The Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has urged local traders to stock more local products while expressing concern that all shops in the country are mainly distributing foreign goods.Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said she is getting a little bit tired of being invited to open shops that distribute foreign products, adding that it is not that foreign investors are not welcome but that she would also like to see local products on the shelves.
"Government is available to support Namibia's youth in all their constructive endeavours. We continue to promote through our trade policy for access to international markets for locally produced goods," stated Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
She made these remarks on Friday at Maerua Mall at the launch of the My Republik brand, which is the brain child of Ally Angula. The brand is described as Namibia's first clothing brand that is not only retailed in a branded outlet but is also designed, developed, cut, trimmed and stitched in Namibia.
Where she added to say that,"I will be happy to travel to America and find clothes from My Republik, therefore it should not only be American and Chinese products here, we should also be out there. We will also use our industrial policy to ensure that you have the space that you need to grow because we know that you have the desire to grow yourself," stressed the Prime Minister.
Angula, who is the Managing Director of the My Republik brand, said it was an idea that started in 2010 and was born with an aim of only manufacturing items that really generate economic development to propel the country forward. "The brand hit one million items in sales on June 03 this year which prompted us to launch the brand today. I once said to the team that we will only launch when we have a brand, not an idea, but a brand that people support and support that translates as people buying in the store," explained Angula.
Angula added that the project has created 39 permanent jobs and assured that this number is likely to increase to 100 before the end of the year with the opening of a bigger production facility in Witvlei.
"We are excited about the future for the brand and we are excited about the future of Namibia's manufacturing industry. We have a hectic program for the next 36 months that will see us roll out five My Republik stores in Namibia, six in Botswana and four in Zambia," said Angula who outlined her ambitions.