Namibia, along with the rest of the world, celebrated Global Entrepreneurship Week from 12 November 2012 to 18 November 2012.

JA Namibia served as the national host organization for GEW, and partnered with the Financial Literacy Initiative, NBIC, SMEs Compete, Millennium Investment Holdings, the National Youth Council, Development Bank of Namibia, NIED, COSDEF, Namibia Business School, Namibia College of Open Learning, Centre for Enterprise Development, and Namibia Youth Credit Scheme, with support from FNB Namibia, Coca-Cola, KPMG, and the Pupkewitz Foundation.

Here is a look at some of the highlights from this year's GEW celebrations.

GEW Entrepreneurship Celebration Seminar
The GEW Namibia team, consisting of NGOs, private-sector firms, and research institutions, came together on Wednesday, 14 November to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week at an entrepreneurship celebration seminar. A number of speakers and presenters shared their thoughts on the event’s theme, “the road to success.”

Junior Achiever Paul Mwamba led a drama which highlighted the difficulties of choosing entrepreneurship in the face of pressure from family to choose more conservative and stable careers. Mr. Sven Thieme of Ohlthaver & List spoke about the role of entrepreneurship in development as well as some of the characteristics of successful 21st century entrepreneurs. The event also included insights from five entrepreneurs at varying stages along the road to success—Moses Helao, a business owner who began his career as a cleaner at the company; Kennedy Shindodi, who is using his entrepreneurial talents to empower rural communities and contribute to food security; Phillip and Andrew Sikongo, whose innovative interactive television game show Taramo Live earned them the Namibia Creative Business Cup award; and Matthew Hamutenya, Chairperson of Millennium Investment Holdings, whose long entrepreneurial path has seen many successes. The keynote address was delivered by Ambassador Wanda Nesbitt, the United States Ambassador to Namibia. Ambassador Nesbitt spoke about the importance of entrepreneurship around the world and the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.

Following the event, partners showcased their businesses and organisations at a networking market stalls event.

The event was attended by students, academics, NGO representatives, and government officials, all of whom have an important role in the development of an entrepreneurial Namibia.

United States Embassy “Social Media for Entrepreneurs” Workshop
On Tuesday, 13 November, the United States Embassy’s Economic and Commercial Officer conducted a “social media for entrepreneurs” workshop at the Polytechnic of Namibia’s Namibian Business Innovation Center. Entrepreneurs interested in learning how to more effectively identify and target potential clients through social media were given hands-on training on a variety of social media. A number of the workshop participants are currently also partnered with “e-interns” at U.S. universities assisting them with social media marketing, through the U.S. State Department’s Virtual Student Foreign Service program, and this three-hour workshop was an opportunity for them to ask questions and seek additional advice on their ongoing marketing efforts.

Namibia Business Innovation Centre Entrepreneurs Circle
The Namibia Business Innovation Centre (NBIC) hosted a special GEW edition of their Entrepreneurs Circle series on Wednesday, 14 November.

The event, titled “Simply Good Business,” focused on corporate social responsibility for entrepreneurs. Theo Ickua, owner and manager of Green Earth, and Tim Parkhouse, Secretary General of the Namibian Employers’ Federation, led a discussion on innovation for social and environmentally friendly outcomes. Attendees learned how doing good in their business can also make positive contributions to their bottom line.

The event also celebrated the launch of CSR for Entrepreneurs, a handbook to guide entrepreneurs who value social responsibility in their enterprises.

United States Embassy Entrepreneurship Panel Discussion
On Thursday, 15 November, the United States Embassy in Namibia hosted an entrepreneurship panel discussion at Xwama Cultural Village in Windhoek. The discussion kicked off with remarks from Tom Brouns, Economic and Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy, and Ambassador Wanda Nesbitt, who affirmed the embassy’s support of entrepreneurial programs throughout Namibia.

Three panelists shared their insights about overcoming obstacles as entrepreneurs. Each shared stories about how they turned to entrepreneurship and overcame the challenges they encountered to become successful in their fields.

Following the panelists’ presentations, entrepreneurs asked questions and engaged in an open discussion. Although a wide array of topics was discussed, several key themes arose throughout the conversation. One such theme was the importance of motivation to be successful. Participants mentioned that although there are always reasons to give up, but successful entrepreneurs are able to motivate themselves to continue striving for growth. A second theme was the value of networking with other entrepreneurs. One of the two panelists who had traveled to the United States on a U.S. State Department exchange program, mentioned that on her trip she saw how American entrepreneurs benefited from one another’s shared experiences. A third theme that came out of the entrepreneurs’ discussion was of the role of having a vision in achieving business goals. Without a vision, several said, it is easy to become caught up in the day-to-day operations of the business and lose sight of long-term business growth goals.

Meet the Lions Competition
Global Entrepreneurship Week 2012 concluded with a glimpse into the future of Namibian entrepreneurship. Five young Namibian entrepreneurs, who had been nominated by mentors or professional acquaintances, presented their businesses at the Meet the Lions Competition.

As Africa is quickly becoming a hub of economic growth, Lions@frica saw the need to recognise upcoming and innovative African entrepreneurs and link them with a continent-wide network of mentors and resources to develop their business skills and promote continued growth. The Meet the Lions competition seeks to find some of Africa’s most innovative new entrepreneurs whose ideas solve real-world problems and show the potential to make a difference in communities throughout the continent.

Each participating country in the competition was responsible for selecting their national winner during Global Entrepreneurship Week, who will eventually represent their country during the continent-wide competition and gain access to a top-notch network of entrepreneurs spanning across the continent.

After five motivating and thought-provoking young entrepreneurs presented their businesses and their visions for the future, Kennedy Shindodi of Brain Child Technologies was selected as Namibia’s national winner. Brain Child Technologies, under the brand Okuku Local Produce, seeks to empower rural communities and contribute to food security by employing local community groups to grow and harvest profitable crops. The company then processes the crops, many of which are exported to several countries outside of Namibia.

Kennedy also has a bright vision for the future. Through his company he hopes to eventually utilise more innovative agricultural and horticultural techniques, including urban and dry farming, to continue creating jobs for communities and further helping to solve the issue of food security.