Community Skills at Work: Supporting Micro and Small Enterprises
Across Namibia, micro and small business owners open their doors each morning not only to earn a living, but to keep their communities functioning. Their enterprises, whether a small workshop, a daycare centre, a hair salon, a garden service, a tailoring room, a modest catering outfit, or an emerging agricultural project, often support entire households.
Many operate with limited resources but remain vital to local livelihoods, yet women in particular still face systematic barriers, from accessing finance and markets to securing formal contracts and finding opportunities to grow or scale their enterprises.
The EmpowerNamBiz! programme stepped into this reality in late 2023, supporting entrepreneurs through two years of practical training, one-to-one mentoring and targeted assistance, concluding in December 2025. With SMEs Compete as the implementing partner, business owners received structured guidance many had never accessed before.
Over this period, 201 entrepreneurs took part in business skills training, 73% of them women, and 93 received tailored mentoring to strengthen their day-to-day operations. Of this group, 84 entrepreneurs received grants that helped them purchase tools, equipment or materials, small investments that delivered meaningful improvements, from increased productivity to more reliable service delivery.
Among these enterprises is Hanan Green Acres, an agricultural initiative on the outskirts of Walvis Bay. What began as an effort to cultivate olives in desert soil has grown into a community-focused project that trains and uplifts women and young people while gradually expanding its production capacity.
Reflecting on her experience, owner Magdalene Vermaak shared how the programme supported her journey, saying: “The training helped me to scale up my production while ensuring quality and quantity supply. It also allowed me to empower local young people to contribute meaningfully to economic empowerment in the Erongo region. The support we received through the grant programme for our water supply brought new life to the olive trees and made it possible for us to look forward to a full harvest of pure, quality olive oil.”
To understand the programme’s impact, 65 of the grant recipients were evaluated six months after grant disbursements, providing the data behind the programme’s key outcomes.
- A total of 40% resulted in new jobs, creating 35 full‑time and 14 part‑time opportunities.
- 85% reported increased monthly sales, while 97% expected further increases over the next year.
- 85% formed new business partnerships or supplier relationships.
- 55% diversified, introducing new products or revenue streams.
- 82% achieved formal registration or compliance, many for the first time.
A full review of the final outcomes will take place six months after the programme’s completion to fully assess its impact.