09 Mar 2020

Community Based Organizations (CBOs) have been urged to leave establishment of micro-enterprises to individuals. 

A consultant, Mr Innocent Magole said there was no need for CBOs to be involved in micro-enterprises because by their nature such businesses were supposed to be owned by individuals. 

Presenting on establishing of micro-enterprises by the communities at a workshop organised by Ngamiland Council of Non-Governmental Organizations, he said CBOs were making millions in profit and there was no need for them to compete with individuals who made less profit. 

He said such a competition had killed a lot of indigenous businesses and urged CBOs to ensure ownership of micro-enterprise remained with individuals, while the former ensured support to individuals by providing micro-finance scheme based on micro-enterprise outlay. 

He described micro-enterprises as connecting lines in the larger economy of an area or a gross income produced by a particular entity. 

Micro-enterprise, he said do not exist in isolation as they were always attached to large industries. 

Mr Magole mentioned that traditional micro-enterprises were associated with livelihoods, transport industry, agriculture, pottery, arts and crafts and tuck-shops among others, and urged CBOs to support micro-enterprises as they lubricate wheels of trade and creates an enabling environment for large trade. 

He further shared on some of the benefits of micro-enterprise such as enhancing beneficiation and value chain, diversifying the economy and that enables meaningful participation of low income members of the society in the economy. 

Further he said there should be a landscape of understanding on services and goods to be traded, advising CBOs to ensure that sectors of goods offered in the area were available. 

He underscored the need to conduct an assessment to ensure the services offered were marketable.

 “If we want to maximise our entity as CBNRM, we must understand how much service we offer. As CBOs, we should provide quality control for goods and services in order for micro enterprise to thrive,” he added. 

He advised CBOs to do long term investment and take into consideration issues of climate change which can lead to decline in food security, loss of assets and livelihoods, disease outbreaks, water stress and cause of resource conflicts, and impact on global trade. 

Mr Magole mentioned sectors such as biodiversity, agriculture, tourism, infrastructure and health among others as being highly vulnerable to climate change, and urged CBOs to go for climate smart agriculture, tree planting, promote fish farming and diversify tourism activities. ends