Celebs love Namibia for peace, open spaces - Gustavo
• Country plays host to international, African tourists
A group of 21 Ghanaian tourists landed in the country on Sunday for the 'November in Namibia' tourism and business pilot initiative.
Namibia’s wide open spaces, peace and tranquillity are some of the reasons why international celebrities have begun to flock to the country.
This according to Margareth Gustavo from the Namibia Investment Promotion Development Board (NIPDB), who spoke at a Ghana business and leisure engagement session hosted by the Namibia Tourism Board.
Held yesterday, the engagement followed a group of 21 Ghanaian tourists who landed in the country on Sunday for the ‘November in Namibia’ tourism and business pilot initiative.
It aims to build the Namibian tourism industry in the context and spirit of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and “the Africa we want”.
The initiative is designed to establish a network of Africans who share a passion for intra-Africa tourism, travel and trade, Gustavo said.
It encompasses a range of captivating events including safaris, trade opportunities and networking sessions as part of a comprehensive seven-day holiday package.
‘November in Namibia’ is part of the implementation of a memorandum of understanding on tourism between Namibia and Ghana, signed in Accra in April 2022.
The group that arrived on Sunday comprises highly respected Ghanaian professionals, including specialised medical doctors, authors, businesses owners, bankers and legal and entertainment professionals.
‘Big hoo-ha’
Gustavo, who spoke about investment opportunities in Namibia, said many people visit the country for its wide open spaces.
They discussed how to leverage the fact that well-known tourists are frequenting Namibia more often, she added.
Namibia recently played host to British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, American actress Gabrielle Union-Wade and her former basketball player husband Dwyane Wade, and American rapper and singer Russ.
Roger Federer, Jose Mourinho, Charlize Theron, Prince William and Will Smith have also spent time here, while easily most notably, Angelia Jolie and Brad Pitt welcomed their first biological child, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, in Swakopmund in 2006.
“We said we need to make noise. Can we visit them? Can we meet them at the airport? We need to make a big hoo-ha about them being here,” she said.
“However, many of them actually said the reason why they love Namibia and come here is because they know they will be left alone.”
Gustavo said this is a competitive advantage for Namibia from a tourism point of view, adding that most celebrities post about their stay and adventures here.
Opportunities
According to her, tourism opens opportunities for business.
Some of the opportunities along the tourism value chain are wildlife tourism; meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions tourism; community-based tourism; the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area and the Oranjemund Marine Riverbed project, she said.
Gustavo added that with the AfCFTA, Namibia and Ghana are open to do business with each other.
While mining has always been a significant contributor to Namibia’s gross domestic product (GDP), the government realised it needed to diversify its economy and create employment in different sectors, Gustavo said.
One of the things they realised is the green hydrogen potential Namibia has, she noted.
“We do not want to look at green hydrogen as just that thing that we are producing, but how we can industrialise it? So, we are now talking about green hydrogen industrialisation. There is a lot of different industries that will start from the production of green hydrogen in Namibia.”
She said Namibia can produce green hydrogen very competitively, which gives the country an advantage as a nation.
“We captured the attention of the global community through green hydrogen and then we discovered oil and gas.”
Sustainable energy
Namibia is also the third largest producer of uranium in the world, while the country’s bio-mass potential is abundant, she highlighted.
According to Gustavo, the country has further looked into renewable energy, with plans for Namibia to become the sustainable energy hub of Africa.
She listed some of the reasons to invest in Namibia as its excellent market access, various trade agreements with countries, political stability and a free market economy, adding that apart from its port, Namibia has an excellent road network.
This according to Margareth Gustavo from the Namibia Investment Promotion Development Board (NIPDB), who spoke at a Ghana business and leisure engagement session hosted by the Namibia Tourism Board.
Held yesterday, the engagement followed a group of 21 Ghanaian tourists who landed in the country on Sunday for the ‘November in Namibia’ tourism and business pilot initiative.
It aims to build the Namibian tourism industry in the context and spirit of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and “the Africa we want”.
The initiative is designed to establish a network of Africans who share a passion for intra-Africa tourism, travel and trade, Gustavo said.
It encompasses a range of captivating events including safaris, trade opportunities and networking sessions as part of a comprehensive seven-day holiday package.
‘November in Namibia’ is part of the implementation of a memorandum of understanding on tourism between Namibia and Ghana, signed in Accra in April 2022.
The group that arrived on Sunday comprises highly respected Ghanaian professionals, including specialised medical doctors, authors, businesses owners, bankers and legal and entertainment professionals.
‘Big hoo-ha’
Gustavo, who spoke about investment opportunities in Namibia, said many people visit the country for its wide open spaces.
They discussed how to leverage the fact that well-known tourists are frequenting Namibia more often, she added.
Namibia recently played host to British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, American actress Gabrielle Union-Wade and her former basketball player husband Dwyane Wade, and American rapper and singer Russ.
Roger Federer, Jose Mourinho, Charlize Theron, Prince William and Will Smith have also spent time here, while easily most notably, Angelia Jolie and Brad Pitt welcomed their first biological child, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, in Swakopmund in 2006.
“We said we need to make noise. Can we visit them? Can we meet them at the airport? We need to make a big hoo-ha about them being here,” she said.
“However, many of them actually said the reason why they love Namibia and come here is because they know they will be left alone.”
Gustavo said this is a competitive advantage for Namibia from a tourism point of view, adding that most celebrities post about their stay and adventures here.
Opportunities
According to her, tourism opens opportunities for business.
Some of the opportunities along the tourism value chain are wildlife tourism; meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions tourism; community-based tourism; the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area and the Oranjemund Marine Riverbed project, she said.
Gustavo added that with the AfCFTA, Namibia and Ghana are open to do business with each other.
While mining has always been a significant contributor to Namibia’s gross domestic product (GDP), the government realised it needed to diversify its economy and create employment in different sectors, Gustavo said.
One of the things they realised is the green hydrogen potential Namibia has, she noted.
“We do not want to look at green hydrogen as just that thing that we are producing, but how we can industrialise it? So, we are now talking about green hydrogen industrialisation. There is a lot of different industries that will start from the production of green hydrogen in Namibia.”
She said Namibia can produce green hydrogen very competitively, which gives the country an advantage as a nation.
“We captured the attention of the global community through green hydrogen and then we discovered oil and gas.”
Sustainable energy
Namibia is also the third largest producer of uranium in the world, while the country’s bio-mass potential is abundant, she highlighted.
According to Gustavo, the country has further looked into renewable energy, with plans for Namibia to become the sustainable energy hub of Africa.
She listed some of the reasons to invest in Namibia as its excellent market access, various trade agreements with countries, political stability and a free market economy, adding that apart from its port, Namibia has an excellent road network.
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