The Namibia Trade Forum (NTF) and the Namibia Investment and Finance Academy (NIFA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen the capacity of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to access regional and continental markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The agreement, signed in Windhoek by NTF Chief Executive Officer Rodney !Hoaeb and NIFA Head of Business Development and Strategy Morris Kalunduka, establishes a framework for collaboration on trade readiness, market access, policy translation, market intelligence and enterprise development.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, !Hoaeb said the partnership seeks to bridge the gap between Namibia’s continental trade commitments and the ability of local businesses to benefit from them.
“Architecture alone does not create competitiveness. Frameworks alone do not deliver market access. The gap between what Namibia has signed at continental level and what our enterprises are equipped to act upon is, principally, a translation gap. This partnership is designed to close it,” !Hoaeb said.
Under the agreement, the two institutions will work together to translate AfCFTA and Southern African Development Community (SADC) trade provisions into practical guidance for businesses, including compliance with rules of origin, addressing non-tariff barriers, trade facilitation measures and regional market access procedures.
The partnership will also support the development of trade readiness programmes, joint policy research and the sharing of market intelligence to improve the competitiveness of Namibian enterprises.
Kalunduka said the MoU provides a framework for coordinated initiatives that will support MSMEs from capacity development to market participation while strengthening Namibia’s enterprise development ecosystem.
“This Memorandum is the guiding framework for specific aligned initiatives and, more broadly, a conduit for optimal ecosystem development. Its value will be measured not by the ceremony that establishes it, but by the initiatives it enables and the tangible improvement in the trade readiness and competitiveness of Namibia’s MSMEs,” Kalunduka said.
He said the agreement is non-binding and non-exclusive, with individual projects to be implemented through separate annexures to be agreed upon by both organisations.
The first implementation annexures are expected to be finalised during the third quarter of 2026.
The partnership supports Namibia’s commitments under the AfCFTA and the SADC Protocol on Trade, while contributing to the objectives of the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) and Vision 2030.
Both organisations said the memorandum is intended to serve as a practical implementation framework, with a focus on delivering measurable outcomes that improve the export readiness and regional competitiveness of Namibian MSMEs.
