The 14th edition of the Erongo Business and Tourism Expo is in full swing at the Walvis Bay municipality.
A street parade led by the Navy band, preceded the cutting of the ribbon by the governor of the Erongo region Neville Andre, to officially open the event.
The theme for this year’s four-day exposition which will conclude on Saturday is "Rethink, reimagine and reinvent value chains for economic development post the Covid-19 pandemic". A total of 160 exhibitors are in attendance at this year’s expo, the Main Hall boasts a total of 33 exhibiting entities, 57 exhibitors in the white tent, and 70 SME stalls, displaying a diverse range of products and services including ICT, Security, Medical and health products, Financial Services, Energy, and Transport.
Andre who is the patron of the expo said that the event remains the region’s premium trade and investment platform as well as its leading networking event. “Following a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a renewed partnership was established between Erongo Business and Tourism Expo; LSK Consulting under the leadership of Cliff Shikuambi, Walvis Bay Municipality and Office of the Erongo Governor. This was done with a focus on rallying exhibitors and businesses to adaptability and resilience by highlighting the need to identify future disruptors, craft and implement change strategies as well as inculcate the agility to adapt strategies to the rapidly changing business and trading environment.”
Andre added that due to the pandemic, businesses big and small which lacked global resilience broke down in the face of multi-country lockdowns. “The disruptions highlighted the need for organisations to understand their supply chains extensively and in broader dimensions. The theme for this year’s event is a call to focus on the structural transformation required for supply chain optimization. By coming together at the trade showcase, various economic players can strengthen existing value chains and create newer and more resilient ones.”
The governor encouraged all exhibitors and traders at the expo to fully make use of the platform. “Leverage the opportunity for displaying to the market the various innovations, new products, and services which you have been working on refining over the past two years, as well as demonstrate an understanding of opportunities within the value chains in which you operate.”
He urged businesses and communities to work with the government to ensure smart increased production of local goods, in light of the impact of supply chain disruptions caused by global disasters such as the Covid-19 pandemic. “Together we can make Namibia an industrious and prosperous nation, by pulling in the same direction.”
Andre also called on the private and public sector players to engage all gears to go beyond merely staying afloat. "It is a fact that with the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, many industries are and will be challenged to adopt new structures and craft new innovative strategies if they are to survive future pandemics. Should we fail to innovate, we will be left behind and we do not wish for this to happen."
John Ekongo the Corporate Affairs manager of MTC which is one of the sponsors of the event, wholeheartedly agreed with the governor. “We need to incorporate innovation in every unit of our organisations, to shield and protect our competency and relevancy in the market. In business, it is known that he, who refuses to be innovative, will perish, become obsolete and eventually die a natural death.”
Ekongo said that outdated thought processes must come to an end. “We need to make certain that our business models and processes are innovatively designed to safely position and set ourselves fit for the future. Digital transformation is non-negotiable, and as such, we need to adopt and quickly migrate to a culture of practicing smart and sustainable business, where technology and innovation is central while appreciating and upholding traits and qualities of good governance.”
This years edition of the expo accommodate business symposiums with a wide variety of themes being hosted by Agribank of Namibia, The Erongo Business and Tourism Expo, The Development Bank of Namibia, Namcol and Old Mutual Namibia.
A street parade led by the Navy band, preceded the cutting of the ribbon by the governor of the Erongo region Neville Andre, to officially open the event.
The theme for this year’s four-day exposition which will conclude on Saturday is "Rethink, reimagine and reinvent value chains for economic development post the Covid-19 pandemic". A total of 160 exhibitors are in attendance at this year’s expo, the Main Hall boasts a total of 33 exhibiting entities, 57 exhibitors in the white tent, and 70 SME stalls, displaying a diverse range of products and services including ICT, Security, Medical and health products, Financial Services, Energy, and Transport.
Andre who is the patron of the expo said that the event remains the region’s premium trade and investment platform as well as its leading networking event. “Following a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a renewed partnership was established between Erongo Business and Tourism Expo; LSK Consulting under the leadership of Cliff Shikuambi, Walvis Bay Municipality and Office of the Erongo Governor. This was done with a focus on rallying exhibitors and businesses to adaptability and resilience by highlighting the need to identify future disruptors, craft and implement change strategies as well as inculcate the agility to adapt strategies to the rapidly changing business and trading environment.”
Andre added that due to the pandemic, businesses big and small which lacked global resilience broke down in the face of multi-country lockdowns. “The disruptions highlighted the need for organisations to understand their supply chains extensively and in broader dimensions. The theme for this year’s event is a call to focus on the structural transformation required for supply chain optimization. By coming together at the trade showcase, various economic players can strengthen existing value chains and create newer and more resilient ones.”
The governor encouraged all exhibitors and traders at the expo to fully make use of the platform. “Leverage the opportunity for displaying to the market the various innovations, new products, and services which you have been working on refining over the past two years, as well as demonstrate an understanding of opportunities within the value chains in which you operate.”
He urged businesses and communities to work with the government to ensure smart increased production of local goods, in light of the impact of supply chain disruptions caused by global disasters such as the Covid-19 pandemic. “Together we can make Namibia an industrious and prosperous nation, by pulling in the same direction.”
Andre also called on the private and public sector players to engage all gears to go beyond merely staying afloat. "It is a fact that with the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, many industries are and will be challenged to adopt new structures and craft new innovative strategies if they are to survive future pandemics. Should we fail to innovate, we will be left behind and we do not wish for this to happen."
John Ekongo the Corporate Affairs manager of MTC which is one of the sponsors of the event, wholeheartedly agreed with the governor. “We need to incorporate innovation in every unit of our organisations, to shield and protect our competency and relevancy in the market. In business, it is known that he, who refuses to be innovative, will perish, become obsolete and eventually die a natural death.”
Ekongo said that outdated thought processes must come to an end. “We need to make certain that our business models and processes are innovatively designed to safely position and set ourselves fit for the future. Digital transformation is non-negotiable, and as such, we need to adopt and quickly migrate to a culture of practicing smart and sustainable business, where technology and innovation is central while appreciating and upholding traits and qualities of good governance.”
This years edition of the expo accommodate business symposiums with a wide variety of themes being hosted by Agribank of Namibia, The Erongo Business and Tourism Expo, The Development Bank of Namibia, Namcol and Old Mutual Namibia.
