Compiled by: Joanne Liechti, Yvonne Amukwaya and Deodine ...€¦ · most accessible bank in Namibia, ... The trip to the coast was not only an eye-opener for me, it made me . ...

1Revealing the coast 29 October 2015

Compiled by: Joanne Liechti, Yvonne Amukwaya and Deodine Cloete

A Publication of

the COASTRevealing

Revealing the coast29 October 2015 2

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On 1 November 2015, EBank Namibia will celebrate its first anniversary. EBank,

the newest entrant to the Namibian banking sector, is well on its way to transforming banking norms and behaviours forever and to break down barriers of access to banking in Namibia.

Since its launch, EBank has successfully introduced various new offerings to their innovative banking solutions and continues to show strong growth. “We have celebrated many firsts in our maiden year and made great strides towards delivering on our promise to make life easy,” said Mike Mukete, CEO of EBank.

Driven by their vision to be the most accessible bank in Namibia, EBank has pushed the boundaries of innovation and technology to deliver access through easy, safe and smart solutions for all in Namibia.

“Our banking channels offer a range of access options suitable to different client needs,” highlights Mukete adding that “the ease at which clients open and manage their EBank accounts not only sets us apart from many of our competitors but allows access to banking for everyone in Namibia.”

Opening and accessing an EBank Easy solution, and its linked bank accounts, is free and can be done in minutes, simply by dialling *140*140# from your cellphone (on the MTC network). “The EBank Easy solution is the only self-activated bank account in the market and has truly enabled eligible clients easy access to banking,” said John Hamman, Ebank chief operating officer.

Once activated, EBank clients can access their accounts through three free electronic channels – via Short Code dialling on their cellphone (*140*140#), through the EBank mobi-site (mobi.ebank.na) or via full internet banking (ebank.na) on their device of choice.

Each of these channels is PIN protected and cannot be accessed without the client’s knowledge or consent. “At EBank, client security is of utmost importance. The client is always in full control of access to their account and will be notified in real time, every time any of the channels are accessed,” continued Hamman.

By using USSD, clients access their bank account simply by dialling *140*140# and entering their five digit PIN for the full

cellphone banking services menu. This menu allows for a variety of key transaction types and account viewing options. The EBank internet banking site allows, amongst others, for typical features such as loading of payment beneficiaries, making payments, viewing statements and/or changing personal account details. The EBank mobi-site is a light version of full internet banking, designed specifically for smartphones.

Alternatively, clients can now also make use of the recently launched range of EBank Easy and EBank Smart Master Card debit cards. These debit cards offer clients the added convenience of making payments at any point of sale or withdrawing cash at their ATM of choice.

A first of its kind for Namibia, EBank debit cards charge a flat fee structure across all ATM’s in Namibia whilst Smart Card holders are not charged any fees for payments in Namibia. EBank clients can collect their debit cards free of charge from any EBank Service Centre and Sales Ambassador nationwide or make arrangements for delivery via the EBank Client Service Centre on 061 297 1100.

Access to banking is not a privilege anymore

Mike Mukete, CEO of EBank

John Hamman, Ebank chief operating officer

The ease at which clients open and manage their

EBank accounts not only sets us apart from many of our competitors but

allows access to banking for everyone in Namibia.

Dear reader

In order to make sure that we brought you a good quality publication, the strategic publications team – comprised of myself (right), Deodine Cloete (left) and Joanne Liechti – embarked on a ten-day

trip to the coast. As usual, living out of a suitcase can be quite challenging, but we

made it and here we are with the second last publication for the year.Having grown up at a coastal town; fish factories and trawlers are

nothing new for me. However, a tour around Gendev's fishing factory quickly made me realise how the maritime industry is evolving.

Also, Namport's expansion project holds great potential for the country. Not only will it boost our economy, it will place Namibia on the map globally. However, in order for the spin-offs to reach multiple sectors there is a need for our rail sector to take the lead to lift the heavy weight from our roads.

This could possibly make the roads much safer and reduce accident rates.

Having said that various sectors will benefit from the upgrade of the Walvis Bay Airport as this will enable it to accommodate even larger aircraft and thus attract more investments. Related sectors of the port and other industries will benefit tremendously.

The trip to the coast was not only an eye-opener for me, it made me realise the potential that Namibia has. The coast is growing, particularly Walvis Bay and Swakopmund as well as Henties Bay with their warm and inviting residents.

As the coast continues to flourish and position itself as the ideal choice for investors and international as well as domestic tourists, I would like to take this time to applaud industries, municipalities and individuals for making their contribution towards uplifting the country.

While we wish we could have brought you a bigger publication, we hope you find the publication insightful and informative. We also hope that you will give us feedback so we can better ourselves.

In light of this, I would like to extend our warm gratitude for your invaluable support throughout the year. The Strategic Publications team looks forward to giving you insights for the season with the upcoming holiday publication.

Enjoy the read! Yvonne Amukwaya

Foreword


• YVONNE AMUKWAYA

As a result of the high unemployment rate in the country, skills development has become

the focal point for various players. Koesha Martin, Namibia Community Skills Development Foundation (COSDEF) Business Development and Marketing Manager talks about their efforts to empower disadvantaged Namibians and vulnerable people.

When and why was Cosdef formed?

Cosdef is a registered trust, governed by a board of trustees. The organisation started in 1997, but a registered trust was founded in 2006. The organisation was formed to assist communities to address the training needs and SME support requirements of economically and academically disadvantaged Namibians to provide them with the relevant practical skills training. Cosdef coordinates, supports and supervises the various Community Skills Development Centres (COSDECS).

The Support Unit (SU) supervises the Cosdecs in terms of maintaining quality standards, providing administrative and financial assistance and professional advice and guidance.

There are eight COSDECs across the country and seven national programmes are being offered at these centres. The courses are based on modules aligned to NQF registered unit standards and qualifications developed by the Namibia Training Authority (NTA).

Is the organisation fulfilling its

mandate?

Yes, it does by offering relevant practical skills training and relating this training to opportunities in the local economy in terms of demand for goods and services. The Cosdecs provide practical skills training that include business skills, entrepreneurship, and life skills to enable young people find employment in the local economy, either in the formal or informal sector. The Cosdecs also offer local community short and outreach courses, tailor-made to the varying skills and socio-economic needs within the catchment areas in which they operate.

What are the entry requirements for Cosdec and what are the fees

for courses?

Currently, there are no entry requirements and Cosdef has over the past three years focused on expanding access to quality assured training programmes for the bulk of its target

group through flexible open access mechanisms. The course fees are affordable and can be paid off during a certain period of time.

What sort of challenges does the organisation face?

There is an ever-increasing demand for places and currently the organisation struggles to meet that demand, so a lack of space is a major challenge. Cosdecs have had to deal with double-intakes to cope with this increase in demand.

What are some of the organisation’s highlights over the

past few years?

There are so many achievements, and one which gives the greatest satisfaction is the fact that the overall goals of the organisation have been met over the years – to provide skills that enable trainees to create employment or alternatively, self-sustenance. Trainees are equipped with skills which enable them to generate an income and thereby improving their livelihood. Some trainees now have the opportunity to impart their skills and knowledge to fellow trainees at the centres, because they are being taught to think outside the box to learn how to adapt to different business environments and markets and maintain relevance in their respective areas.

Many of the ex-trainees have had the opportunity to start up their own businesses and run them successfully.

What is its significance in the community? How many

people has it empowered since inception?

Cosdef is contributing to the achievement of NDP4 objectives by providing community skills development training to increase the income-earning capacity of the unemployed youth, women and low-skilled adults. From 2010 to 2014, approximately 10 663 trainees enrolled at Cosdec of which 9 597 completed their training successfully.

In addition to the eight COSDECs there is a Cosdef Arts & Crafts Centre at Swakopmund. The arts centre started in 2009 as an outlet for arts and crafts.

It provides the ideal opportunity for the community to develop skills necessary to be self-sustainable. Amongst various things, the centre hosts its very own craft shop and gallery that showcases 100% Namibian craft sourced from crafters throughout the country.

The centre also offers small retail shops where local businessmen and women have the opportunity to both produce and sell their goods.

cellphone banking services menu. This menu allows for a variety of key transaction types and account viewing options. The EBank internet banking site allows, amongst others, for typical features such as loading of payment beneficiaries, making payments, viewing statements and/or changing personal account details. The EBank mobi-site is a light version of full internet banking, designed specifically for smartphones.

Alternatively, clients can now also make use of the recently launched range of EBank Easy and EBank Smart Master Card debit cards. These debit cards offer clients the added convenience of making payments at any point of sale or withdrawing cash at their ATM of choice.

A first of its kind for Namibia, EBank debit cards charge a flat fee structure across all ATM’s in Namibia whilst Smart Card holders are not charged any fees for payments in Namibia. EBank clients can collect their debit cards free of charge from any EBank Service Centre and Sales Ambassador nationwide or make arrangements for delivery via the EBank Client Service Centre on 061 297 1100.

Access to banking is not a privilege anymore

John Hamman, Ebank chief operating officer

As the holiday season fast approaches, most of us are looking forward to taking a long deserved break and possibly travelling to the coastal area of Namibia.

It is for this reason that Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) would like to inform the nation and international tourists that during this upcoming holiday season, the miles (Jakkalsputz, Mile 14, 72 and 108) would unfortunately be closed to the public.

NWR chief marketing officer Epson Kasuto said: “We would therefore want to encourage our clients that have already made plans to go to the coastal area to make use of either Torra Bay or Terrace Bay as those will be open during this upcoming holiday season. As a company that is geared towards providing the best quality service to all our clients, we would like to assure them that having the miles ready come next year is a top priority for us.”

Both angling hotspots, Torra Bay and Terrace Bay are situated in the protected area of the Skeleton Coast Park and are under management of Namibia Wildlife Resorts.

Torra Bay is 265 km north of Henties Bay and only open during December and January. Torra Bay only offers camping facilities and no other accommodation.

Terrace Bay is situated 316 km north of Henties Bay and is open throughout the year. Accommodation consists of chalets only.

Closure of NWR Miles during upcoming

holiday season

COSDEF Empowering Namibians

Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation Hon. Itah Kandjii-Murangi with management of COSDEF Swakopmund.

The centre also offers small retail

shops where local businessmen and women have the

opportunity to both produce and sell

their goods.

ANGLING. .. Anglers at Terrace Bay.

THE HONOURABLE MINISTER and DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND INNOVATION VISITED

ERONGO REGION

Hon. Itah Kandjii-Murangi and Becky Ndoze-Ojo met with the management of COSDEF, COSDEC and COSDEF Arts and Craft in the Erongo Region earlier this year. The meeting forms part of the Minister and Deputy Ministers’ familiarization visits to various regions. The Minister in her opening remarks commended COSDEF and the COSDECs for our efforts towards the provision of Vocational Skills Training, despite the challenges that we are facing. The Minister expressed that she was impressed by the COSDEC’s she had visited in other regions as well and that COSDEC’s are well resourced, better than some of the VTC’s she had visited. She was very impressed with the facilities at the Centres as well as the number of cultural activities which are happening at the Arts and Craft Centre. The visit was also geared at exploring strategies and advising the management on how to strengthen the capacity of the centres to ensure the delivering of quality training.

Photo: Contributed


We produce corrugated packaging products for a diverse range of customers in various markets. Our sites are fully equipped to cater for various and speci�ed corrugated packaging needs, and we pride ourselves in meeting local and export market requirements, having a capacity to produce 12,000 tonnes of corrugated packaging, both printed and unprinted, per year.

In Namibia we service a broad range of customers in various industries namely:• Fishing Industry• Meat & Food Industry• Agriculture Industry• Industrial Industry• Beverage Industry• Export Industry.

Our product range consists of:• Hand erected regular slotted containers• Hand erected die-cut containers• Machine erected regular slotted containers• Machine erected die-cut containers• High-graphic printed containers.

We seek to develop our leading market position in product quality and lightweight capability by continuously improving the quality and design of our products and increasing the e�ciency of production.

We invest in state-of-the-art technology, continuously upgrading our equipment, people and infrastructure to provide on-going improvement to the products we manufacture.

Employing over 100 people, all equipped with deep knowledge and experience gained over many years, we are well positioned for growth, and o�er unrivalled commitment, dedication and focus in terms of the products we produce.

Our main factory is situated in Walvis Bay, while our sheet plant is in Windhoek; both factories service a broad range of customers in di�erent industries.

Mpact Corrugated Namibia has ISO 9001 (Quality Management System) and 1S0 14001 (Environmental Management System) certi�cations and is a member of the Namibian Manufacturing Association and Team Namibia.

WINDHOEK:BCI Premises, Northern Industrial Area, WindhoekTel: + 264 61 262 536Fax: + 264 61 262 365Sales: Connie [email protected]

WALVIS BAY44 3rd street East, Walvis BayTel: + 264 64 214 200Fax: + 264 64 200 667Sales: Frank [email protected]

www.mpact.co.na

Swakop Uranium’s training and skills development programmes, in particular

focusing on technical training, have been designed to enhance organi-sation effectiveness to ensure that their lower level employees are competent, well trained and meet the changing business requirements.

Their intensive training pro-grammes are directed towards the building of competencies and skills development of mining and process-ing operators, maintainer artisans and graduates within the company.

More than 262 operators success-fully completed the mining operator training programme which enable them to operate world-class earth-moving machines.

The mode of the company's processing operators training is first-class computer-based training (CBT) complemented by classroom training. The plant operator train-ing is designed by using process descriptions and flowsheets, safe job procedures, process variable and control loop descriptions and diagrams, interlock and alarm docu-mentation, operating procedures and troubleshooting guides to improve the overall performance of the plant operations.

The company's maintainer artisan training programmes provide an opportunity for recently qualified artisans from vocational train-ing centres, such as the Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) to receive intensive and accelerated on-the-job training from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with the aim to enhance their skills and knowledge in terms of basic fault-finding, repairs and

EMPOWERED … Coleen Kgosiemang behind the steering wheel in the haul truck simulator. Swakop Uranium purchased six such simulators for training purposes. Photos: Contributed

Swakop Uranium enhances skills pool

LEARNING … Dennis Manale (right), material handler instructor, shows Mmuso Moketsie how to handle a forklift.

replace components. Swakop Uranium maintains an

active engagement with tertiary edu-cation centres in Namibia where the company provides job-attachments to students to enable them to gain practical experience at a world-class operation.

To enhance the skills of its operators and maintainer artisans, Swakop Uranium designed career progression frameworks with the following objectives:• Establish a sustainable skills base

for Swakop Uranium's operator pool.

• Give recognition of prior learning by recognising relevant workplace skills acquired without the benefit of formal education and training.

• Ascribe learning outcomes for new entrances with no experi-ence.

• Align operator training with Na-mibia Training Authority (NTA) unit standards for qualification

requirements, where appropriate.• Create an environment for op-

erators to become multi-skilled within the workplaceThe company will spend N$150

million to train all processing and mining operators and maintainer artisans.

The company embarked on the first graduate intake in 2015 and employed 15 graduates to close the skills gap at professional level. The programmes focus on mining, engineering, geology, chemistry and processing.

For the next 24 to 36 months, the graduates will gain hands-on practical experience, and build core managerial and technical competen-cies which will allow the majority to become registered engineers and thus an integral part of the Compa-ny’s leadership pipeline.

In support of developing local skills, Swakop Uranium is excited to announce that it is sponsoring

two highly motivated and talent-ed Namibians to study abroad at universities in China to obtain a postgraduate Masters degree.

Students will get an opportunity to establish international networks which will be invaluable to their future careers. Studying in China is an excellent opportunity to explore the unique blend of ancient and modern civilization, as well as its scenic beauty, which will open their eyes not just to China, but to the whole world. Swakop Uranium expects these graduates to return to Namibia and add value to the company.

The company prides itself in the fact that it remains committed to continue providing employment to Namibian citizens, and to be part of the initiative to provide quality edu-cational opportunities in the mining industry to address the shortage of skills and to build leadership pipe-lines for the future.


We produce corrugated packaging products for a diverse range of customers in various markets. Our sites are fully equipped to cater for various and speci�ed corrugated packaging needs, and we pride ourselves in meeting local and export market requirements, having a capacity to produce 12,000 tonnes of corrugated packaging, both printed and unprinted, per year.

In Namibia we service a broad range of customers in various industries namely:• Fishing Industry• Meat & Food Industry• Agriculture Industry• Industrial Industry• Beverage Industry• Export Industry.

Our product range consists of:• Hand erected regular slotted containers• Hand erected die-cut containers• Machine erected regular slotted containers• Machine erected die-cut containers• High-graphic printed containers.

We seek to develop our leading market position in product quality and lightweight capability by continuously improving the quality and design of our products and increasing the e�ciency of production.

We invest in state-of-the-art technology, continuously upgrading our equipment, people and infrastructure to provide on-going improvement to the products we manufacture.

Employing over 100 people, all equipped with deep knowledge and experience gained over many years, we are well positioned for growth, and o�er unrivalled commitment, dedication and focus in terms of the products we produce.

Our main factory is situated in Walvis Bay, while our sheet plant is in Windhoek; both factories service a broad range of customers in di�erent industries.

Mpact Corrugated Namibia has ISO 9001 (Quality Management System) and 1S0 14001 (Environmental Management System) certi�cations and is a member of the Namibian Manufacturing Association and Team Namibia.

WINDHOEK:BCI Premises, Northern Industrial Area, WindhoekTel: + 264 61 262 536Fax: + 264 61 262 365Sales: Connie [email protected]

WALVIS BAY44 3rd street East, Walvis BayTel: + 264 64 214 200Fax: + 264 64 200 667Sales: Frank [email protected]

www.mpact.co.na

two highly motivated and talent-ed Namibians to study abroad at universities in China to obtain a postgraduate Masters degree.

Students will get an opportunity to establish international networks which will be invaluable to their future careers. Studying in China is an excellent opportunity to explore the unique blend of ancient and modern civilization, as well as its scenic beauty, which will open their eyes not just to China, but to the whole world. Swakop Uranium expects these graduates to return to Namibia and add value to the company.

The company prides itself in the fact that it remains committed to continue providing employment to Namibian citizens, and to be part of the initiative to provide quality edu-cational opportunities in the mining industry to address the shortage of skills and to build leadership pipe-lines for the future.

The Swakop Uranium Foundation strives to contribute efficiently and responsibly to the social upliftment, development and economic independence of previously disadvantaged communities.The Foundation is intent on not only developing communities, but also ensuring that they grow with the company and share in its progress.

The Swakop Uranium Foundation focuses on five areas:• Educationandchildhooddevelopment;• SMEdevelopmentandpovertyalleviation;• Communitysupport;• Healthandwell-being;and• Environmentalmanagement.

Below are projects the Swakop Uranium Foundation supported during 2015.

COMMUNITY SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CENTRE (COSDEC) TheFoundationdonatedN$60,000totheCommunitySkillsDevelopmentCentre (COSDEC) for four SMEs that were incubated at the Centre.COSDEC is a technical training institute in Swakopmund. It aims toprovidemarket-focusedvocationalskillstrainingtooutofschoolyouth,disadvantaged people and other community members.

The expectation is that once these trained graduates are equipped with relevant skills, they will be more equipped to find income earning opportunities, compete in the local job market or engage in entrepreneurial income generating activities.

The incubation hubs will host four micro and subsistence enterprises for a period of one year, and preference was given to graduates of the centre.TheseSMEswillbeprovidedwithrentalspaceandwillundergothree incubation stages which involve market research, formulation of the business idea, formulation of a business plan & budget, coaching & mentoring, preparation of a marketing plan, performance reviews, impact evaluations, an evaluation of incubation outcome amongst a host of other activities.

This donation falls under the pillar of SME development & Povertyalleviation.

Governor of the Erongo Region, Hon. Cleophas Mutjavikua inspects the brick-making practical section at COSDEC.

ERONGO DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATIONThe Foundation donated N$200,000 to the Erongo DevelopmentFoundation to carry out SME training and development programmesand initiatives in the Erongo region in 2015. The hope is that SMEsthat undertake such programmes will be provided with the skills and confidence needed to make their businesses successful.

ThisdonationfallsunderthepillarofSMEdevelopment&Povertyalleviation.

ARANDIS INVESTMENT CONFERENCETheFoundationdonatedN$50,000totheArandisInvestmentconferencewhich aims to promote the town of Arandis as a preferred service provider to the logistics industry as well as to celebrate the contribution of the Uranium Industry to the town. Promotionalmaterial was purchased topromote the event.

This donation falls under the pillar of SME development & Povertyalleviation.

Arandis Town Council CEO, Florida Husselman, Mayor Daniel Muhuura and Patron of the Arandis Investment Conference,

Hon. Tjekero Tweya, Minister of Information and Communication Technology during the Arandis Investment Conference.

ETUNDA PRIMARY SCHOOLTheFoundationdonatedN$100,000totheEtundaPrimarySchoolintheOtaviregion.Theprimaryschoolandclinicisinaconstructionphaseandthe school will provide education for the children of marginalized farm workers in the area, while the hospital will ensure that the workers are healthy and actively contributing to the economy.

TheFoundingPresidentofNamibia,Dr.SamNujomawillhandoverthetwofacilitiestotheMinistryofEducation&HigherLearninguponcompletion.

Swakop Uranium has a long-term commitment towards educationinitiatives, as education is the key to economic empowerment, and it will allow Namibia to reach its Vision 2030 goals. This contribution falls under thepillarofEducationandChildhoodDevelopment.

Swakop Uranium Senior Vice President, Dr Peng Xinjian and Assistant Manager, Sustainability and CSI, Winnie Mukupuki handed over a

cheque to Founding President, Dr Sam Nujoma towards the cost of construction of the Etunda Primary School and Clinic.

NAMIBIAN INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY (NIMT)TheNamibian instituteofMiningandTechnology (NIMT) is a reputabletechnicaltraininginstituteinNamibia.Ittrainsmanyyoungpeople,whodo not qualify to enter formal university level institutes, to become artisans, therefore providing them with skills to enter formal employment.

ManyoftheartisansthatSwakopUraniumemploysareproductsofNIMT.The equipment that Swakop Uranium donated to the value of N$200,000 will ensure that the standards at the institution are maintained or improved. This will further ensure that the quality of work of artisans received from the graduates is high.

The donation was made under the pillar of Education and Childhooddevelopment.

ERONGO DIRECTORATE OF EDUCATIONThe Foundation donated N$100,000 to the Erongo Directorate ofEducationtoassist in improvingtheEducationstandardsintheErongoregion. Some of the initiatives include programmes, events and activities facilitatedbytheDirectorateofEducation,assistanceforneedyschoolsintermsoftheupliftmentinsubjectssuchasMathematicsandScience.

The donation falls under the pillar of Education and Childhooddevelopment.

Swakop Uranium Director: Business Support Yang Gang, Erongo

Education Director John /Awaseb, Erongo Regional Governor Cleophas Mutjavikua, Swakop Uranium Vice President: HR, Business Support

Percy McCallum, Chief Education officer Natalia Guriras, and Swakop Uranium Remuneration Manager Beata Muteka during

the cheque handover.

TheFoundationdonatedN$200,000totheNamibiaEmergencyDisasterRelief Fund. The Namibia Emergency Disaster Relief Fund throughthe office of the PrimeMinister delivers drought and flood relief aid tocommunities affected by natural disasters.

The Office of the Prime Minister receives the funds and goods, andchannels them to the affected regions to survive on until the next rainy season. The government has already started to hand out drought relief packages to the affected areas.

ThisdonationfallsunderthepillarofCommunitySupport.

Swakop Uranium Foundation Chairperson, Sadike Nepela and Swakop Uranium CEO, Zheng Keping handing over the donation to

Prime Minister, Right Honourable Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.

BENITA JOHANNESThe Foundation donated a bath rail, bath seat, portable toilet to Benita Johannes who lost her left arm and left leg in a train accident in Walvis Bay. The Foundation has also pledged to have a wheelchair ramp built at her house to allow her to enter and exit her home with ease. These items should make Benita’s life more manageable and the hope is that she will continue with her education so that she can achieve her aspiration of becoming a doctor.

Swakop Uranium Foundation Chairperson, Sadike Nepela and Assistant Manager, Sustainability and CSI, Winnie Mukupuki

handed over the donation to Benita.

WINTER KNIGHTS ROUND TABLEThe Foundation sponsored N$5 000 to the Round Table Winter Knights initiative which purchases blankets for the vulnerable people in society on a yearly basis.

ThedonationfallsunderthepillarofCommunitySupport.

SWAKOP STRIDERSTheFoundationpurchasedaheavydutyPVCcoverforahighjumpmapto the value of N$8 000 that was required by the Swakop Striders club to ensure a safe landing to limit injuries and boost the confidence of the jumpers.

The club is grooming talented high jumpers from diverse backgrounds in theErongoRegiontotakepartinnationalandinternationalevents.Thedonationwasmadeunderthepillarofhealthandwell-being.

HUSAB MARATHONTheHusabMarathonwasheldontheHusabAccessRoadwhichis10kmfrom Arandis on 5 September 2015. The aim of the event was to promote the health andwellbeing of the people of the Erongo region and alsoservedasaFunDayforSwakopUraniumemployeesandthecommunityat large. The event was a success and was based on the principles of Excellence,Safety&Quality.

TheeventwassponsoredunderthepillarofHealth&Well-being.

Participants in the 5km fun run and walk setting off for the race during the inaugural Husab Marathon.

SU EMPLOYEES SPORTS & SOCIAL EVENTSSwakop Uranium employees have been entered throughout the year intovarioussportstournamentsandcompetitionsintheErongoregion.Theaimistopromotehealthandwell-beingamongsttheemployeestoensure a productive workforce.

Swakop Uranium’s men’s soccer team during a tournament at the coast.

NAMIBIA POLICE NATIONAL SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPSThe Foundation donated N$43,000 to the Namibia Regional Sports Council for the officers that took part in theNAMPOLNational SportsChampionships.Tracksuitswerepurchasedforapproximately90officersfromtheErongo region that tookpart in thegames.Thedonation fallsunderthepillarofHealthandWell-being.

‘TURN BACK CRIME’ CAMPAIGNThe Foundation donatedN$50,000 to the ‘TurnBackCrime’ campaignorganisedbytheOfficeoftheErongoRegionalCommander.Thecampaignwas aimed at raising awareness of organised crime, violence against women and children, drug abuse, etc. in the region and people were educated on howtoavoidcrimetoensurethattheregionremainssafe.T-shirtsandcapswere purchased to be worn on the day to raise awareness.

Swakop Uranium CEO, Zheng Keping, Namibian Police (Nampol) Inspector General, Lieutenant, Sebastian Ndeitunga, Nampol Erongo Regional Commander, Commissioner Samuel //Hoebeb and Swakop Uranium Vice President; Human Resources, Business Support, Percy

McCallum en-route to the Husab Mine.

OTJIMBOYO & OHUNGU CONSERVANCIESThe Foundation sponsored equipment to the value of N$63,000 to members of the Ohungu and Otjimboyo Conservancies to assistthem in their anti-poaching and monitoring efforts in their respectiveconstituencies. This was a partnership between the Namibia Nature Foundation and Swakop Uranium as the Namibia Nature Foundation provided the technical training to the conservancies and Swakop Uranium provided the equipment.

ThissponsorshipfallsunderthepillarofSoundEnvironmentalManagement.

SWAKOP URANIUM FOUNDATION REACHES OUT TO THE COMMUNITY


• YVONNE AMUKWAYA

Henties Bay municipality has expressed plans to turn the town into the ideal holiday

destination. This was alluded by recently

appointed CEO Reinhardt Stevens Ochs who took over from acting chief executive officer Bianca Nguaiko in April.

“We want to give people a reason to pass other coastal towns and come to Henties Bay. We want to create experiences for different people and turn Henties Bay into the most desired holiday resort,” he confirmed.

One of the five towns situated on the 1 572km long coastline, Henties Bay is a popular angling resort and is known as seasonal holiday destination.

However, Ochs said they want to change this as it poses a challenge for the municipality.

According to him, Henties Bay is only busy during November, Decem-ber, January and February as people come to their holiday homes. “The rest of the year is quiet and we want to change that,” said Ochs.

He added that because there is not many industries, people rely on domes-tic work for their livelihood.

“A lot of residents are not able to pay for their rates and taxes but how do you expect people to pay bills if they do not have the means. We are trying to attract investors to the town in order to empower people,” stated Ochs.

PLANNED DEVELOPMETS

The municipality is constructing a tourism centre which will be officially opened early next year. Recently a SME centre was completed.

While Woerman Brock is progress-ing well with the construction of their shopping centre, Ochs said there are also investors who have expressed interest in constructing a mall at the beachfront.

Henties Bay Municipality - planning for tomorrow

GIVING INSIGHT… Reinhardt Stevens Ochs, CEO of Henties Bay Municipality.

A lot of residents are not able to pay for their

rates and taxes but how do you expect

people to pay bills if they do not have the

means. We are trying to attract investors to the town in order to empower

people.

He added that there is also an investor interested in aquacul-ture. However, discussions are in the early stages. In addition to this, Ochs said that they are also having discussions with Namport to construct a slipway. “This will enable people to dock their boats as well as tourism related activities. The idea is for it to have a dual purpose as the Hanganeni Artisanal Fish-ing Association could make use of it. In turn this could attract fishermen to the town,” explained Ochs.

LAND AND LOW COST HOUSING

Thirty-eight houses were constructed at Omdel under the Mass Housing Project and handed over to the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development. The council also constructed 50 low cost houses under the Built Together Project.

Construction of the houses begun in 2013 and was put on halt with the Mass Housing Project. “We had not finished the houses because the money in the account was frozen when the mass housing project started. We are now waiting for an

official directive to use the money in the revolving fund,” Ochs said.

In addition, the municipality is also working on what they call ‘new technology houses’ for low-income earners. Twenty-five houses were completed. However, the plan was to construct at least 200 of those. Nonetheless, this is planned for next year.

Currently the municipality has a backlog of 500 applications for land and housing.

Ochs said that the municipality has plans to service close to 1 000 plots in 2016.

The municipality fire brigade that was put on hold is set to commence in January 2016 with N$6,8 million set aside for the project. The construction of the station was supposed to start in November 2014 and hopes were that it would be commis-sioned by August this year.

The Henties Bay municipality awarded the tender for the fire station in the Omdel location last year to the joint venture of K & G Bricks CC and Tatamutsi and Sons Construction.


Henties Bay Municipality - planning for tomorrow

National Fishing Corporation of Namibia

OUR VISION STATEMENTOUR VISION STATEMENT

SEAFLOWER GROUP OF COMPANIESIndustry Road. P. O. Box 15, Lüderitz, Namibia Tel: +264 63 208 100, Fax: +264 63 202 414

Vision:

To be a leader in catching, processing and marketing ofNamibian fish products in the local and international markets.

Mission:

To Exploit the allocated quotas in a sustainable manner while ensuring maximum gain for our shareholders,

employees and the Namibian economy.

The Wave of Quality.


in place. The World Bank LPI and Doing Business Surveys are amongst the global instruments and tools used to measure the extent to which the selected indicators can support reduction of cost of doing business. While these indicators are a subject of national, regional and interna-tional debates, a critical question to be answered is “will consumers realise better prices of goods and services if these variable are improved?” This question requires end to end anal-ysis of the supply chain to determine whether benefits are transferred to consumers or ends with businesses. At a country level, the landlocked countries suffer greatly from high prices of consumer goods due to complexity of measures related to trans¬portation, logistics and cross border facilitation of goods in transit. The SACU region has three landlocked countries Botswa-na, Lesotho and Swaziland which are mainly dependant on their neighbours for free movement of transit cargo.

2. Transport, logistics and supply chain

The World Bank developed the LPI, which measures the efficiencies of the trade supply chain and logistics performance. The supply chain encompasses freight transportation, warehous-ing, border clearance, payment systems, and increasingly many other functions outsourced by producers and merchants to dedicated service providers. Although transport logistics is performed mainly by private operators, it has become a public policy concern of national gov-ernments, regional and international organizations. The supply chain can become a complex sequence of coordinated activities that requires the cooperation of all stakeholders. Govern-ment interventions are mainly in infrastructure, logistics services provision and cross-border trade facilitation (World Bank: 2014).

Transport and logistics are key and important components of the supply chain for businesses as they contribute to the management of the supply chain. The transport management pro-vides services of moving passengers and cargo from one point to another in a most cost effec-tive way. Modes of transport include road, sea, rail and air. Logistics on the other hand enables efficient management of the supply chain by ensuring that goods and services are available at a competitive price, where and when they are needed (just in-time principle).

SACU’s work in respect of these various areas of logistics performance is mainly focused on the customs and cross border trade facilitation component. SACU Revenue and Customs Authorities are implementing customs modernisation programmes to enhance the processes, procedures, IT systems and legislation, which directly contribute to the logistics and supply chain in the region. In particular, the SACU region is implementing a Customs Modernisation Programme that is focused on the following areas:

• InformationandCommunicationTechnology(ICT)Connectivity:thatisaimedatdevelop-ing initiatives for facilitating information exchange in the SACU region;

• TraderPartnerships:thatseekstocreateandstrengthenexistingplatformsforcollabora-tion between business and government at both national and regional level, whilst work-ing towards an Authorised Economic Operator scheme through implementation of the Preferred Trader Programme;

• RiskManagement:aimstodevelopandimplementcommonriskmanagementanden-forcement strategies in the region whilst building capacity for Post Clearance Audit (PCA) in support of implementation of the risk based approach to cargo inspection at ports of entry and exit.

• LegislativeReform:intendstofacilitateimplementationoftheSACUregionallegalreformswhich will result in harmonised legislative instruments that conforms to international con-ventions and best practices.

Implementation of the above initiatives will add value to the regional efforts towards reducing bottlenecks and non-tariff barriers to trade in the SACU region.

The World Bank Doing Business survey of 2014 quantifies the costs, and sources of delays affecting trade in the SACU countries. Although focus of the Doing Business country reports is on containerised cargo, the reports highlights real challenges confronting traders conducting business in SACU.

SUMMARY OF PROCEDURES, COSTS, TIME AND DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR TRADING ACROSS THE BORDERS IN SACU

INDICATOR BOTSWA-NA

LESOTHO NAMIB-IA

SOUTH AFRICA

SWAZI-LAND

Documents to export (number)

6 7 8 5 7

Time to export (days) 27 31 25 16 17 Cost to export (US$ per container)

3,045 1,695 1,750 1,705 1,880

Documents to import (number)

6 7 7 6 6

Time to import (days) 35 33 20 21 23 Cost to import (US$ per container)

3,610 1,945 1,905 1,980 2,145

Source: data extracted from Doing Business Reports of individual countries of 2014. Trading Across Borders. www.doingbusiness.org/Reports

The summary above reflects the number documents required for import and exports, number of days, and the costs of import and exports per container in SACU countries. Botswana and Swaziland have the highest costs of import, followed by South Africa and Lesotho. Namibia is the lowest in terms of costs. Documentary requirements for both import and exports have been reduced, whilst a lot of work still need to take place in terms of number of days for import and exports. The delays at border posts impact on the number of days and the costs of import and export.

Procedures to import in SACU

PROCE-DURES

BOTSWANA LESOTHO NAMIBIA SOUTH AF-RICA

SWAZILAND

Time (days)

Cost (US$)

Time (days)

Cost (US$)

Time (days)

Cost (US$)

Time (days)

Cost (US$)

Time (days)

Cost (US$)

Documents Preparation

15 435 13 260 10 260 7 405 6 190

Customs clearance and techni-cal control

3 125 7 335 4 210 2 125 3 85

Ports and terminal handling

9 450 9 450 3 535 9 450 9 450

Inland trans-portation and handling

8 2,600 4 900 3 900 3 1,000 5 1,420

Totals 35 3,610 33 1,945 20 1,905 21 1,980 23 2,145


The above procedures measured by Doing Business Surveys unbundles the days into specific delay points. With the exception of Swaziland and South Africa, the number of days required to prepare documentation is higher in Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia, whilst more days are spent at ports and terminal handling in South Africa and Swaziland. Customs clearance time in South Africa, Swaziland and Botswana is significantly reduced and this can be attributed to ongoing modernisation programmes in these countries. The total costs of imports can still be reduced further through speeding up implementation of the modernisation initiatives. The Doing Business report highlights that a 10% drop in the cost of trade result in massive gains for developing countries than the equivalent reduction in tariff applied to products traded in global markets. This is indeed the focus for the SACU region, the need to significantly contribute to the trade cost reduction.

Table 1, below, illustrates the World Bank LPI comparison of all SACU countries (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa) based on six factors (customs, infrastructure, international shipping, logistics service, tracking and timelines) measured over 8 years (2007 to 2014).

TThe LPI of 2014 highlights the overall ranking for the SACU countries as follows:- Botswa¬-na is ranked 120, Namibia 93, Lesotho 133, and South Africa 34. South Africa’s improved ranking could be attributed to the Customs reforms and modernisation that was implemented in 2012. Swaziland was not included in the ranking. The variables/measure related to trade facilitation have been ranked as follow for Namibia: Customs-125, infrastructure-81, interna-tional shipping-97, logistics services- 86, tracking- 106 and tracing timeliness-82. Botswana’s overall country ranking is 120, Lesotho’s overall country ranking is 133 and South Africa’s overall ranking is at 34. South Africa’s improved ranking can be partially attributed to aggressive reform and modernisation of customs administration as it resulted in streamlined processes and procedure.

Other SACU countries are also implementing customs modernisation programmes and this will assist in enhancing future rankings. In particular, Lesotho is in the process of moving from man-ual and paper based processing to automated processes, procedures and systems. Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland have also automated their Customs systems and are embarking on continuous improvements to modernise customs. As a continuous exercise, it will benefit the SACU region to better understand bottlenecks that leads to the low performance and ranking in the LPI.

Table 1: Logistic Performance in SACU

Source: information extracted from the World Bank Logistics Index 2014, table devel-oped by author

3. Linking trade facilitation with logistics

Trade facilitation measures contribute directly to the performance of logistics. As such all trade facilitation measures are largely meant to reduce the costs of doing business across borders. Given that there is a globally accepted trade facilitation agreement, it is important that focus is on improving measures linked to logistics to provide a meaningful contribution to the rankings of countries. The following measures for trade facilitation will have a positive effect on logis-tics and has the potential to improve the rankings in the World Bank LPI and they are already artic¬ulated as provisions in the WTO TFA:

• Releaseandclearanceofgoods;

• Bordercooperation;

• Formalitiesconnectedwithimportation,exportationandtransit;

• Freedomoftransit;and

• Customscooperation.

The SACU Member States have already started the process of implementing the above provisions and further work is required to ensure that they are clearly articulated at policy and administrative levels. The implementation of the Customs Modernisation Programmes, by the SACU countries, has the potential to improve the rankings in the World Bank Logistics Perfor-mance Index (LPI).

The SACU region is implementing a trade facilitation project since 2008. One of the compo-nents of the programme is IT connectivity of customs system of Member States. This is seen as a trade facilitative instrument that will foster smooth flow of goods between Member States as it allows for advance cargo information. Cross border times will be greatly reduced thereby improving the cross border dwell times for traders. Another key initiative in this project is the preferred trader programme which aims to facilitate traders with good compliance record. The clearance and cross border times for these traders will also be greatly reduced. By its nature the preferred trader programme will offer more facilitation of trade to accredited traders who pose little or no risk to customs and trade. The segmentation of traders allows customs to focus resources to traders who pose higher risk to customs and trade.

4. Conclusion

The SACU region has the potential to improve logistics performance through continued imple-mentation of the reforms and modernisation programmes targeting ports of entry, transit routes and ports of exit. Stakeholder collaboration is critical to achieve significant results. The SACU Revenue and Customs Authorities have already began the process of implementing some of the provisions of the WTO TFA and this lays the basis for further work. The World Bank LPI, as a measure of efficiency, can be complemented by the use of tools such as the WCO TRS as the SACU countries will get the opportunity for self-assessment to be able to deploy resources where they are needed the most.

Contributing towards a

better transport and logitics in

SACU

Trade facilitation continues to gain attention from the consumers, business community and policy makers globally. The conclusion of the 2013 World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in Bali, Indonesia, has confirmed a global commitment to improve cross border trade between countries. The objective of the WTO TFA is to contribute to the reduction of bottlenecks associated with cross border trade and the 2015 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) study estimated “that countries which implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in full will reduce their trade costs by between 1.4 and 3.9 percentage points more than those that do only the minimum that the TFA requires”. The 2015 OECD study concluded that implementation of the WTO TFA “could reduce worldwide trade costs by between 12.5% and 17.5%. The potential reduction in trade costs will yield significant benefits for traders and consumers

This article seeks to share information on the Trade Facilitation Programme of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the 2014 World Bank ranking on trade facilitation in SACU Member States.

Cognisant of the important role that efficient logistics play in cross border trade, the SACU Heads of States and Government have included trade facilitation amongst its 6 priority are-as of focus. The SACU Secretariat is implementing a trade facilitation programme which is focused on addressing cross-border challenges related to customs processes, procedures and legislation. The SACU trade facilitation project seeks to address impediments and bottlenecks faced by traders in the region with special emphasis on:

(i) Information Technology (IT) interconnectivity amongst SACU countries;

(ii) Strengthening partnerships with stakeholders (customs to business);

(iii) Development of a trusted trader programme, the “preferred trader”;

(iv) Enforcement and risk management to allow legal trade to move across borders unhin-dered; and

(v) Modernisation of customs legislation.

The SACU region is also in the process of building the capacity for customs, private sector and other government agencies operating at the borders to be able to use the WCO Time Release Study (TRS) as a diagnostic tool to measure efficiencies, identify bottlenecks and apply evidence-based solutions to the current challenges experienced at the border posts. The SACU trade facilitation programme is aligned to Article 7 of the WTO TFA specifically on:

(i) 7(4) the use of risk management systems for customs control;

(ii) 7(6) the establishment and publication of the average release time; and

(iii) 7(7) trade facilitation measures for Authorised Operators. Article 7 (release and clear-ance) of the WTO TFA requires customs to expedite release and clearance of cargo at ports of entry and the WCO TRS is a recommended tool for countries to use in measuring their efficiencies.

At a Member State level, the SACU countries are undertaking various processes to align to the WTO TFA and the future SACU trade facilitation agenda will also be enhanced and extended to include transport and logistics. By linking transport and logistics with the trade facilitation agenda, the SACU region will be better placed to implement the WTO TFA and contribute to the key variables of the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) related to cross border movement of cargo. The LPI is the World Bank instrument that considers certain variables and their impact on logistics. It is a global instrument used to measure and rank countries’ performance. Implementation of the SACU trade facilitation programme will con-tribute to the overall performance of the SACU Member States in the LPI ranking globally. The use of diagnostic tools such as the WCO TRS adds value to decision making in the re-gion for policy and decision makers to arrive at evidence based decisions. Cooperation and collaboration amongst key stakeholders in the supply chain and other policy organs in each SACU Member State will provide a balanced approach to improving logistics performance in the region and in individual countries.

In conclusion, I believe that the successful implementation of this programme will improve logistics performance in SACU countries through continued implementation of the reforms and modernisation programmes targeting ports of entry, transit routes and ports of exit. Stakeholder collaboration is critical to achieve these objectives. I am pleased to note that the SACU Revenue and Customs Authorities have already began, through implementation of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC), the process of implementing some of the provisions of the WTO TFA which lays the basis for further work.

1. Introduction

This article highlights the ranking of individual SACU countries on the World Bank Doing Business Survey of 2014. Although focus of the Doing Business country reports is on containerised cargo, the reports highlights real challenges confronting traders conducting business in SACU. The World Bank Doing Business Survey of 2014 quantifies the costs and sources of delays affecting trade in the SACU countries.

The costs of goods and services available in a country, whether imported or locally pro¬duced is strongly linked to the supply chain, transport and logistics of the business in-volved. The cost of doing business can be reduced if efficient transport and logistics are put

Foreword by the SACU Executive Secretary Ms Paulina M. Elago


in place. The World Bank LPI and Doing Business Surveys are amongst the global instruments and tools used to measure the extent to which the selected indicators can support reduction of cost of doing business. While these indicators are a subject of national, regional and interna-tional debates, a critical question to be answered is “will consumers realise better prices of goods and services if these variable are improved?” This question requires end to end anal-ysis of the supply chain to determine whether benefits are transferred to consumers or ends with businesses. At a country level, the landlocked countries suffer greatly from high prices of consumer goods due to complexity of measures related to trans¬portation, logistics and cross border facilitation of goods in transit. The SACU region has three landlocked countries Botswa-na, Lesotho and Swaziland which are mainly dependant on their neighbours for free movement of transit cargo.

2. Transport, logistics and supply chain

The World Bank developed the LPI, which measures the efficiencies of the trade supply chain and logistics performance. The supply chain encompasses freight transportation, warehous-ing, border clearance, payment systems, and increasingly many other functions outsourced by producers and merchants to dedicated service providers. Although transport logistics is performed mainly by private operators, it has become a public policy concern of national gov-ernments, regional and international organizations. The supply chain can become a complex sequence of coordinated activities that requires the cooperation of all stakeholders. Govern-ment interventions are mainly in infrastructure, logistics services provision and cross-border trade facilitation (World Bank: 2014).

Transport and logistics are key and important components of the supply chain for businesses as they contribute to the management of the supply chain. The transport management pro-vides services of moving passengers and cargo from one point to another in a most cost effec-tive way. Modes of transport include road, sea, rail and air. Logistics on the other hand enables efficient management of the supply chain by ensuring that goods and services are available at a competitive price, where and when they are needed (just in-time principle).

SACU’s work in respect of these various areas of logistics performance is mainly focused on the customs and cross border trade facilitation component. SACU Revenue and Customs Authorities are implementing customs modernisation programmes to enhance the processes, procedures, IT systems and legislation, which directly contribute to the logistics and supply chain in the region. In particular, the SACU region is implementing a Customs Modernisation Programme that is focused on the following areas:

• InformationandCommunicationTechnology(ICT)Connectivity:thatisaimedatdevelop-ing initiatives for facilitating information exchange in the SACU region;

• TraderPartnerships:thatseekstocreateandstrengthenexistingplatformsforcollabora-tion between business and government at both national and regional level, whilst work-ing towards an Authorised Economic Operator scheme through implementation of the Preferred Trader Programme;

• RiskManagement:aimstodevelopandimplementcommonriskmanagementanden-forcement strategies in the region whilst building capacity for Post Clearance Audit (PCA) in support of implementation of the risk based approach to cargo inspection at ports of entry and exit.

• LegislativeReform:intendstofacilitateimplementationoftheSACUregionallegalreformswhich will result in harmonised legislative instruments that conforms to international con-ventions and best practices.

Implementation of the above initiatives will add value to the regional efforts towards reducing bottlenecks and non-tariff barriers to trade in the SACU region.

The World Bank Doing Business survey of 2014 quantifies the costs, and sources of delays affecting trade in the SACU countries. Although focus of the Doing Business country reports is on containerised cargo, the reports highlights real challenges confronting traders conducting business in SACU.

SUMMARY OF PROCEDURES, COSTS, TIME AND DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR TRADING ACROSS THE BORDERS IN SACU

INDICATOR BOTSWA-NA

LESOTHO NAMIB-IA

SOUTH AFRICA

SWAZI-LAND

Documents to export (number)

6 7 8 5 7

Time to export (days) 27 31 25 16 17 Cost to export (US$ per container)

3,045 1,695 1,750 1,705 1,880

Documents to import (number)

6 7 7 6 6

Time to import (days) 35 33 20 21 23 Cost to import (US$ per container)

3,610 1,945 1,905 1,980 2,145


The summary above reflects the number documents required for import and exports, number of days, and the costs of import and exports per container in SACU countries. Botswana and Swaziland have the highest costs of import, followed by South Africa and Lesotho. Namibia is the lowest in terms of costs. Documentary requirements for both import and exports have been reduced, whilst a lot of work still need to take place in terms of number of days for import and exports. The delays at border posts impact on the number of days and the costs of import and export.

Procedures to import in SACU

PROCE-DURES

BOTSWANA LESOTHO NAMIBIA SOUTH AF-RICA

SWAZILAND

Time (days)

Cost (US$)

Time (days)

Cost (US$)

Time (days)

Cost (US$)

Time (days)

Cost (US$)

Time (days)

Cost (US$)

Documents Preparation

15 435 13 260 10 260 7 405 6 190

Customs clearance and techni-cal control

3 125 7 335 4 210 2 125 3 85

Ports and terminal handling

9 450 9 450 3 535 9 450 9 450

Inland trans-portation and handling

8 2,600 4 900 3 900 3 1,000 5 1,420

Totals 35 3,610 33 1,945 20 1,905 21 1,980 23 2,145


The above procedures measured by Doing Business Surveys unbundles the days into specific delay points. With the exception of Swaziland and South Africa, the number of days required to prepare documentation is higher in Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia, whilst more days are spent at ports and terminal handling in South Africa and Swaziland. Customs clearance time in South Africa, Swaziland and Botswana is significantly reduced and this can be attributed to ongoing modernisation programmes in these countries. The total costs of imports can still be reduced further through speeding up implementation of the modernisation initiatives. The Doing Business report highlights that a 10% drop in the cost of trade result in massive gains for developing countries than the equivalent reduction in tariff applied to products traded in global markets. This is indeed the focus for the SACU region, the need to significantly contribute to the trade cost reduction.

Table 1, below, illustrates the World Bank LPI comparison of all SACU countries (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa) based on six factors (customs, infrastructure, international shipping, logistics service, tracking and timelines) measured over 8 years (2007 to 2014).

TThe LPI of 2014 highlights the overall ranking for the SACU countries as follows:- Botswa¬-na is ranked 120, Namibia 93, Lesotho 133, and South Africa 34. South Africa’s improved ranking could be attributed to the Customs reforms and modernisation that was implemented in 2012. Swaziland was not included in the ranking. The variables/measure related to trade facilitation have been ranked as follow for Namibia: Customs-125, infrastructure-81, interna-tional shipping-97, logistics services- 86, tracking- 106 and tracing timeliness-82. Botswana’s overall country ranking is 120, Lesotho’s overall country ranking is 133 and South Africa’s overall ranking is at 34. South Africa’s improved ranking can be partially attributed to aggressive reform and modernisation of customs administration as it resulted in streamlined processes and procedure.

Other SACU countries are also implementing customs modernisation programmes and this will assist in enhancing future rankings. In particular, Lesotho is in the process of moving from man-ual and paper based processing to automated processes, procedures and systems. Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland have also automated their Customs systems and are embarking on continuous improvements to modernise customs. As a continuous exercise, it will benefit the SACU region to better understand bottlenecks that leads to the low performance and ranking in the LPI.

Table 1: Logistic Performance in SACU

Source: information extracted from the World Bank Logistics Index 2014, table devel-oped by author

3. Linking trade facilitation with logistics

Trade facilitation measures contribute directly to the performance of logistics. As such all trade facilitation measures are largely meant to reduce the costs of doing business across borders. Given that there is a globally accepted trade facilitation agreement, it is important that focus is on improving measures linked to logistics to provide a meaningful contribution to the rankings of countries. The following measures for trade facilitation will have a positive effect on logis-tics and has the potential to improve the rankings in the World Bank LPI and they are already artic¬ulated as provisions in the WTO TFA:

• Releaseandclearanceofgoods;

• Bordercooperation;

• Formalitiesconnectedwithimportation,exportationandtransit;

• Freedomoftransit;and

• Customscooperation.

The SACU Member States have already started the process of implementing the above provisions and further work is required to ensure that they are clearly articulated at policy and administrative levels. The implementation of the Customs Modernisation Programmes, by the SACU countries, has the potential to improve the rankings in the World Bank Logistics Perfor-mance Index (LPI).

The SACU region is implementing a trade facilitation project since 2008. One of the compo-nents of the programme is IT connectivity of customs system of Member States. This is seen as a trade facilitative instrument that will foster smooth flow of goods between Member States as it allows for advance cargo information. Cross border times will be greatly reduced thereby improving the cross border dwell times for traders. Another key initiative in this project is the preferred trader programme which aims to facilitate traders with good compliance record. The clearance and cross border times for these traders will also be greatly reduced. By its nature the preferred trader programme will offer more facilitation of trade to accredited traders who pose little or no risk to customs and trade. The segmentation of traders allows customs to focus resources to traders who pose higher risk to customs and trade.

4. Conclusion

The SACU region has the potential to improve logistics performance through continued imple-mentation of the reforms and modernisation programmes targeting ports of entry, transit routes and ports of exit. Stakeholder collaboration is critical to achieve significant results. The SACU Revenue and Customs Authorities have already began the process of implementing some of the provisions of the WTO TFA and this lays the basis for further work. The World Bank LPI, as a measure of efficiency, can be complemented by the use of tools such as the WCO TRS as the SACU countries will get the opportunity for self-assessment to be able to deploy resources where they are needed the most.

Contributing towards a

better transport and logitics in

SACU

Trade facilitation continues to gain attention from the consumers, business community and policy makers globally. The conclusion of the 2013 World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in Bali, Indonesia, has confirmed a global commitment to improve cross border trade between countries. The objective of the WTO TFA is to contribute to the reduction of bottlenecks associated with cross border trade and the 2015 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) study estimated “that countries which implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in full will reduce their trade costs by between 1.4 and 3.9 percentage points more than those that do only the minimum that the TFA requires”. The 2015 OECD study concluded that implementation of the WTO TFA “could reduce worldwide trade costs by between 12.5% and 17.5%. The potential reduction in trade costs will yield significant benefits for traders and consumers

This article seeks to share information on the Trade Facilitation Programme of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the 2014 World Bank ranking on trade facilitation in SACU Member States.

Cognisant of the important role that efficient logistics play in cross border trade, the SACU Heads of States and Government have included trade facilitation amongst its 6 priority are-as of focus. The SACU Secretariat is implementing a trade facilitation programme which is focused on addressing cross-border challenges related to customs processes, procedures and legislation. The SACU trade facilitation project seeks to address impediments and bottlenecks faced by traders in the region with special emphasis on:

(i) Information Technology (IT) interconnectivity amongst SACU countries;

(ii) Strengthening partnerships with stakeholders (customs to business);

(iii) Development of a trusted trader programme, the “preferred trader”;

(iv) Enforcement and risk management to allow legal trade to move across borders unhin-dered; and

(v) Modernisation of customs legislation.

The SACU region is also in the process of building the capacity for customs, private sector and other government agencies operating at the borders to be able to use the WCO Time Release Study (TRS) as a diagnostic tool to measure efficiencies, identify bottlenecks and apply evidence-based solutions to the current challenges experienced at the border posts. The SACU trade facilitation programme is aligned to Article 7 of the WTO TFA specifically on:

(i) 7(4) the use of risk management systems for customs control;

(ii) 7(6) the establishment and publication of the average release time; and

(iii) 7(7) trade facilitation measures for Authorised Operators. Article 7 (release and clear-ance) of the WTO TFA requires customs to expedite release and clearance of cargo at ports of entry and the WCO TRS is a recommended tool for countries to use in measuring their efficiencies.

At a Member State level, the SACU countries are undertaking various processes to align to the WTO TFA and the future SACU trade facilitation agenda will also be enhanced and extended to include transport and logistics. By linking transport and logistics with the trade facilitation agenda, the SACU region will be better placed to implement the WTO TFA and contribute to the key variables of the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) related to cross border movement of cargo. The LPI is the World Bank instrument that considers certain variables and their impact on logistics. It is a global instrument used to measure and rank countries’ performance. Implementation of the SACU trade facilitation programme will con-tribute to the overall performance of the SACU Member States in the LPI ranking globally. The use of diagnostic tools such as the WCO TRS adds value to decision making in the re-gion for policy and decision makers to arrive at evidence based decisions. Cooperation and collaboration amongst key stakeholders in the supply chain and other policy organs in each SACU Member State will provide a balanced approach to improving logistics performance in the region and in individual countries.

In conclusion, I believe that the successful implementation of this programme will improve logistics performance in SACU countries through continued implementation of the reforms and modernisation programmes targeting ports of entry, transit routes and ports of exit. Stakeholder collaboration is critical to achieve these objectives. I am pleased to note that the SACU Revenue and Customs Authorities have already began, through implementation of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC), the process of implementing some of the provisions of the WTO TFA which lays the basis for further work.

1. Introduction

This article highlights the ranking of individual SACU countries on the World Bank Doing Business Survey of 2014. Although focus of the Doing Business country reports is on containerised cargo, the reports highlights real challenges confronting traders conducting business in SACU. The World Bank Doing Business Survey of 2014 quantifies the costs and sources of delays affecting trade in the SACU countries.

The costs of goods and services available in a country, whether imported or locally pro¬duced is strongly linked to the supply chain, transport and logistics of the business in-volved. The cost of doing business can be reduced if efficient transport and logistics are put

Foreword by the SACU Executive Secretary Ms Paulina M. Elago


Municipality of Walvis Bay

Public Relations & Customer Services DivisionTel: +264 64 201 3111 Fax: +264 64 205 590Email: [email protected]

Your oasis of opportunities...

Walvis Bay ...forever on the rise!

Namibia’s industrial Hub - countless investment opportunities await you...

• YVONNE AMUKWAYA

Strategically located between the Namib Desert and the Atlantic Ocean on the south-western coast of Africa, the town

of Walvis Bay has positioned itself as the ideal location for investors and tourists alike.

Originally established in 1922, Walvis Bay was traditionally known as a fish-driven town. However, the town has managed to diversify its economy over the years.

Largely an industrial centre, with the fishing sector and supporting industries being the biggest employers, Walvis Bay is now looking at massive port expansion projects and transport and logistics to intensify the drive towards further industrialisation.

Other sectors such as aquaculture, salt mining, granite, tourism, uranium and the unique agricultural activities of the Topnaar people along the Kuiseb River have varied its economy.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

In a wide ranging interview with The Namibian, Kevin Adams, manager: public relations and customer services at the Municipality of Walvis Bay said that demand for land is such that they are already planning up until 2030.

He said the Municipality has budgeted more than N$300 million for land development for the current and next financial year.

“Servicing land is expensive. In order to develop land, you need to flatten large dunes or in some low-lying areas large quantities of sand are to be brought in. It is more complex and costlier than most towns in the country,” said Adams.

One of the reasons for this is the low water table. “You need to remove a lot of water and some sewers are very deep and have to be laid below the water table,” Adams said.

Currently, the municipality is servicing land across the entire Walvis Bay, making provision for residential, commercial and industrial development, while provision for other infrastructure is also enjoying priority.

Adams said that a challenge with regard to virgin land is that a sizeable chunk of land being earmarked for development is state land. “The land needs to be transferred to the municipality and this takes time. Until then, it does not belong to us,” he said. The municipality is also looking at upgrading the waterfront in the near future in conjunction with Namport.

EXPANSION OF THE PORT

The expansion of the new container terminal at the port is progressing well and completion is scheduled for March 2017. Walvis Bay is strategically located as a gateway for imports and exports between landlocked African countries, the Americas and Europe. Industry players are positive that the expansion will unveil endless opportunities and will better serve landlocked countries; directly competing with South Africa.

Adams said the expansion of the port will boost the town’s economy. “There will be more business and employment opportunities. With that, the road and rail infrastructure will also need to be upgraded,” he said adding that various other industries will also benefit such as the hospitality, retail and real estate sectors.

TOURISM

Adams said that Walvis Bay is largely an adventure tourist destination as there is a variety of outdoor recreational activities. “Our focus is on adventure tourism such as dolphin cruises, desert related activities, fishing expeditions, paragliding, water sports, kayaking, horse riding, and many more,” said Adams.

Walvis Bay is surrounded by the Dorob National Park and the Naukluft National Park.

The lagoon, the ocean and the Namib Desert form the ideal backdrop for those who want to explore adventure activities at Walvis Bay and its surroundings. The dune belt is also a popular recreational area. Dune 7 is the highest dune in the area, higher than 100m.

The Walvis Bay lagoon is a popular bird watching and photography attraction.

CHALLENGES

Adams said, just like other municipalities, Walvis Bay is also faced with financial challenges. “We need to create a conducive environment for investors,” he stated.

Walvis Bay an oasis of

opportunities


• YVONNE AMUKWAYA

The country's first land-based horse mackerel factory, Gendev Fishing Group Pty Ltd, said their new

factory has enabled them to empower more people.

The factory was inaugurated in October 2014 and has a freezing capacity of 300 tonnes per day. Prior to this, horse mackerel was processed at sea on freezer trawlers.

According to sales and marketing manager Deon Grunschloss, the new state-of-the-art factory has enabled them to create more employment opportunities. Through the land processing of horse mackerel, Gendev Group Namibia has created an additional 600 to 750 jobs.

The group employs 275 people per shift. The introduction of two 9-hour shifts sustains a 12-month operation and enriches the lives of workers and their families as they are assured of an income throughout the year.

Gendev Fishing Group specialises in catching and canning pilchards and horse mackerel, processing fish meal and marketing various pelagic products.

The group invested N$80 million in the MFV Krossfjord and another N$80 million in a modern processing plant.

The blast freezing capacity has been increased to 300 tonnes per 24 hour cycle while the spiral freezer has a capacity of two tonnes per hour or 30 tonnes per 24 hour for the production of value addition products.

Previously known as Gendev Fish Processors Pty Ltd, Gendev Fishing Group Pty Ltd has a number of subsidiary companies such as Krossfjord Fishing Enterprises and Pelagic Fishing Enterprises Pty Ltd.

The company was initially formed in the 1950s by Suiderland Corporation, a South African company. The company commenced with a Namibianisation process after independence.

Guinas Investment and Dun-Al – other Namibian subsidiaries – came on board as shareholders. Today, Gendev is a 72% Namibian-owned company. Shareholders are Gendev Fishing Resources Pty Ltd, Guinas Investment Pty Ltd, Dun-Al Fishing Pty Ltd, Camoposatu Investments

Pty Ltd, Vernier Investments Pty Ltd and Eco Fish Processors Pty Ltd.

The company also began with its pilchard catching operation, which is seasonal, catching the quotas of Dun-Al, Genmir Marine Resources, Silence Holdings and Champion Ladies.

The Gendev pilchard quota of 4 850 ton based on a total allowable catch (TAC) of 25 000 tonnes for the season, was landed in full and canned at Etosha Fishing Enterprises Pty Ltd into 12 x 400g shrinks.

The group’s two Perseiners, MVF Torsver and MFV Havsnurp – owned by Pelagic Fishing Enterprises Pty Ltd – were utilised for this operation.

Grünschloss said the horse mackerel catches are also going well despite a competitively priced and oversupplied market. Gendev landed 20 000 tonnes by mid-July 2015.

The group has launched its individual quick frozen (IQF) 1kg bags of pilchard for retail shops as well as the second IQF horse mackerel brand for the wholesale and retail trade in the SADC region.

At its premises, the Gendev Fishing Group has completed building a 400 tonne refrigerated sea water (RSW) storage tank on land at a cost of N$10 million. “This will lead to increased efficiency in the factory as well as better turnaround times for the trawlers,” stated Grünschloss.

Recently, Gendev Fishing Resources Pty Ltd and Kuiseb Fishing Enterprises Pty Ltd purchased a horse mackerel factory trawler on a 50/50 basis, the MFV Venus 1. It was previously operated under Trachurus Fishing Pty Ltd, managed by Namsov.

The Gendev hake long-line vessel, MFV Liper, commenced fishing at the beginning of March 2015 and landed 1 100 tonnes of head and gutted hake by the end of September.

In addition, Grünschloss said they are proud of their horse mackerel (HM) product range which includes: 2 x 10 kg 1 x 10 kg horse mackerel; 3 x 5 kg horse mackerel; 1 x 5 kg horse mackerel; 1,2 kg retail IQF & 1 kg horse mackerel and 10kg cutlets.

Other products include hake fillets, kingklip fillets and associated by-products

LATEST EDITION … A modern pelagic refrigerated sea water (RSW) Trawler – the ‘MFV Krossfjord’ with a RSW capacity of 1 200 tonne per trip. The trawler carries nine crew members who stay on sea for up to seven days. The group also operates another pelagic RSW trawler, the ‘Paraclete’.

Gendev – going from strength to strength

such as fishmeal and fish oil. The horse mackerel IQF 1kg and 1,2 kg value addition retail bag is now listed in over 800 retail and wholesale stores in the SADC region.

Distribution covers the SADC region with retail groups such as Shoprite, Pick 'n Pay, A One and BG Group, in Namibia, South Africa,

Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Angola.

Grünschloss added that the Gendev Group is also pleased with the unique packaging material launched as their bulk 2 x 10 kg (20kg) HM product is packed in poly cartons. “We have developed further value added products which will

be launched into the retail market soon,” he said.

Furthermore, Grünschloss said the group is going from strength to strength and looks forward to continue feeding the nation and beyond. At the same time the group aims at creating more employment opportunities for Namibians.

Earlier this month, the Namibian-German Centre for Logistics (NGCL), together with some

of the most important and influential industry organisations, hosted the annual logistics workshop at Walvis Bay. The four days were filled with a wide range of presentations and discussions on ‘Success stories and best practices in Namibia’.

The theme focused on sharing expertise and insights in transport and supply chain management. Some of the partners involved in the best practises workshop are Transworld Cargo, Southern Business School Namibia, National Road Safety Council (NRSC), Walvis Bay Corridor Group, Namibia Logistics Association, Namport and Trans Kalahari Corridor Secretariat.

This cross-section from the logistics and transportation field shared their

best practises, their vision and expertise during the workshop, covering the whole spectrum of logistics topics.

The speakers represented industry, government and academia and covered a variety of subjects ranging from curbing barriers to logistics, trade requirements, optimisation as well as logistics education in Namibia and industry panel discussions.

Through case studies and presenting research on these subjects, the workshop addressed the core issue of logistics hubs and their potential for the development of Namibian trade.

Logan Fransman, NGCL acting director said; “It was an informative, interactive industry-wide event which will make a positive contribution to the future of logistics in Namibia. We are already planning next year’s event.”

DRIVEN … Attendees of the NGCL 7th annual workshop on logistics and transport at Walvis Bay. Photo: Contributed

Annual logistics workshop - success story continues


• YVONNE AMUKWAYA

Wenzel Catima was born and raised in Windhoek and left for Germany soon after

matriculating. He joined the logistics sector on an

apprenticeship and recently returned after years of working in the sector.

Catima began his apprenticeship at Fiege and later moved to DSV Transport and Logistics, both logistics companies in Germany. For the past four years, Catima was stationed at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics in which Transworld Cargo Namibia is a partner.

Catima, who holds a bachelor in transport and communication, says his portfolio at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics included strategic transport planning for clients in the supply chain and assisting in any trouble-shooting.

Asked why he decided to join the logistics sector; Catima said: “I always wanted to do something that is not the same every day. I was looking for something and did not know what

I wanted to do.” A friend introduced him to the

logistics fraternity and he took the opportunity even though he was sceptic of the challenge. “I thought I could not do it. It sounded difficult and I thought it was unreachable,” he recalled.

Then 22-year old Catima took the chance with no experience but the will to learn. It was not long before he started his apprenticeship despite setbacks.

“I went to school two days a week and worked three days a week for three years before I became a for-warding merchant,” said Catima.

Catima, who is now at Transworld Cargo as business development and project coordinator, said the expe-riences have shaped him. His work portfolio includes business process management and sales.

Fluent in Afrikaans, English and German, a proud Catima urges those who want to pursue logistics to do so as it is a promising sector. “If you have a goal, go for it. Logistics is not an easy industry. It shapes you

whether you like it or not. However, you need to be able to perform under pressure,” he said.

Founded in 1986, Transworld Cargo is a freight forwarding and logistics company that offers a full range of integrated logistics solutions for all types of cargo. The company also pro-vides courier services through UPS.

According to logistics manager Martin Gillmann “the spectrum of logistics services nowadays is much wider than in the past. Today, logistics includes all activities along the supply chain ranging from transport and val-ue added services such as warehouse and vendor management, reverse logistics, contract logistics, project management and communication.”

Based on that, Gillmann said that the company places a high value on education as they strive to achieve the best transport solutions to meet cus-tomers' expectations and they never turn clients away regardless of how big the challenge is.

“We do everything related to logistics. Not only moving goods but choosing the best routes for cus-

tomers. We also handle all sorts of shipments including general cargo, heavy/abnormal cargo, dangerous goods, perishables and livestock,” said Gillmann.

Transworld Cargo is based in Wind-hoek with branches at Walvis Bay, Hosea Kutako Airport, Oshikango, Gaborone and Johannesburg.

Gillmann said the Walvis Bay branch was established due to the proximity of its port which can be seen as a gateway to other SADC countries. “We established the coastal branch to take care of logistical requirements of landlocked countries. We focus on in-transit shipments from and to other countries,” he said.

Gillmann added that the in-transit business is a challenge as demand from the landlocked countries is growing.

He added that the expansion of the Walvis Bay port will come with challenges.

“The challenge could be that the port strengthens its competition with southern African seaports attracting more cargo coming from Europe to be

delivered into neighbouring coun-tries.”

Gillman further explained that while sea transit times are shorter, the inland transport along the road and rail corridors poses huge challenges. “Seeing that inland haulage is still not cost efficient due to the imbalance of transport legs, trucks often return empty after delivering cargo to the final destination. Delivering shipment to southern Africa could prove chal-lenging,” he said.

Concurring with Catima, Gillmann said the future of the logistics sector looks positive. However, according to them, it will require greater accuracy and know-how as demand grow to move cargo faster and more efficient.

Gillmann said: “We need to develop people and their skills so they under-stand these processes and are at the same time also willing to learn new trends in the logistics sector.”

Transworld Cargo is an active part-ner and supporter of the Commercial Advancement Training Scheme (Cats) programme. Every year, the company takes on four trainees.

OPTIMISTIC… Martin Gillmann, logistics man-ager, Transworld Cargo. Photos: Yvonne Amukwaya

DETERMINED… Wenzel Catima, the business development and project coordi-nator, Transworld Cargo.

Industry optimistic about logistics’ future

The upgrading of the Walvis Bay Airport is near completion and will be inaugurated early next

year. This is according to Dan Kamati, marketing officer of the Namibia Airports Company (NAC).

The Ministry of Works and Transport is overseeing the runway project valued at N$220 million as well as the N$16 million apron rehabilitation.

The NAC is responsible for the upgrad-ing of the terminal building amounting to N$95 million, including fees.

It is also responsible for the installation of a polymer boundary fence. The poly-mer boundary fence is the first of its kind in the country. According to Kamati, the NAC could not built a normal wire fence due to the weather conditions experienced at the coast. The fence will cost the NAC another N$48 million.

“Furthermore, we are also installing state-of-the-art X-ray scanners and metal detectors, as a separate project from the

upgrades,” he said. In addition, Kamati said their strategic

goal is to have safe and secure airports. “The upgrades, supported by timely

maintenance programmes, will soon be implemented as we are tirelessly putting systems in place to achieve most of our goals,” Kamati said.

Furthermore, he said these efforts are to ensure that NAC’s airports meet world-class standards and are compliant to ICAO recommendations, especially Walvis Bay Airport since it is going to be the only Namibian cargo logistics hub.

The Walvis Bay Airport is located some 15km east of Walvis Bay. The refurbish-ment and upgrades will elevate the status of the Walvis Bay Airport as Namibia’s second international airport.

Due to its stratetgic location, which forms part of Namibia’s Economic Processing Zone (EPZ), the airport will be the major export hub of fish and other resources to the rest of Africa and Europe.

FINALE … Artist impressions of the Walvis Bay Airport once complete.

Walvis Bay Airport near completion

If you have a goal, go for it. Logistics is not

an easy industry. It shapes you

whether you like it or not. However, you need to be able to perform under pressure


delivered into neighbouring coun-tries.”

Gillman further explained that while sea transit times are shorter, the inland transport along the road and rail corridors poses huge challenges. “Seeing that inland haulage is still not cost efficient due to the imbalance of transport legs, trucks often return empty after delivering cargo to the final destination. Delivering shipment to southern Africa could prove chal-lenging,” he said.

Concurring with Catima, Gillmann said the future of the logistics sector looks positive. However, according to them, it will require greater accuracy and know-how as demand grow to move cargo faster and more efficient.

Gillmann said: “We need to develop people and their skills so they under-stand these processes and are at the same time also willing to learn new trends in the logistics sector.”

Transworld Cargo is an active part-ner and supporter of the Commercial Advancement Training Scheme (Cats) programme. Every year, the company takes on four trainees.

upgrades,” he said. In addition, Kamati said their strategic

goal is to have safe and secure airports. “The upgrades, supported by timely

maintenance programmes, will soon be implemented as we are tirelessly putting systems in place to achieve most of our goals,” Kamati said.

Furthermore, he said these efforts are to ensure that NAC’s airports meet world-class standards and are compliant to ICAO recommendations, especially Walvis Bay Airport since it is going to be the only Namibian cargo logistics hub.

The Walvis Bay Airport is located some 15km east of Walvis Bay. The refurbish-ment and upgrades will elevate the status of the Walvis Bay Airport as Namibia’s second international airport.

Due to its stratetgic location, which forms part of Namibia’s Economic Processing Zone (EPZ), the airport will be the major export hub of fish and other resources to the rest of Africa and Europe.

FINALE … Artist impressions of the Walvis Bay Airport once complete.

If you have a goal, go for it. Logistics is not

an easy industry. It shapes you

whether you like it or not. However, you need to be able to perform under pressure


The Namibian Standards Institution (NSI) is the national standards body. It was established in terms

of the Standards Act, 2005 (No. 18 of 2005) and is an agency under the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development.

The head office of the NSI is situated in Windhoek, while the NSI testing and inspection services are based at Walvis Bay. Since its inception, the NSI testing and inspection centres have established themselves and have grown into facilities of repute.

The NSI inspectorate underwent a thorough assessment by an independent accreditation authority, Sanas, in 2009 to ascertain that it meets the requirements of the ISO International Standard 17020, stating the competency requirements for inspection bodies. The NSI inspectorate met all competency requirements for an inspection body and was granted accreditation in December 2009 for the following scopes:

- Compulsory specification for frozen fish, frozen marine molluscs and frozen products derived therefrom

- Procedure for inspection of chilled fish for export

- Compulsory specification for the manufacture, production, processing and treatment of canned marine molluscs, canned fish

- Compulsory specification for the manufacture, production, processing and treatment of canned meat products

The NSI inspectorate provides the following services:

- Inspection and surveillance services covering the inspection of factories, fishing vessels and evaluation of food processing systems for HACCP compliance

- Product inspection including sampling, examination of raw material, physical and sensory evaluation of the final product

(mainly frozen, chilled and canned fishery products) and issuing complying consignments with health certificates for export

- Canned fish products-inspection on the production, processing and treatment of canned fishery products

- Monitoring of fresh water, ice and seawater used in processing fishery products

An equally important service provided by the inspectorate is the monitoring of aquaculture growing areas as part of the shellfish sanitation monitoring programme. The full implementation of this programme and effective control over the management and surveillance of shellfish sanitation in Namibia will enable farmers to gain access to additional export markets, including the EU.

The NSI Testing Centre has the technical resources and expertise to provide analytical services to its clients over a wide range of sample types. These services include microbiological and chemical analyses on fish and fishery products, dairy products, shellfish, environmental surveillance swab samples and air quality plates, potable water, sea water, ice and waste water.

In order to improve turnover times, the NSI has procured a Maldi-Tof Mass Spectrophotometer (Vitek MS) for the Microbiology Laboratory in 2013. The Vitek MS is an automated microbial identification system, which uses innovative mass spectrometry technology to provide bacterial and fungal identification results in minutes, effectively reducing testing time for complex pathogens from 10 days to four days.

The chemistry laboratory provides testing for heavy metal (lead, cadmium and mercury) detection in shellfish, fish and fishery products. For example,

mercury pollution of sea water and indirectly that of fish stocks is a matter of global concern for its impact on Namibia's ecosystem and the potential of adverse effects on human health. Unlike most other pollutants, mercury is mobile, non-biodegradable, and bio-accumulative, therefore should be monitored particularly in larger fish such as tuna.

The introduction of heavy metal analyses at the chemistry laboratory is of great benefit to the fishing

industry. The chemistry laboratory is now accredited for testing for lead and cadmium in fish and fishery products in addition to the toxin detection methods using bioassays. The toxins in question are: amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) toxin, diarrhoetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) toxin and paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxin. It is important that shellfish stocks are free from these toxins before they can be harvested, because of the potential adverse effects on human health.

An interesting development is that the NSI has acquired an advanced LCMS/MS instrument, for toxin detection in shellfish to replace the bioassay technique, and to provide analytical results in the shortest possible period. This instrumental method is currently being validated and will be subjected to external assessment early in 2016.

The accreditation of this method will effectively bring Namibia on par with the rest of the world in using the latest technology for toxin detection.

The NSI Inspection Centre, 220 1st Street East, Walvis Bay, Tel. 064 216650.

The NSI Testing Centre, at 4466 Langer Heinrich Crescent. Light Industrial Area, Walvis Bay, Tel; 064 -216600. Photos: Contributed

NSI testing and inspection services in the spotlight

Creating Peace of Mind

Website: www.nsi.com.na

NSI Inspection Centre, Manager: Mr. Abed Shiyukifeni, Tel: 064 216 650NSI Testing Centre, Manager: Ms. Paloma Ellitson, Tel: 064 216 600


An interesting development is that the NSI has acquired an advanced LCMS/MS instrument, for toxin detection in shellfish to replace the bioassay technique, and to provide analytical results in the shortest possible period. This instrumental method is currently being validated and will be subjected to external assessment early in 2016.

The accreditation of this method will effectively bring Namibia on par with the rest of the world in using the latest technology for toxin detection.

FULLY EQUIPPED … AMS warehouses steel wire rope from leading manufacturers such as Bridon UK. Photos: Yvonne Amukwaya

DRIVEN TO DELIVER … Branch manager of African Maritime Services (AMS), Toni Eremkin.

AMS diversifies current portfolio

satisfaction.Wallace said AMS is

optimistic about the future of Walvis Bay, especially with the expansion of the port. He said that this will raise the town’s profile on the world stage. “The port will be in a better position to attract more vessels to the west coast of Africa, and Walvis Bay as a community will also benefit.”

• YVONNE AMUKWAYA

Originally a deep-sea trawling gear supplier,

African Maritime Services (Namibia) (AMS) offers a wide range of services to the maritime industry and has big plans to expand its footprint into other sectors.

AMS offers lifting, mooring, towing, fishing gear and services to the maritime industry as a whole.

General manager Andrew Wallace said the company has built a strong reputation and supplies the industry with quality products at fair prices. The company also provides technical assistance to the sector.

“We supply a full range of quality commercial trawl fishing gear. Alternatively, we can put a whole fishing trawler together,” he said.

Wallace said they have introduced new fishing trawler designs to the market and the response has been very positive.

AMS was established in South Africa in 1995 and expanded to Walvis Bay in 1998.

When the company started, it operated from a container and has now established itself firmly in the maritime sector with 15 employees.

Wallace said: “We are a local company employing only Namibian citizens and have been through thick and thin with the industry and are happy with the growth we have experienced over the years.”

Recalling a few years ago, he said that the company withstood the test of time when the fishing sector experienced economic difficulties during 2007/2008 whereby the catches where low and the weather bad.

Despite the challenging times, Wallace said that the company stood its ground and ran on a loss whilst competitors shut their doors.

“During this difficult

period we remained confident in the local fishing industry's ability to navigate those tough times and we maintain a positive outlook on the long-term future of the industry,” he said.

In an effort to keep the business running smoothly, Wallace said they introduced a lifting division earlier this year.

“After completing market research and listening to our customers, we realised there was a viable business opportunity. The lifting division was opened because we saw a gap in the market for our products and services and we knew we could fill that gap in the manner the industry expects.”

“The lifting division was also opened as part of our overall business strategy to provide more stability by complementing our core fishing business, ensuring stable employment and the possibility of creating more jobs,” he stated.

Recently Wallace and lifting division manager Stephanus Shoonbee attended courses at the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (Leea) in the United Kingdom and both returned with Lifting Equipment General Diplomas – an internationally recognised lifting equipment inspection qualification.

Schoonbee points out: “We wanted to validate and refine the knowledge we already had in order for our customers to have confidence in our ability to deliver a high standard of service.”

In addition to the low international price of oil impacting the business; Wallace said foreign exchange is important to their business and he keeps a constant check on the exchange rate market as 90% of their stock is imported from world leading manufacturers such as Crosby, Bridon and Royal Lankhorst Euronete. “Where possible, we try

to advise our customers when the exchange rate is in their favour for the purchase of high cost items such as steel wire rope,” said Wallace.

He said their main clients on the lifting side of the business are not only the local lifting companies but also the support vessels for the oil industry. Because of the current circumstances, he said there is a surplus of vessels that are free to complete necessary maintenance and service. “That is where we come in to inspect and supply lifting equipment,” he said.

Giving insight on their future plans, Wallace said their plan is to move into as many areas where their products are relevant such as the agriculture, aquaculture and the mining sector.

“We have now successfully completed our five-year growth plan with the fishing division and the next five year plan focuses on growing the lifting division while consolidating the fishing division.”

He added: “If we still want to be around in the next couple of decades, we need to diversify and protect our core business.”

According to branch manager, Toni Eremkin – one of the few women in the industry – part of their success is due to the company having established good customer relations within the sector.

Eremkin’s role includes overseeing the company on a day-to-day basis and keeping in constant contact with procurement managers and skippers.

According to her, one of the most important aspects of her work is knowing her customers, their needs, visiting the vessels; knowing when they are at sea and knowing when they will return as well as making sure the company has stock on hand in their warehouses to satisfy demand. In addition, she said, AMS always strives for 100% customer

Since Hentie van der Merwe discovered the fountain in the valley, Henties Bay was

renowned for its abundance in fish. Fishermen flocked to this magical spot to share in the riches the sea so generously offered. Today fishing is still great fun and more and more fishermen flock to Henties Bay to partake in this popular sport.

However, many questions are asked about the origin of the names of angling spots along the coast. Although most of the spots have interesting names, not many of them have a story behind it.

More often than not a spot was called after an angler who had a particular good catch on a specific day. In other cases a good spot was named after an object that served as a beacon.

Of these, Sarah se Gat is probably the most famous. Sarah De Jager, a born South African lived with her husband in Windhoek since 1955. She regularly came to Henties Bay for holidays where she qualified herself as a master angler.

De Jager was known for her ability to locate good angling holes in the sea by just looking at the water. On a good day in 1958 she spotted such a hole where they caught a huge amount of fish and marked the place with a whalebone against the dune.

Sarah se Gat became so famous that well-known songwriter, Jan de Wet, composed a song called Sarah de Jaer, which was recorded by Carike Keuzenkamp in 1981.

• Winston refers to the place where the Winston shipwreck is lying on the beach.

• Rondeklip is marked by a single round boulder on the beach that is only visible at low tide.

• Kastele refers to a pile of round boulders.

• Blare can be recognised by the presence of seaweed in the water just south of the actual spot.

• Ou Wrak refers to a place where an old steel shipwreck is still visible in the ocean. Nothing is known of this wreck.

• Baklei Gat as if our coastline is not long enough anglers tend to crowd a spot where there are plenty of fish, which invariably lead to entangled lines and anglers losing their fish and tempers.

Needless to say that this is the perfect arena for a good fight. Baklei Gat was named when a group of ‘Valies’, obviously a bit overeager and greedy, knocked each other about with gaffs and fists over entangled lines.

• Predikants Gat, a minister from Gobabis, said that a ‘tannie’ was very cross with him because he cast across her line. When he told her that he was a ‘predikant’ she said: “Predikant se gat – hier *#&+ ek jou vanmore!”

• Kruiswater (not on the map) is situated 13.4 km from the Uis road just north of Sarah se Gat and is called this because the water forms a cross by flowing in opposite directions.

http://www.hentiesbaytourism.com

Angling Spots: about the names

SCHOEMANS IS REVAMPING ITS BRANCH

IN THE WALVIS BAY.

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Schoemans Office System [Pty] Ltd - NamibiaShop 36A - 12th Road, Walvis Bay P.O. Box 97,Walvis BayTel: +264-64 212 300Fax: +264-64 212 310Cell: +264 81 258 3161www.schoemans.com.na

Creating Peace of Mind

Website: www.nsi.com.na

NSI Inspection Centre, Manager: Mr. Abed Shiyukifeni, Tel: 064 216 650NSI Testing Centre, Manager: Ms. Paloma Ellitson, Tel: 064 216 600


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LIFTING MOORING TOWING FISHING

AFRICAN MARITIME SERVICES“MORE A PARTNER THAN JUST A SUPPLIER”