Selling Growth at Home

The Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development, tasked with leading the country to an industrialized state by 2030 last week launched the ministerial communications strategy to market the Growth at Home Strategy to investors.
The minister, Hon Immanuel Ngatjizeko said a the event, held at a seaside resort in Swakopmund that the objective of the communication strategy is to create an opportunity for his ministry to indicate how it will disseminate information to its stakeholders about its programmes, projects and activities.
The former Minister of Safety and Security said that by creating and opening up the channels to more voices as information has become democratized adds to the ministry’s plan to dramatically change the manner in which it has been disseminating information to the members of the public and the manner in which the national brand is received, perceived and consumed by members of the public. While responsible for the creation of external market access opportunities for local products and services and the promotion of SME’s, Hon. Ngatjizeko said this indicates that there should be a well-coordinated communication strategy between the ministry and stakeholders.
The first of three phases of the communication strategy rests on Identity Creation where planned activities and services need to be introduced to the audience in all regions of Namibia. This phase involves the development and printing of posters and brochures about the ministry.
The second step is Information Dissemination comprising messages telling the publis what the ministry is and why it was established in terms of its vision, mission and goals. This phase also covers the themes and strategies for achieving the ministry’s goals and objectives, and established a reporting mechanism to monitor progress. In the final Awareness Consolidation phase, the emphasis leans to re-inforcing messages and announcements, setting up interactive programmes, and promoting news coverage and lobbying for the Growth at Home policy. Ngatizeko said that the main objective of the communication strategy is to create an opportunity for the ministry to indicate how it will disseminate information on its programmes in reaching the objectives of the Growth at Home Strategy. This, he said, will have to be integrated as part of the business processes of the ministry while encouraging ministerial staff to adhere to set targets.
“As per the mandate of this ministry, we are expected to develop and manage the Namibian economic regulatory regime on the basis of which the country’s domestic and external economic relations are conducted” he said, adding that his ministry is responsible for the growth and development of the economy through the formulation and implementation of appropriate policies to attract investment and to increase trade. The ministry must develop and expand the country’s industrial base, be it with multinational companies or Small and Medium Enterprises, as reaffirmed in the new name and mandate of the ministry. “Coupled with the ability to call up information in an instant, we expect a greater transparency, consistency and accountability in the manner in which we communicate with the outside world – hence [the reason for] this ministry developing its own communication strategy.”