RI business invited to invest in Namibia

JAKARTA (JP): Visiting Namibian President Sam Nujoma invited yesterday Indonesian investors to his country and Southern Africa.

Nujoma told a business luncheon hosted by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) that Indonesian investors were very welcome in Namibia and other African countries to help develop their natural resources.

"Namibia has a liberal constitution which guarantees private ownership, human rights and freedom of expression. Government business and matters of governance are conducted in a multi-party democratic environment. Furthermore, the government has pursued pragmatic, free market policies since independence (on March 20, 1990)," Nujoma said.

Nujoma arrived here Thursday for a five-day state visit to strengthen bilateral relations.

He said Namibia offered vast investment opportunities in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, tourism, fishery, mining and manufacturing.

"Agriculture is based primarily on livestock with emphasis on beef, lamb and ostriches. Mining is the largest single sector in terms of employment and is a significant contributor to foreign exchange revenue," he said.

Opportunities for investment existed in the mining and processing of diamonds, copper, uranium, tin, zinc, marble, precious and semi-precious stones, he said.

He said his government had declared a 200-mile exclusive economic zone for fishing operations.

"Namibia is destined to become a major gas producer in the next three years or so. A gas turbine plant to generate electricity is planned and technology for this is being sought," Nujoma said.

"Compared to many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Namibia possesses a relatively higher competitive edge in terms of excellent infrastructure and other facilities that we offer to investors," he said.

Nujoma said that the port of Walvis Bay, the only deep sea harbor on the African West Coast between Cape Town and Luanda, was a gateway to the entire Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

He said that SADC was home to 145 million people and offered the most convenient entry and exit point for trade to and from the region.

The 824,295 square-kilometer Namibia, in the southwestern corner of the African continent, has a population of 1.6 million people. In 1995, the country's per capita income and GDP reached US$1,902 and $3.2 billion, respectively.

Kadin's acting president, Dewi Motik Pramono, said the visit would probably not produce immediate deals but follow-up exchanges and business visits between the two countries would eventually lead into business joint ventures.

Nujoma who met with President Soeharto yesterday is scheduled to return home Monday after visiting North Sumatra and Bali. (icn)