‘Downturn an opportunity to refocus’

When times are tough – as they

are in Namibia at present –

companies either batten down the

hatches or see it as an opportunity

to reinvent themselves and to pursue

new markets and opportunities.

Manica Namibia, under the

leadership of newly appointed

managing director Mike Samson,

is seeing the downturn as an

opportunity to refocus.

“The whole world has changed,

and we need to do business

differently.

“At Manica we are making internal

changes to enable us to be more

flexible and faster to market with our

products and services,” he says.

Samson says Manica, which is a

“conglomerate of small companies”,

has the ability to “offer complete

logistics solutions” for the movement

of cargo.

“We will grow

business along

the corridors by

working with

importers and

exporters to create

opportunities by

adding value.

“As a Namibian

company with

links throughout

the region

we understand the business

environment,” he says.

Manica’s internal reorganisation

will also help reduce the costs of

doing business along the corridors,

according to Samson.

“Clients can

come to one

company for

a complete

solution, rather

than having

to work with

10 different

suppliers, each

with their own

overheads and

costs,” he says.

“The drought

creates opportunities for Walvis

Bay, and there are interesting

projects in the pipeline, particularly

in the field of renewable energy.

“Namibia is running out of

power and we need to invest in

more capacity,” he says.

Studies have shown that Namibia

is one of the best places in the

world for solar energy, and that it

is the premier location in Africa for

wind farms.

Such is the potential of the

corridors and the port of Walvis

Bay that there will still be room for

other logistics companies in the

city and country.

“There is room for everyone,

and the more we work together

to attract freight to Walvis Bay

and the corridors, the stronger the

industry will become,” he says.

INSERT & CAPTION

There are interesting

projects in the pipeline,

particularly in the field of

renewable energy. “– Mike Samson