BoN Celebrates 25 Years Successful Symposia

Bank of Namibia Celebrates 25 Years of Annual Symposia with a Focus on Global Value Chains for Inclusive Development

The Bank of Namibia successfully hosted its 25th Annual Symposium on Thursday, 19 September 2024, under the theme “Global Value Chains for Inclusive Development: How Can Namibia Position its Agriculture Sector?” This symposium marked a significant milestone in the Bank's history, celebrating a quarter-century of impactful dialogue and collaboration that has contributed to Namibia’s economic policy landscape and development journey. 

The Annual Symposium, which has grown over the past 25 years, is a crucial platform for thought leadership and innovative dialogue on Namibia’s economic challenges and opportunities. The 2024 symposium gathered distinguished speakers who shared invaluable insights and strategies for integrating Namibia’s agricultural output into global value chains. 


In his opening remarks, Governor of the Bank of Namibia, Mr. Johannes !Gawaxab underscored the importance of the selcted theme, highlighting the critical role of the agricultural sector on Namibia’s path to sustainable development. He further emphasised that 70 per cent of Namibian’s livelihoods depend on agriculture, and thus the need for sweeping reforms to adequately support growth in the sector. Governor !Gawaxab stated, “Part of these reforms is empowering farmers through access to finance and providing support through infrastructure development for storage, processing, quality testing, and value-addition”. He further highlighted the importance of infrastructure, partnerships, farmer-centricity, and policies tailored to support farmers, particularly smallholders, in accessing international markets.