Over N$250 000 was raised at a gala dinner at Rundu on Friday ahead of the Rundu Annual Trade Fair (RATF).
The fundraising event was held at the Rundu Trade Fair Centre.
The sixth edition of the trade fair will be held under the theme ‘Innovation and Investment – Paving the Way for Rundu’s Revived Economic Prosperity’ from 27 October to 4 November.
At the event, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) pledged to support the trade fair with advertising and broadcasting services worth N$66 000, while First National Bank (FNB) pledged an amount of N$50 000.
The total amount raised was N$257 150 – N$44 850 less than the N$302 000 raised at last year’s event.
The event’s patron, minister of works and transport John Mutorwa, at the event commended the Rundu Town Council for coming up with a relevant and significant theme as the world is still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Now is the time for us, residents, investors and visitors of Rundu to initiate innovative ideas and look for more investment opportunities at Rundu and beyond.
“Our donations and pledges will determine the envisaged success of the 2023 Rundu Annual Trade Fair.
“As the patron, I urge us all to donate and pledge generously to this noble cause for today’s developmental needs of our beautiful town of Rundu and the future prosperity of the residents and visitors to Rundu metropolitan city,” Mutorwa said.
Rundu mayor Gabriel Kanyanga said the town is highly populated and one of the fastest-growing in Namibia, which puts more pressure on its infrastructure as well as service delivery.
“As a result of high demand and lower services, Rundu is still experiencing high growth in informal settlements, sprawling within the townlands, which further supplements pressure on the developmental plan of the town,” he said.
Kanyange said the socio-economic summary of the residents of the town does not fulfil the efforts of the council to allow sufficient revenue to mitigate the high demand in service delivery.
“The theme is not just a slogan, but a call to harness the power of creativity, technology, and entrepreneurship to create new opportunities and solutions for our town.
“It is a call for us to invest in our people, our businesses and our infrastructure to build a prosperous and sustainable future for Rundu,” deputy minister of sport, youth and national service Emma Kantema-Gaomas said.
She said the trade fair optimises the principles and aspirations of the fifth National Development Plan, the National Youth Policy, and more broadly, the Sustainable Development Goals in creating opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Since its start, the Rundu Annual Trade Fair resorted under the Rundu Urban constituency before the town council took over in 2016.
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