
Wednesday, August 17, 2016 - 21:00
A different take on the concept of social responsibility saw one fishing conglomerate move away from the usual donation of money and resources to the poor and needy members of society and entering into social investment. The concept took hold and the Fish-4-Business project was born. It was created and initiated by Erongo Marine Enterprises to supports small business entrepreneurship
in rural Namibia through empowerment and skills development, affording owners of small shops in rural villages the opportunity to grow
their business whilst creating and sustaining jobs. The project directly contributes to poverty alleviation, increased local fish
consumption and food security. The concept shop was launched in September 2015 (Fish Shop No 1) in Onandjila Village close
to Okahao in the Omusati Region and since then six more were added to the project. The shop investment included a walk-in refrigerated unit erected on-site, two in-store display fridges, improvements to the actual shop including a fresh paint job and branding, as well as astart up capital investment in the form of two tonnes of frozen horse mackerel and 100 trays of canned Efuta Maasbanker
for resale by the shop owner. The total capital injection by Erongo Marine per shop is valued at roughly N$300 000, which totals a project investment of N$2,1 million for the seven shops to date, excluding training and all other logistics costs. Total budget for
the Fish-4-Business Challenge 2016 is N$2,8 million. The project is done in partnership with Etosha Fishing, Oceana Namibia and SMEs Compete. Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Bernard Esau had the opportunity to evaluate the concept almost a year after it was first launched and had the opportunity to meet and reward the seven new entrepreneurs who joined the corporate ‘Fish-4-Business’ project. “You did not only take initiative by applying for the project but also outshone 600 other applicants and are among the few who had a proven track record of trying to bring fish to your communities and in doing so also assist government’s efforts towards food
security and poverty eradication,” Esau said. The investing companies originally foresaw a situation where they would open five new fish shops per year, a prospect already exceeded given the seven new businesses brought on board this year. The new business owners completed an intense four-day training workshop in business development presented by SMEs Compete. The training will be supplemented by a mentorship programme in the future. received a handout. It enables you to make a difference in your communities
and the country at large. Do not compromise on standards,” Esau said