Staff Writer
Fourteen Namibian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), one from each of the country’s 14 regions, have been awarded grant funding totaling N$1.1 million at the inaugural SME Fund Chelete Cage Pitch Event in Windhoek.
The event marked the final stage of the SME Fund’s first funding cycle. The first call for applications, open from 10 June to 24 July 2026, attracted close to 900 applications nationwide.
About 22% of the applications came from MSMEs in the agriculture and agro-processing industry, the ICT & Manufacturing industries both accounted for 11% of all applications, while 10% of applications were from the Tourism industry.
Five percent of the applications were from the culture and creative industries.
The shortlisted businesses pitched to a panel of judges from the Environmental Investment Fund, Bank of Namibia, Agribank Namibia, Development Bank of Namibia and the National Youth Development Fund for grants of between N$65 000 and N$100 000.
The SME Fund is an initiative under the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises Development in Namibia (ProSME) Project, a partnership between the National Planning Commission (NPC), NIPDB and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and
Development (BMZ).
The Fund combines grant financing with enterprise development and technical support for promising MSMEs that are not yet ready to access traditional finance, with priority given to youth and women-owned businesses, social enterprises, cooperatives and export-ready ventures.
NIPDB acting chief executive officer, Julia Muetudhana noted that the impact of this programme goes beyond this event.
“Impact is measured by what happens after today. It is the turnover that grows in the next twelve months. It is the first employee hired, and then the fifth. It is the product that moves from a market stall onto a retailer’s shelf, and from a retailer’s shelf into a regional or international market. It is the young entrepreneur in a rural region who no longer has to choose between staying home and building a business,” she said.
Thomas Wimmer, ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Namibia, noted that successful MSMEs create jobs, support families, introduce new ideas and help communities grow.
National Planning Commission executive director, I-Ben Nashandi said the Fund was designed on the understanding that MSMEs need money that comes with support, which is why recipients will receive grants combined with enterprise development services and mentorship.
