Global Chamber of Business Leaders Africa sees potential in Namibia
The Director of Global Chamber of Business Leaders Africa (GCBL) Shakemore ‘Shacky’ Timburwa paid a courtesy visit to Namibia recently to share relationship ties among African countries.
Timbiurwa paid a key visit to the Office of the President among various other stakeholders and apart from trying to develop relationships with key stakeholders, consultations took place to build the ecosystem for startups and entrepreneurs, through engagements hosted by Poiyah Media.
According to Timburwa, GCBL is a coalition of governmental leaders, CEOs and executives, entrepreneurs, investors, business and industry leaders who share a common vision which is the sustainable well-being and growth of business in a disruptive and ever-evolving global economy.
“This visit is merely a gateway to explore synergies and resources to aid the best interest of the people and the country of Namibia. It is high time that each African country gets assistance however remains with its integrity and ability to maintain and develop its own resources. We do not want our African countries to get assistance for the sake of selling itself to investors but we want them to embrace its natural resources and get assistance to develop and keep its value and allow our common goal to be manifested which is developing our global chamber of business leaders,” Timburwa said.
One Economy CEO, Sem Uutoni commended GCBL for taking initiative to pro-actively engage with African countries and committed its support to engage in projects that serve of common interest to the youth specifically and Namibians at large.
In addition, Timburwa met with the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Namibia (UNAM) Prof Kenneth Kamwi Matengu, as well as the Vice-Chancellor of Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) Dr Erold Naomab, to synergize the narrative around youth development, the transformation of Africa entrepreneurship and innovation.
“We are the Hub of innovation and have invested much in various infrastructures to ensure that Namibia can be used as a platform to produce many of the worlds’ innovations. We are gearing to a common goal of embracing innovation and it is critical for us to share such synergies, to allow our projects to get the necessary exposure and platforms on a greater level to showcase what we have to offer. Innovation has taken over and NUST remains the best and most advanced to further the academic in this country,” said Dr Naomab.
Apart from high-level discussions during the one-week consultation, start-ups through the Namibian Business Innovation Institute (NBII) were met and given pitching ideas and how to best position their product and service to a wider audience.
A virtual public lecture was lectured by Timburwa through the University of Namibia Alumni Association regarding navigating entrepreneurship during the pandemic. Keynotes shared on this platform included the encouragement of the youth to be focused and have a common vision to take Africa to greater heights through the form of entrepreneurship.
Timburwa advised Namibians to invest in innovation, in order to close the gap and leverage technology.
Timburwa recently attended the Expo 2020 Dubai as a speaker for the GITEX Technology Week prior to his trip to Namibia and will also be involved in the Global Entrepreneurship Week which takes place during the second week of November, where thousands of events and competitions in 180 countries inspire millions to engage in entrepreneurial activity while connecting them to potential collaborators, mentors, and even investors. In the same vein, the Namibian Business Hall of Fame will host Timburwa as this years’ keynote speaker and grant him the Honorary Award for 2021.
Timburwa has had a number of accolades in his career, recognized as Zimbabwe’s Top 40 Most Influential Leaders of 2020 by the Young Corporate Directors’ Network of the Institute of Corporate Directors Zimbabwe. This year, he was listed among the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 class of 2021. Timburwa is the founder of Energy Plus, which operates in energy.
Namibia remains only one of the many African countries which he embarks on his African dream to consolidate as the United States of Africa and to empower the youth globally, one country at a time.
Shakemore Shacky Timburwa pictured with HE Dr Hage Geingob during his courtesy visit at the Office of the President recently.
