Northern kapana cooks secure spots in national final

After a day of cooking skills, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, Lucia Gideon, Saima Shipululu and Loise Imvula emerged as the three winners.

They have now secured their places in the national final, where they will compete for business development prizes aimed at helping them grow their ventures.

Established in 2014, the Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off Competition gives informal food traders a platform to showcase their cooking and business skills while creating opportunities to develop their enterprises into sustainable businesses. The competition forms part of Nedbank Namibia’s efforts to support entrepreneurship, economic growth and financial inclusion.

Nedbank Namibia Communication and PR Manager Selma Kaulinge said the competition reflects the bank’s belief in the role small businesses play in communities.

“Kapana is a source of income for thousands of hardworking entrepreneurs across the country.

Through the Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off Competition, we are celebrating the resilience and determination of informal traders while providing a platform that can help them take their businesses to the next level.”

Kaulinge added that supporting entrepreneurs is an important part of sustainable economic development.

“Many successful businesses start small. By investing in informal traders and providing opportunities for growth, we are helping to build stronger local economies. The talent and passion we witnessed in Oshakati demonstrate the remarkable potential that exists within our communities.”

The competition now heads to Windhoek for its final preliminary round on 19 September, where three more kapana cooks will secure places in the national final. The ultimate winner will receive a fully furnished food trailer valued at N$150 000, N$10 000 cash deposited into a Nedbank account and a Bakpro Vetkoek voucher worth N$5 000. The competition is co-sponsored by Bakpro and AGRA.