Okongo ready for Omaludi Festival

The Okongo village council in Ohangwena will host its second Omaludi Festival from 25 May to 1 June, where farmers from the Northern Communal Areas (NCA) will exhibit their livestock.A fundraising dinner that was held over the weekend raised N$197 620 for the event. First National Bank (FNB) pledged N$25 000, Nored and Eenhana United N$20 000 each, Knight Wizard N$14 000 and Standard Bank N$10 000.Omaludi is a traditional cattle show where Aawambo farmers parade their cattle in front of judges, who assess them to determine the best farmers and livestock.Village council CEO Wodibo Haulofu thanked the business community for their support, saying the event was growing in popularity.“Our main idea is to try and create an opportunity for communal farmers to gain access to the market to sell their produce. This will also be an opportunity for the role players in the agriculture industry to come and exhibit and present their products to the end users,” he said.At the fundraising dinner, the chairperson of the northern branch of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), Tomas Koneka Iindji, said the Okongo village council had made significant strides towards economic development although it was the youngest local authority in Namibia.“Let me take this opportunity to reiterate that agriculture is the lifeblood of Namibia; it is in our bones, in our dreams and is our culture.“I personally acknowledge and find joy in farmers because most of them have embraced the responsibility, sometimes for generations, to feed Namibia.“To continue and develop the farming tradition in Namibia, it is imperative that education in the field of agriculture takes place at all levels,” said Indji.Indji said he could not overemphasise the importance of an event of this nature that is centred on bettering not only small and medium enterprises (SMEs) but creating room for development of farmers as well as creating a platform for them to market their livestock.“It is also not possible to talk of this festival without highlighting the importance of SMEs, which play an important role in the economic development of any country. It is no surprise that developed countries enjoying growing and booming economies attribute most of their achievements to a flourishing SME sector,” added Indji. “The potential of SMEs to promote domestic-driven growth of new and existing industries and to strengthen the resilience of the economy in a competitive and challenging environment is inarguable.”Indji urged his fellow business people to support the Omaludi Festival.ILENI NANDJATO

Okongo ready for Omaludi Festival

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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Okongo ready for Omaludi Festival

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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