| Summary: | Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2007. === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Goverment of the Republic of Namibia soon after independence, recognised its
cardinal national responsibility to change the orientation of the nation's economy from
one of exporting raw materials and importing final-use products to in-country production
of goods based on the country's resource endowment. One productive sector for which
explicit and far-reaching guiding policies, strategies and programmes have been
developed and instituted from the beginning is the promotion of highly competitive
industries with special emphasis on SMEs as a major pathway to progressive and
sustainable industrialisation and employment and the simultaneous development of
entrepreneurial culture.
In recognition of the critical role the SMEs can play in the socia-economic development
and economic diversification of the country, the Government of Namibia through its
Ministry of Trade and Industry has put in place policies and programmes, specifically for
the development of SMEs. To this end, the Ministry of Trade and Industry realised that
the lack of bankable business plans limited entrepreneurs' access to finance and this
posed the biggest challenges to the growth of the SME sector in the country. This has
been conceived as a daunting factor and stems from the reality that entrepreneurs
cannot provide bankable business plans to back up their applications.
Given the prevailing condition, the Government of Namibia initiated the MSME Feasibility
Studies and Business Plan Support programme ~ specifically geared to assist the SME
sector with bankable business plans in order to induce financial institutions to provide
loans to entrepreneurs with viable project ideas and prospects for success. The
objective of the study is to explore the extent to which this support programme has
facilitated the access to finance by SMEs and the creation of sustainable businesses.
The findings of the study have established that worldwide some of the developed and
developing countries initiated and implemented similar govemmental programmes in the
form of subsidies to the services rendered by third parties to SMEs in business-plan
formulations and related advisory services. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kort na onafhanklikheid het die regering van Namibia besef dat die landsekonomie
minder afhanklik moet word van grondstof-uitvoere en die invoer van vervaardigde
goedere, met groter klem op die verwerking van plaaslik vervaardigde grondstowwe. In
die verband is kleinsake as 'n belangrike ontwikkelingsinstrument beskou en 'n vername
skepper van nuwe werksgeleenthede, wat juis in die uitvoer-georienteerde landbou- en
mynbou-sektors aan die kwyn is.
Om hierdie herorientasie van die ekonomie te bevorder het die Ministerie van Handel en
Nywerheid verskeie programme ontwikkel, veral vir die bevordering van kleinsake. In
die verband is die probleem van bankfinansiering as 'n besondere knelpunt beskou , met
die gebrek aan omvattende sakeplanne vir finansierbare projekte gesien as
kemprobleem.
Met die oogmerk het die Ministerie die "SME Feasibility Studies and Business Plan
Support programme" ontwikkel, ten einde finansiele instellings te motiveer om meer
geredelik finansiering te verskaf.
Hierdie studie ontleed die bestaande program, sy agtergrond, ontwikkeling en probleme
asook die baie beperkte sukses wat tot sover bereik is. Vergelykings met programme in
ander lande suggereer dat verreikende aanpassings nodig is om die program meer
betekenisvol en suksesvol te maak
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