WINDHOEK, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Namibia will hold a start-up festival for entrepreneurs on June 9 in efforts to create a platform that brings together the county's most promising start-ups and talented entrepreneurs.
Senior Advisor for Financial Systems Development for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Anna Mostetschnig, told Xinhua in an interview that since Namibia lacks enough start-ups, there was need for a mind shift among the business community in the country.
The first of its kind event will be hosted by four institutions, namely, the Financial Literacy Initiative, FabLab, Team Namibia and Namibia Business Innovation Institute (NBII).
According to Mostetschnig, the four institutes work a lot with small businesses and face the same problems and struggle to fill their trainings and mentorship programs with innovative entrepreneurs, who strive to grow their businesses and create employment.
Mostetschnig said similar platforms in the region, like the Africa Start-up Festival Technology Summit in Lagos set for September this year and the SA Innovation Summit are platforms where investors scout for new businesses.
"We believe that in order to really change something, the Start-up Ecosystem needs to come together," she said.
Meanwhile, she said that to achieve their mission of becoming the most attractive country in the region for start-ups, they need to improve on a couple of things, and the Start-up Festival is the first step. Enditem
