Hertta-Maria Amutenja
Affirmative Repositioning leader Job Amupanda has urged the government to set up a state-owned factory to manufacture boots and shoes.
He says this will help meet local demand and cut down on imports.
In a submission to the Ministry of Trade and Industrialisation last month, Amupanda said Namibia spends hundreds of millions of dollars importing over five million pairs of shoes each year.
He pointed out that sectors such as mining, police, defence, and private security need boots and shoes regularly.
“If each worker in these sectors is supplied with two pairs of boots annually, there is already a guaranteed local market for at least 10 million pairs every two years,” he wrote.
“We import more than five million pairs of shoes yearly. This happens while we have a predictable, guaranteed market for shoes and boots in the security, police, defence, private security, mining, fishing, construction, and other sectors,” he said.
Amupanda believes a local factory will reduce the import bill, create jobs, and boost manufacturing.
“Instead of importing boots and shoes, Namibia should produce its own ‘by the boots’, creating jobs, keeping money inside the country, and building a capable, developmental state,” he said.
He said the government could support the factory through public procurement. “In fact, the Namibian government, through the defence ministry and others, is the biggest buyer of boots and shoes. Why can’t the same government build a factory and buy directly from itself?” he asked.
Amupanda said the factory must be state-owned and not run by private companies.
“It must be a state project, producing boots for the army, the police, the prison services, the security companies, and miners. The government must use procurement to sustain the factory,” he stated.
He suggested building the factory in a rural town like Otjiwarongo or Mariental.
“The factory must be in a rural town or small urban centre. Let the youth there be trained and employed. Namibia cannot continue as a buying country while our youth are unemployed,” Amupanda said.
In 2020, during the launch of the AR election manifesto, Amupanda proposed converting the Ramatex building in Windhoek into a garment factory to produce uniforms.
He said this would help local businesses, lower import costs, and create jobs.
In November 2023, the Namibian Police revealed it still imports materials for uniforms due to a lack of local capacity.
Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi said the police have no option but to buy materials abroad.
While belts, hats, and socks are sourced locally, these still come from suppliers who import them.
Shikwambi said local manufacturers only handle cutting, making, and trimming garments.
This shows a gap in Namibia’s manufacturing ability, which Amupanda believes the government must fix.
His proposal for a local boots factory fits into his broader plan to reduce imports and create jobs.
Police uniforms are funded through the national budget, managed by the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises.
Uniforms are purchased each year based on available funds.
