The Vice President, Nangolo Mbumba on Friday officially handed over the ownership of the Namibia Grape Company (NGC) to the National Youth Service (NYS) on behalf of the Namibian government.
Speaking at the hand-over ceremony here on Friday, Mbumba said the ultimate aim of the acquisition of the NGC by NYS is to ensure institutional self-sufficiency and sustainable empowerment of the Namibian youth.
The NGC was registered in 1998 by a group of previously disadvantaged Namibians who secured funding from the Government Institution Pension Fund (GIPF) to acquire 778.4 hectares of land and started farming on the land.
However, shortly after the individuals could not manage the land well, the GIPF took it back and in 2007 government bought all the shares from GIPF and became the sole owner of the piece of land.
Cabinet in 2007 directed government to handover all 415 shares of NGC to the NYS.
Mbumba, while commending NGC for the establishment of a social development trust to benefit communities that are residing within 50 kilometres radius of the NGC farm, said the trust is proof that there are Namibian corporate citizens with progressive mindsets, demonstrating that economic development must and can be people centered.
He added that employers should provide for the social needs of their employees such as establishing early childhood development centres, schools and houses.
“Investing in your employees to ensure that they can afford their basic needs and lead dignified lives should be what companies and their respective initiatives aim for, but it also requires on the side of employees, the understanding and patience that companies are committed to addressing their plight even when the companies themselves are struggling, especially with the extra pressure added by the COVID- 19 pandemic,” he stressed.
Also speaking, Tonie Fuchs, the managing director of Capespan, the company managing the farm on behalf of government, said the NGC farm has over the years become a world class operation and world-renowned producer of premium table grapes, adding that the farm is pinnacle of what table grape production globally strives to achieve.
“All of this belongs to the Namibian people but this milestone has not happened on its own. Since 2009, we have invested more than N.dollars 300 million in the renewal and expansion projects. Between February and November, we spend N.dollars 140 million to prepare for the next season’s crop,” he added.
The NGC has 2 000 employees, 300 of which are permanently employed.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
