Can Namibian products and services compete? 

Team Namibia members will convene for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Windhoek Country Club Resort on Thursday 18 July to deliberate on the organisation’s required strategy for facilitating a sustainable competitive advantage for Namibian products and services.
The keynote address is to be delivered by Hon. Calle Schlettwein, Minister of Trade and Industry who will reflect on the government’s strategy for ‘Growth at Home’, in particular the plans to make Namibian industry more competitive. He will also talk about the private sector’s role in NDP4 and the development of local business, specifically entrepreneurs and SMEs.
The guest speaker will be Lewis Pugh, an ocean advocate, pioneer swimmer and one of the world’s leading inspirational speakers. His talk is sponsored by a group of Team Namibia members, FNB, IJG Securities, Impact Corrugated, Namib Mills and Plastic Packaging. These companies are all committed to the trade promoter’s strategy of improving competitiveness.
Pugh was the first athlete to complete a long distance swim in every ocean of the world, including the North Pole and even Mount Everest. To date, he has pioneered more swims around famous landmarks than any other swimmer in history.  His story is powerful, challenging and inspiring.  At the AGM, Pugh will relate his unique experiences to the corporate environment and share a radical new approach towards achieving the impossible.
Lizette Foot, General Manager, commented: “The theme for this year’s AGM is ‘increased competitiveness for Nambian products and services’.  We look forward to aligning Team Namibia stakeholders on the same page and learn more about the government’s expectations for the private sector through Minister Schlettwein keynote address.  Furthermore, Lewis Pugh is as competitive as it gets, and we hope to tap into his inspirational thinking to tackle our own challenges.  The idea is to leave members with greater enthusiasm to become bold advocates of economic sustainability in Namibia through the support of local products and services.”
Team Namibia members will gain insight from the organisation’s annual stakeholder perception survey and the new strategy that was developed based on the results. Along with Team Namibia representatives, the following guest speakers will reflect on their involvement in the first step of the organisation’s new direction, including:
(i)Inspiring competitive standards by Armin Diemer. As a consultant at PwC, he will present a range of proposed new criteria to endorse quality standards for Namibian products and services.
(ii)Stimulating consumer confidence by Nicky Shermer. As Managing Director of The Jupiter Drawing Room, she will sketch the desired route to stimulate consumer confidence in Namibian products and services.
(iii)Impacting positively on economic sustainability by George Kesselaar, a Senior Manager at PwC. He will talk about potential opportunity for Team Namibia to facilitate Namibian entrepreneurs and SMEs to unlock their potential for innovation and increased competitiveness.
Tarah Shaanika, Chairperson, said “The Team Namibia AGM is a highlight on the organisation’s calendar and is currently viewed as one of the major benefits of being a member of the organisation. The meeting provides a platform to network and stand together as a team to build on our economic future.”