By Marx Itamalo /
While many Angolan nationals are flocking to Namibia to conduct business in the country due to the country’s strong currency against the weak Angolan Kwanza, a lot of Namibians are also trading successfully in that country.
Last week Omutumwa visited Namibia’s northern neighbor and observed several Namibians doing business in Angola.
One of them, Hilma Iita, sells roasted meat and homemade bread at Santa Clara. Santa Clara, is a border town in Angola’s Cunene province. It borders Oshikango in Ohangwena region.
“I came here a year ago and business is doing fine,” Iita told Omutumwa. According to her, many Namibians have a wrong assumption that because many Angolans are flocking to Namibia to sell, there are no business opportunities in that country.
“It depends on what business you are doing. If for instance you are selling vegetables and clothes, you might struggle with customers because sellers are many. But if you are trading in meat and homemade furniture, you can do good,” she said.
Iita said the cost of living is also cheap in Angola than in Namibia. According to her, food and rent are much cheaper in Angola than in Namibia.
“I sell in Angolan Kwanza but sometimes I have to exchange Namibian dollars into Angolan Kwanza to buy my stock. In this way, I get enough stock and I can make a better profit,” she stressed.
“I am renting a shack ‘kambashu’ here for Kwanza 2000 (N$40) per month. This shack ‘kambashu’ would cost Kwanza 12,000 (N$2000) in Namibia. My monthly budget for food here is only 12,200 Kwanza (N$200). In Namibia one would need at least N$500 monthly for groceries,” she narrated.
Iita indicated that apart from Angolan customers, she has a lot of Namibian clients who visit her business to enjoy a hearty meal on a daily basis when they visit Angola to do their shopping.
Another Namibian doing business in Angola is Paavo Jesaya. Jesaya sells furniture made from pallets. He sells beds, tables, chairs and many others.
“This business is good here than in Namibia. People here don’t know how to manufacture these items and they buy from us,” he told Omutumwa. Jesaya indicated that many of his clients are village residents from surrounding villages.
“They cannot afford expensive furniture from the shops and they buy from me,” he stated.
Jesaya and his assistant, a Namibian also, live in Santa Clara.
Ernesto Shinedima, the local soba ‘councilor’, who is responsible for the administration of the part of Santa Clara where Iita and Jesaya live told Omutumwa that Namibian nationals are welcome to live and work in the town as long as they observe the set rules and regulations.
“We don’t have a problem. Namibians are our brothers and sisters. As long as they come with good intentions. We just don’t want thieves and delinquents,” he stressed.
In the photo: Hilma Iita doing business at the township of Santa Clara in Angola across the border with Oshikango.
