Creative entrepreneurship beneficiaries announced
The Goethe-Institut Namibia, in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), has once again offered an opportunity for entrepreneurs in Namibia’s creative industry to identify business opportunities, develop business ideas, and create economic growth.
Following the call for applications earlier this year and submissions from more than 150 entrepreneurs, an independent jury selected the top 10 businesses to benefit from the Creative Entrepreneurship Programme (CEP).
The CEP kicked off in early August, and beneficiaries have started attending regular workshops, mentoring sessions and peer-to-peer reviews.
Established in 2019, the CEP is a training programme for start-ups who are to receive incubation services under the GIZ Start-Up Namibia Programme, supported to the tune of N$570 000 by the German government.
GIZ project manager, Anna Vambe said they are extremely excited to support the creative entrepreneurship initiative in its second round, with funding from the German government.
“This year’s finalists make up a diverse and promising cohort, and we cannot wait to see them thrive in the creative industries in Namibia and beyond,” she said.
The programme offers creative entrepreneurs access to information and practices concerning business development, entrepreneurial self-understanding, design thinking, marketing, customer research, branding, sales, legal principles, establishing partnerships, insurance, finances management, health, and other aspects important for a business to grow.
The threefold aim of this project is to encourage and inspire creative entrepreneurs in Namibia to identify lucrative business opportunities, develop their business ideas and implement a business plan.
The long-term aim of the programme is to create economic growth in the creative industries.
“At the Goethe-Institut, we believe that while creativity is the engine of innovation, connection and collaboration are the fuel,” says Dennis Schroeder, director of the Goethe-Institut Namibia.
“During these months we do our best in providing all the necessary support for upcoming creative entrepreneurs – because we believe in unlocking unrealised value that can have a deep impact on markets, on Namibia, and on the individuals who have the courage and the drive to embark on this venture,” he said.
Beneficiaries will throughout the CEP engage frequently with the two facilitators, namely Chantal Claassen from Dololo Operations in Namibia and Lindiwe Sindani from Karani Leadership in South Africa.
Beneficiaries will, at the end of the programme, present their business pitch for facilitators and a panel to evaluate their progress and compare it to their initial pitch delivered at the beginning of the CEP. The top performers will be rewarded accordingly.