Staff Writer
Five entrepreneurs graduated from the SanlamAllianz Bridge Programme in Windhoek this week, marking the completion of a five-month journey of business coaching and mentorship aimed at strengthening their enterprises and preparing them for growth.
Implemented by SanlamAllianz in partnership with the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), the programme equips entrepreneurs with the skills, networks and support needed to overcome business challenges, access markets and finance, and build sustainable businesses.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, NIPDB’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) business advisory services manager, Nankela Amupadhi, said the programme was designed to help entrepreneurs strengthen their operational systems, financial management and strategic planning while addressing barriers to growth.
The programme’s impact was reflected in the testimony of Moonsnack founder and programme alumnus Bruno Nghimwena, who shared how seed capital received through the initiative helped his business secure a barcode for its peanut snacks and expand into more than 60 retail outlets in Namibia and 120 stores in Botswana.
“Entrepreneurship is not simply about building businesses; it is about building people who can build businesses,” said Natasha Bassingthwaighte, project manager at Impact Tank.
She added that the programme helped create a bridge between potential and performance, and between ambition and execution.
Dean Brandt of Brandt Auster Farming CC emerged as the winner of the 2025/26 SanlamAllianz Bridge Programme, receiving N$50 000 in seed capital and bringing his total support to N$100 000.
Brandt’s business cultivates oyster mushrooms using encroacher bush as a sustainable substrate.
The programme highlights SanlamAllianz’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurship and empowering MSMEs to become drivers of economic growth, innovation and job creation in Namibia.
