Growth point

In Namibia, a centre aimed at developing start-ups is officially under construction.

Scheduled to be complete by June next year, the Start-up Incubation and Innovation Centre is a joint project between the Namibian Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development and Germany’s GIZ development agency.

According to the Namibia Economist, the facility – based in Windhoek’s Katutura township – will support the founding of 150 new businesses, and assist a further 500 start-ups through various support programmes over a four-year period. The centre is intended to be a one-stop shop for all needs and phases of a start-up – from ideation to growth. It will house a co-working environment, where start-ups can rent affordable office space, creating an inclusive community of entrepreneurs. The centre will also incorporate a ‘maker-space’ where start-ups can experiment and prototype.

At the ground-breaking ceremony, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Innovation and Technology Becky Ndjoze-Ojo emphasised the importance of the private sector in Namibia’s economy, adding that ‘start-ups and entrepreneurs will play [a critical role] in overcoming the current stretch of low growth and unemployment’.