Namibia & SADC

I was lucky enough to visit Namibia earlier this month and call on the President, HE Hifikepunye Pohamba, to discuss CBC’s plans for the year. Namibia is a great country to visit and one that holds good personal memories for me – I was there in the late 80s and 90s running a special program on management development during the democratisation process.

I was delighted to drive through green fields and see firsthand the level of agricultural development the country has achieved – Namibia’s progress since I was last there is most impressive. President Pohamba is proud of the progress his country has made and is keen to continue pushing forward in key sectors – he highlighted education and youth unemployment as key challenges for the coming year.

The President was also keen to highlight the importance of SADC to Southern Africa’s regional economy. President Pohamba is the 2011 Chair of SADC and has assigned himself the key task of strengthening regional infrastructure projects to help move the region closer to a single market.

It is in this capacity we have invited him to address the Africa Business Forum 2011 in London in June. This year’s ABF has a strong SADC focus and addresses the theme ‘Regional Integration and Drivers of Growth’. The President will deliver the opening address at the Forum and will be supported by Ministers from the region and Dr Tomaz Augusto Salomão, Executive Secretary of SADC.