Jewellery and coloured gemstones sector support – MIT Industry Growth Programme
By Elijah Mukubonda |
Within the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade’s “growth at home” strategy there is the Industry Growth Programme (IGP).
The Industry Growth Programme (IGP) is part of the ongoing efforts to reinforce Namibia’s economic growth, to reduce income inequality and to increase employment for its citizens.
The Industry Growth Programme forms part of the support to selected manufacturing industries envisaged by the Growth at Home strategy, which promotes Namibia’s competitive advantages and opportunities.
This is envisaged through the Special Industrialisation Programme whose aim is to provide targeted support for value chain analyses and feasibility studies. It’s through the implementation of Growth Sector Strategies that the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade, in close cooperation with other line Ministries, resolved to support local value addition, upgrading and economic diversification.
These efforts will help to structurally transform Namibia’s economy favoring the most productive and efficient economic activities, and local industries which will be provided with improved market access at home and abroad.
The Industry Growth Programme is an important element of the war against poverty and a further step on Namibia’s path towards becoming a highly competitive, industrialised nation with sustainable economic growth as depicted in Vision 2030. As such, the IGP implementation is geared towards strengthening forward and backward linkages within the Namibian economy as envisaged in the Harambee Prosperity Plan(s).
Thus jewellery and coloured gemstones are strategic industries that have, in agreement with previous National Development Plans, been selected for a more specific focus by the IGP.
Key stakeholders from the business community and public administration who have a vested interest in the Namibian industry’s prosperity for the benefit of all have engaged in extensive consultations and substantially contributed to this programme.
For the advantage of a thriving Namibian economy that creates jobs, incomes and sustainable growth – the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade ’s Department of Industrial Development in collaboration with EMPRETEC Namibia, as part of entrepreneurship development and promotion, actively continues to engage and appeal to unemployed youth and women who are interested to be trained in gemstones cutting and polishing to apply for the 2021/22 intake scheduled to commence on 1st March 2022 for a period of six months.
Applications can be downloaded from the Ministry’s website (www.mit.gov.na) or collected at the Ministry’s Offices in all regions.
Interested applicants should be unemployed youth and women, within the ages 18 to 45 years; at least Grade 10 is a prerequisite (basic English Communication and, basic Mathematics is/are mandatory); and willing to start own business and become a member of a cooperative. Closing date is 31 January 2022.
– Mr Elijah Mukubonda is MIT’s Chief Information Officer.
