Otjiwarongo plots trade fair comeback

After nine years without its annual agricultural and commercial show, Otjiwarongo is planning to revive the event at the Paresis Showgrounds in May next year.“We have started the stakeholder engagements,” municipality CEO Mberipura Hifitikeko told Namibian Sun last week.He said the municipality had benchmarked other events, including visiting Ongwediva to study how its trade fair is organised.The planned comeback comes nearly a decade after Otjiwarongo was crowned Namibia’s Town of the Year in 2017, when the municipality ran an aggressive campaign that mobilised residents as well as people from the town living elsewhere.Otjiwarongo’s last annual agricultural and trade show was held in 2017, featuring livestock, exhibitors, entertainment, an amusement park and a rodeo.Hifitikeko said the municipality wants to move away from what he described as an event that had increasingly become a “kapana affair” and instead establish a proper agricultural and commercial show.The planned event would bring together agriculture, established businesses, mining, tourism, small businesses and local producers, with the municipality also approaching potential sponsors.Hifitikeko said discussions had already been held with companies such as MTC and FNB, which had previously indicated their willingness to support the agricultural component.“I think the biggest for us is to have something that is very inclusive,” Hifitikeko said, referring to the range of sectors and businesses the municipality hopes to attract.He said the aim was to create an agricultural and commercial show representative of Otjiwarongo and businesses operating across the country.“We must really up our game,” Hifitikeko said.Hifitikeko said the municipality’s previous local economic development function was not strong enough to sustain the previous expo, resulting in repeated promises of improvements without the show being restored.“We have a new local economic development office now,” he said.An internal committee comprising relevant municipal departments has also been established.Hifitikeko said the municipality had also approached the office of the Otjozondjupa governor, which had given its support to the revival.Now, the municipality says it wants to restore the show as an economic platform rather than simply another entertainment event.phillipus@nmh-hub.com.na

Otjiwarongo plots trade fair comeback

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-30

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Otjiwarongo plots trade fair comeback

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-30

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