Proliferation of trade fairs

THE calendar on the website of the trade ministry shows that there are about 35 expos, trade fairs, agricultural shows and festivals hosted by various towns every year.

The prominent ones include the Swakopmund International Business Expo, the Tsumeb Copper Festival, the Omaheke Trade Fair, the Windhoek Agricultural Show, the Oranjemund Diamond Festival, the Katutura Expo, the Otavi Investment Expo, the Luderitz Cray Fish Festival and the Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair.

With almost every major town having a sort of a trade fair, there appears to be a proliferation and duplication of activities.

Questions were sent by The Namibian to the permanent secretary in the trade ministry Gabriel Sinimbo and the ministry’s spokesperson Elijah Mukubonda to find out whether the ministry agrees that there is a proliferation of festivals, expos and trade fairs. They did not respond to an email sent on 19 July, as well as subsequent follow-up emails.

OKAHANDJA

Maggy Sheya, tourism and marketing officer at Okahandja, said the objectives of the Okahandja Tourism and Trade Expo is to promote and expose Okahandja as a tourism and trade opportunity through socio-economic development activities.

“We target all businesses at Okahandja, but we mainly get businesses which are interested in selling food and beverages to the public visiting and exhibiting at the expo. The expo is also used as a tool for investors to invest in the town. The Okahandja expo is also used as a tool to market our tourism industry to the locals and visitors who are visiting and taking part in the expo,” she stated.

Talking about challenges, Sheya said money to host the expo is one of the biggest problems, because the expo does not have a sponsor.

“There is a need from our side as council to involve the community members. Okahandja is known as the Garden Town, and the farmers’ market is not represented at the expo. The manufacturing side of Okahandja is not represented at all,” she lamented.

The attendance has been growing since the expo started eight years ago. This year, the expo had 118 exhibitors and 10 936 visitors.

Sheya said the expo meets its objectives, with the main objective for Okahandja being to promote and market the town, based on what is unique to the town.

She sees nothing wrong with the proliferation of trade fairs, saying its a way of informing people about the cities hosting them.

KHORIXAS

Ester /Nanus, the local economic development officer at the Khorixas Town Council, said hosting an expo there is not duplicating the initiative, but a carefully thought-out strategic way forward in regenerating the town.

“For so many years, Khorixas has been dormant in terms of economic activity and job-creation. Hosting this expo is, therefore, expected to firstly help us in marketing our town as an investment and tourism destination,” she noted.

/Nanus said Khorixas has the potential for development in the areas of accommodation, mining, manufacturing and recreation, basic service provision, education, vocational training as well as tourism.

“Many people attend the expo in order to obtain identification documents (from home affairs),” she added.

KALAHARI

Operi Murangi, speaking on behalf of the Kalahari Transport Investor Expo, said their expo is meant to capture the transport sector, given that Gobabis is seen as a gateway to the Trans-Kalahari Highway.

Kaunda Utale, local economic development officer at Otavi, said the Otavi Investment Expo and Festival is attended by over 1 000 people from all over Namibia as well as some from neighbouring countries.

Utale said the expo meets most of its objectives, and is a way for the town to market itself.