Ester Mbathera
During a recent staff meeting at the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), the chairperson and chief director, Nangula Uaandja, informed employees that Dino Balloti would be rejoining the organisation on a fixed-term basis.
This is to give him time until he goes to parliament in March 2025.
Ballotti is on the Swapo list of National Assembly candidates.
“We asked Exco and everybody was unanimous and said, yes, we can have Dino join us for a few reasons. Number one, we still do not have an executive director. We are looking for that executive director with time and we have shortlisted some people, but we are only able to do interviews towards the end of November,” she said.
Uaandja said she invited Ballotti back to NIPDB to work on unfinished business and additional tasks.
While at the NIPDB, his role will primarily focus on supporting the MSME (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) sector.
“I wanted him to go to Swakopmund to do the feasibility study so we can set up a food court for MSMEs selling traditional food so that it is available to tourists,” she said.
Uaandja told the staff that the organisation is currently under scrutiny from some sectors of the nation.
Financial sector and governance experts recently expressed concerns about the structure of NIPDB following the board announcement that it is transitioning to a new governance structure.
They argue that the creation of the NIPDB outside of formal government structures was flawed.
They called for the removal of the executive chairperson position, citing recent reforms in the Central Procurement Board of Namibia as an example of good governance.
Uaandja explained that Ballotti’s roles also include improving NIPDB’s outreach and communication to better explain the board’s objectives to the public.
“I don’t know how many of you are getting it that we are getting flaked in the market. How many of you notice that everybody is gunning for us?” she questioned the staff.
Earlier this week, the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) also expressed concerns about governance and transparency following the reappointment of Ballotti.
NIPDB spokesperson Catherine Shipushu, at the time, explained that Ballotti was reappointed on a fixed-term contract to fill a leadership gap following his departure as executive director of MSME development, innovation, and acceleration in August.
“We equally acknowledge and appreciate the public interest in this matter and can confirm that this decision was made in the best interest of delivering on the mandate of the NIPDB and ensuring that we continue to unlock investments for inclusive growth, with minimum to no interruptions,” she said.
