Mr Chairman,
Members of the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Earlier today, I addressed a roundtable at which I spoke about Commonwealth Partnerships for the Development of Natural Resources. I am
glad to continue this discussion here as we talk about "Opportunities in Namibia". Here, we are talking about investment opportunities in our
country.
I wish to start this discussion by saying that Namibia holds immense investment opportunities in the different sectors of our economy. These
include agriculture, mining, development of infrastructure, tourism, fisheries and marine resources, information communication technology and
energy.
In order to facilitate sustainable investments in these sectors, we have put in place modern legislative and regulatory frameworks to ensure that investors know what to expect when they come to our country. Currently, our Foreign Investment Act of 1992 is being reviewed and modernized. This is another way of making Namibia more competitive and investor friendly. 2
We also believe that peace and stability are important prerequisites for investment and economic growth. It is for this reason that we continue
to maintain a peaceful and stable investment atmosphere. The attractive investment policies and the regulatory frameworks that we have put in
place have already started to bear fruits in the form of foreign direct investments that have come to our country in recent years.
We are also proud that Namibia has been recognized internationally as a competitive and attractive investment destination. The recent Africa
Competitiveness Report ranks Namibia favourably on several indicators, including our reliable infrastructure and regulatory practices. In fact,
Namibia stands at position number four in Africa.
On this mission to CHOGM 2011, I am accompanied by the Minister of Trade and Industry, who is the Chairman of this Roundtable, the Minister of Mines Energy and senior Government Officials who will be happy to provide you with more information on investment opportunities in
Namibia. I am also accompanied by business persons who are here to interact with their counterparts from different parts of the world. 3
My message to you is that Namibia is open for business and I invite you to come and explore investment opportunities further. We are ready to
welcome you to our countries to establish business venture that will create new employment opportunities for our Namibians and contribute to
economic growth.
In Namibia, you will find a stable and peaceful investment climate, modern infrastructure and predictable laws that facilitate investment,
trade and commerce in our country. I am happy that my Minister of Mines and Energy will give a presentation on Namibia's mining and energy
sectors here this morning.
I thank you all for coming to this Roundtable to learn more about investment opportunities in Namibia.
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