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Namibian professional speakers join global brotherhood

Namibian professional speakers join global brotherhood

The relatively young Professional Speakers Association of Namibia (PSAN) received some excellent news just before Christmas when the Global Speakers Federation (GSF) informed them their application for membership has been approved.

The Professional Speakers Association of Namibia is now a full member of the Global Speakers Federation joining the elite ranks of similar associations in the USA, Germany, the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, South Africa and Brazil.

The driving force behind PSAN’s application, Dr Gustav Gous said “To belong to the esteemed worldwide community of global speakers in the GSF was a dream for the speakers, trainers and coaches in Namibia. Thank you for the opportunity to rub shoulders with the best in the world. We hope to learn a lot but also to contribute our unique perspective and expertise from this corner of Africa – the Republic of Namibia!”

The Professional Speakers Association of Namibia was constituted in May last year after Dr Gous realised the need for a self-regulating professional body. Born in Namibia, he operated from South Africa, yet never expected his local work to lead him to heading a professional body for Namibian speakers. He is a previous President of the Professional Speakers Association of South Africa.

The board of the newly constituted PSAN ran a number of successful meetings in Windhoek and one in Swakopmund. From these meetings, it transpired there are about 60 Namibians who make their living as professional speakers, coaches and trainers.

Candy Ngula is the Windhoek Chapter President, and Coen Welsh in Swakopmund. The rest of the board comprises Gustav Gous (President) with Sam Shivute and Sigi Lange as Vice Presidents, Brendan Ihmig for web and media affairs, and additional board members, Nelson Matheus, Eliaser Nekwaya, and Michael Chikwililwa.

In September last year, Dr. Gous travelled to Phoenix, Arizona for a meeting of the Global Speakers Federation where he submitted the Namibian application. Later he was requested to provide a progress report at a meeting of the German Speakers Federation under the chairmanship of Dr Martin Laschkolnig.

“Because of the great effort by the board and the great support by the people, the Global Speakers Federation saw that we are serious in our efforts, and allowed us just before Christmas into the international fold of recognised international speakers. Namibian speakers can now officially apply for international quality control certifications such as the CSP designation, standing for ‘Certified Speaking Professional‘” said Dr Gous.

“On behalf of the Global Speakers Federation, congratulations on leading the effort for the Professional Speakers Association of Namibia to become our newest association member! We are thrilled to have you and your members as part of the GSF community” said the Executive Director of the Global Speakers Federation, Shari Bricks.

“The council votes have been counted, and with full support, we are pleased to have you as part of our community. An official announcement to our council, association leaders and to the general membership will go out. You may update your website to reflect full membership. We will prepare our Affiliation Agreement for your review and signature in the new year” she stated.

About The Author

Daniel Steinmann

Educated at the University of Pretoria: BA (hons), BD. Postgraduate degrees in Philosophy and Divinity. Publisher and Editor of the Namibia Economist since February 1991. Daniel Steinmann has steered the Economist as editor for the past 32 years. The Economist started as a monthly free-sheet, then moved to a weekly paper edition (1996 to 2016), and on 01 December 2016 to a daily digital newspaper at www.economist.com.na. It is the first Namibian newspaper to go fully digital. He is an authority on macro-economics having established a sound record of budget analysis, strategic planning and assessing the impact of policy formulation. For eight years, he hosted a weekly talk-show on NBC Radio, explaining complex economic concepts to a lay audience in a relaxed, conversational manner. He was a founding member of the Editors' Forum of Namibia. Over the years, he has mentored hundreds of journalism students as interns and as young professional journalists. From time to time he helps economics students, both graduate and post-graduate, to prepare for examinations and moderator reviews. He is the Namibian respondent for the World Economic Survey conducted every quarter for the Ifo Center for Business Cycle Analysis and Surveys at the University of Munich in Germany. Since October 2021, he conducts a weekly talkshow on Radio Energy, again for a lay audience. On 04 September 2022, he was ordained as a Minister of the Dutch Reformed Church of Africa (NHKA). Send comments or enquiries to [email protected]