knowledge is shared, opportunities are created and partnerships are strengthened,” he said.

Gertze also highlighted agriculture’s potential to stimulate investment across related industries, including transport, logistics, processing, packaging, technology and retail. He said the sector needed to contribute more than the production of primary commodities by supporting a diversified economy that retained more value locally. “Our responsibility is therefore to ensure that agriculture contributes not only to the production of primary commodities but also to the development of a more diversified and value-adding economy. We must produce efficiently and manage our resources responsibly, reduce losses, improve quality, develop markets and retain a greater proportion of the economic value generated by our natural and productive resources. KAITE has an important role to play in advancing this transformation,” Gertze said.

NDP6 allignment - He called on relevant ministries, the Karas Regional Council and the KAITE organising committee to align the exhibition’s annual programme with the priorities of the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) and measure its contribution against clearly defined outcomes. Gertze said the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade, working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, the regional council and private sector stakeholders, should identify at least 10 commercially viable agricultural, agro-processing, tourism or industrial projects within the next 12 months for presentation to potential investors. “Without this kind of collaboration, we will always have events of this nature, but with no effective and proper results. Our national development ambitions will be realised only when policy creates the conditions for productive investment. Investment eventually generates enterprises, and enterprises can then create employment and prosperity,” he said.

Value chain - Gertze said developing agricultural value chains would enable Namibian producers to capture a greater share of the economic benefits generated by their products. “Our ambition should be to develop agricultural value chains that enable Namibian producers to participate more fully in the economic benefits generated by their products. The development of these industries can create additional employment, strengthen domestic supply chains and improve the competitiveness of Namibian products,” he said.

He added that KAITE should also provide young people and women with opportunities. “KAITE must become a place where young people and women do not merely display products but establish lasting business relationships and identify opportunities for expansion. Our young people should see agriculture as a sector in which knowledge, technology, creativity and sound business management can lead to meaningful economic participation,” Gertze said.