FNB Namibia recently announced a one-year partnership agreement with the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance, an alliance of African innovators known as Harambeans. This strategic partnership aims to unlock the entrepreneurial potential of Namibia and transform its entrepreneurial landscape.
FNB’s SME clients will gain access to the Harambeans Lab, a comprehensive online learning platform that provides insights from Africa’s leading innovators on starting and scaling high-growth ventures across the continent.
Observer Money asked Tomas Iindji, FNB Namibia Head of Business banking: SME and Mid touch about the progress made on the programme.
(Observer Money (OM): Has FNB identified Namibian Entrepreneurs entrepreneurs for the project?
Tomas Iindji (TI): We are currently in the process of identifying exemplary Namibian entrepreneurs through the Harambeans Lab, an online content platform that offers insights from Africa’s leading innovators on how to start and scale high-growth ventures across Africa.
FNB Namibia clients have the opportunity to sign up for the Harambeans Lab and upon completion of the Harambeans FNB Namibia Course will be eligible to enter for the FNB Namibia Prize.
This process involves completing an entrepreneurship 101 course by January the 12th of 2024 to gain consideration to receive an extra opportunity granted to one new Harambean to of an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2024 Harambeans Global Summit in Kenya. The course covers the six essential topics of Market Creating Innovation, Execution, Persuasion, Capital, Customers, and Self Cafe with video insights shared by Harambeans who allow their hindsight to be the foresight for FNB Namibia clients who may be starting or scaling businesses of their own.
OM: What is the timeline for the selection?
TI: The selection of participants for the FNB Namibia Prize will be based on their completion of the Harambeans FNB Namibia Course and alignment with Harambeans values such as servant leadership, deliberate audacity, and enduring optimism. The identification and selection process is expected to be completed shortly after the course completion deadline of 12 January 2024.
OM: How much is being invested in this project?
TI: Our investment in this initiative is not just financial but also deeply rooted in knowledge transfer and skill development. FNB Namibia clients who complete the Harambeans FNB Namibia Course will also be eligible to attend future Harambean Knowledge Transfer Sessions, intimate virtual calls with Harambeans such as: Thriving Amidst the Storm: Strategies for Navigating Your Venture Through Financial Turbulence, presented by Melvyn Lubega, founder of Go1 and Iyinoluwa Aboyeji , founder of Andela and Flutterwave. The opportunity granted to Namibian Entrepreneurs by FNB Namibia is valued at US$ 150 000 (approximately N$3m)
OM: What is the importance of this programme to Namibian entrepreneurs?
TI: The Harambeans Lab is a critical knowledge sharing opportunity for the teams building SMEs, as it provides them with unprecedented access to Harambeans, an Alliance of African innovators and entrepreneurs who together share knowledge resources and potential funding opportunities with one another. For members of SMEs to complete the content covered by the Harambeans FNB Namibia Course would provide the preliminary insights and knowledge to apply best practices and new models of business thinking to the environments they are operating in. However, the Harambeans initiative does not only apply to SMEs but rather to all our business clients.
Anything else to add?
The winner of the Harambeans FNB Namibia Prize will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2024 Harambeans Global Summit in Kenya. The 2024 Harambeans Global Summit will be a safari held in the sprawling savannahs of Masai Mara, Kenya, February 22-25, 2024. World famous for hosting the epic Great Migration, the Masai Mara stretches over sprawling savannahs one-hour south of Nairobi. The conservancies brimming with life and a range of activities for safari travelers will be the setting of our intimate gathering.
