The ministry of Industrialisation and Trade has extended the deadline for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to apply for an equipment aid scheme from 15 to 29 September.
According to a statement issued by the ministry’s spokesperson, Elijah Mukubonda, the ministry has invited businesses in the manufacturing sector, including garment and metal fabrication, agro-food processing, gemstone and dimension stone processing (including small-scale mining), pharmaceutical and cosmetics businesses, as well as those in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry, to apply for assistance under the scheme.
Mukubonda says the extension aims to give more businesses the opportunity to apply.
He says interested MSMEs which meet the set criteria must submit their applications on the prescribed forms which are available at the ministry’s offices.
Applications should be submitted in the regions where the businesses operate.
“Only applicants whose businesses are 100%-owned by Namibian citizens and registered with the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (Bipa) and have tax clearance certificates issued by the Namibia Revenue Agency need to apply.
“These requirements are mandatory,” he says.
Other requirements are that the business operators have proof of experience in the business, are in possession of certificates of good standing from the Social Security Commission to track employment creation in the long run, and also have an MSME certificate from the trade ministry.
Mukubonda says applicants should also include a brief business proposal or company profile of not more than two pages, and the business should have been operational for two years.
“The requested amount should not exceed N$30 000 per applicant and the applicant must be able to contribute 10% of the required amount,” he says.
The applicant should not have benefited from any business assistance programmes offered by the Constituency Development Fund, the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development before, Mukubonda says.
– email: matthew@namibian.com.na
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