Namibia, SA eye investors for 2010 World Cup

NAMIBIA and South Africa will host a major investors’ conference by the middle of next year as the two countries intensify efforts to boost their economies and prepare for the 2010 football World Cup.

Namibia’s Trade Minister Immanuel Ngatjizeko said yesterday that the two countries have identified 48 projects in Namibia and South Africa which they intend to sell to investors at the conference. The projects deal with manufacturing, tourism and transport and the two countries hope to get the investors to buy into them, he told a media briefing following bilateral talks in Windhoek.Country delegations, led by President Hifikepunye Pohamba and South African President Thabo Mbeki, also discussed development initiatives along the Trans-Kalahari Highway, which includes Botswana.Ngatjizeko said the Ai-Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park was also discussed as the two governments looked at ways to open up borders for the movement of more tourists between the two countries.”The two ministers of tourism will meet to discuss how we can utilise the game parks,” he said.Namibia wants to capitalise on SA’s hosting of the 2010 World Cup.”The world cup is not just an SA event, nor is it just an event for the (SADC) region.It is for Africa to benefit.It is up to our business people to capitalise,” Ngatjizeko said.His South African counterpart, Mandisi Mpahlwa, said business people in the two countries needed to invest in mining, tourism and agriculture.Also high on the agenda in the talks between the two delegations was the Kudu Gas Project off the Namibian coast and the electricity needs facing southern Africa, as well as the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) and Southern African Development Community trade protocols.Mpahlwa said the meeting looked at a new proposal that Sacu should extend duty-free market access for textiles and garments from Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia (MMTZ).Sacu is comprised of Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland (the BNLS countries).The MMTZ countries have been exporting textiles and garments to SACU duty free since 2000.Mpahlwa said they only looked at the new proposal, which will be considered later by SACU.The South African delegation included Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk and Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin.They returned home shortly after lunch yesterday, having arrived in the country six hours earlier.The projects deal with manufacturing, tourism and transport and the two countries hope to get the investors to buy into them, he told a media briefing following bilateral talks in Windhoek.Country delegations, led by President Hifikepunye Pohamba and South African President Thabo Mbeki, also discussed development initiatives along the Trans-Kalahari Highway, which includes Botswana.Ngatjizeko said the Ai-Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park was also discussed as the two governments looked at ways to open up borders for the movement of more tourists between the two countries.”The two ministers of tourism will meet to discuss how we can utilise the game parks,” he said.Namibia wants to capitalise on SA’s hosting of the 2010 World Cup.”The world cup is not just an SA event, nor is it just an event for the (SADC) region.It is for Africa to benefit.It is up to our business people to capitalise,” Ngatjizeko said.His South African counterpart, Mandisi Mpahlwa, said business people in the two countries needed to invest in mining, tourism and agriculture. Also high on the agenda in the talks between the two delegations was the Kudu Gas Project off the Namibian coast and the electricity needs facing southern Africa, as well as the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) and Southern African Development Community trade protocols.Mpahlwa said the meeting looked at a new proposal that Sacu should extend duty-free market access for textiles and garments from Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia (MMTZ).Sacu is comprised of Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland (the BNLS countries).The MMTZ countries have been exporting textiles and garments to SACU duty free since 2000.Mpahlwa said they only looked at the new proposal, which will be considered later by SACU.The South African delegation included Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk and Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin.They returned home shortly after lunch yesterday, having arrived in the country six hours earlier.