Windhoek - Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) should move from market consolidation to growth and capitalise on the strategic location of its tourism facilities in tourism hot spots such as Etosha National Parks.
State-owned tourism and hospitality group, NWR has over the past three years battled to shake off the ghost of previous management's ineptitude, lack of business direction and loss of market.
Namibia's Minister of Environment and Tourism Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said NWR was taking steps to becoming a fully independent entity, adding that developments at the company should shift into high gear.
The minister said due to the turnaround efforts at the NWR, it had started to diversify its product range to also offer a more exclusive and natural products and experience through the development of two new eco-friendly facilities, the Sossus Dune Lodge in the Namib Naukluft Park and Onkoshi Camp in Etosha National Park.
Nandi-Ndaitwah also praised NWR's public private partnerships saying that it was a means to accelerate change by sharing the burden of investment and refurbishment of facilities.
"The partnership also created synergy and common interest among different players, providing opportunities to broad based economic empowerment companies to participate in an industry that has otherwise been considered open to only a privileged few."
She said time had come for NWR to show its mettle in the tourism and hospitality sector.
"The time has now come for NWR to take off and fly, time will come when NWR will no longer be at the mercy of the shareholder to subsidise."
Speaking at the inauguration of a new NWR board Nandi-Ndaitwah said that NWR was better positioned to shake off market competition.
"The spurt of tourism development on the fringes of Etosha National Park over the past two to three years is testimony to the strong competitive environment in which NWR must operate," she said.
The new NWR board is chaired by tourism and hospitality personality Jacqueline Asheeke and deputised by Epson Jossop, who was also part of the old board.
The other board members are Kalumbi Shangula permanent secretary in the ministry of environment and tourism, Nashilongo Shivute, undersecretary in the ministry of lands and resettlement, Festus Nghifenwa, deputy director in the ministry of finance, Pierre du Preez, chief conservation scientist in the ministry of environment and tourism, Rehabeam Erkie, representing employees and Tobie Aupindi, NWR MD. The previous board, which was chaired by Klemens /Awarab comprised of Rieth van Schalkwyk, Maria Kasita, Ananias Abner, Jossop, Shangula and Aupindi.
The new board chairperson Asheeke said her team would strive to add value to NWR and that the board of directors would not stand in the way of progress.
"It's our job to mow down the trees that are standing in the way, to level those mountains that are blocking your (NWR) way and we know what NWR looked like before and we know where to take it," Asheeke said.
She promised that NWR would fulfil its shareholder mandate. "We don't take two steps forward just to make one back."
