Agribank has opened a new office in Gobabis in the Omaheke region this week. The office is situated in the Old Mutual Building in River Street and will serve clients in the entire Omaheke region.

Speaking at the official inauguration ceremony, Agribank chairperson Terttu Uuyuni stated that the Omaheke region plays an important role in contributing to the Bank’s loan book. “In the 2017/2018 financial year, Agribank recorded new business of over N$357 million of which the Omaheke region contributed N$40 million representing 11% of new business. This illustrates that Gobabis is a strategic growth centre for Agribank and we are confident that opening an office here will not only bring our services in town, but will create opportunities for Agribank’s growth”, Uuyuni enthused.

As part of its socio-economic transformation pillar of the strategic plan, Agribank provides training and mentorship services to farmers through the Agri-Advisory Services Division. During the 2017 – 2018 financial year, Agribank conducted 17 such interventions in 13 different locations in the Omaheke region, targeting both communal and commercial farmers. These interventions include farmers’ information days, evening lectures, short training courses, practical sessions and excursions which covered topics such as record keeping, animal health, as well as financial and grazing management. The Agribank chairperson was pleased “that 461 people benefitted from these interventions in the Omaheke region alone of which 329 were male, while 132 participants were female”.

At the same occasion, Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein, who officially inaugurated the Agribank Gobabis office, congratulated the Bank for expanding its footprint to strategic growth centres and bringing its services closer to their clients. The Finance minister also applauded the Bank for embarking upon the arrear collections strategy as part of its financial sustainability initiatives. “Gone are the days where treasury support to state owned enterprises went unchecked. In fact, going forward, Government will require commercial public entities to become self-sustainable although shareholder support can still be granted where necessary”, the Minister noted. Schlettwein further urged Agribank to continue to introduce new products that are responsive to the needs of the clients to accelerate the transformation of the agricultural sector.

Agribank loans can be utilized for purchasing farm land, production, livestock, farming infrastructure, vehicles and equipment, bush management, aquaculture, poultry, piggery, post settlement support as well as for value addition through agro-processing.

Issued by:
Sakaria Nghikembua
Chief Executive Officer

For enquiries, kindly contact the Marketing and Communications Division at:
Tel.: 061 2074332/Fax.: 061 2074206

In line with its strategic focus on employees, Agribank recently saw the first group of its middle managers complete a six months’ leadership training course. A total of 14 middle managers participated in the course which covered aspects such as leading self, leading change, leading others, leading performance and leading engagement. The theoretical training aspects were complimented by actual work application in-between the theoretical modules. The training is part of the Bank’s strategic people transformation agenda that is expected to result in a modern institution that is best placed to deliver superior customer service and effectively fulfil its mandate. Facilitated by the Organisational Development division of the Bank, the course was delivered in-house through the services of specialist training consultancy Capacity Trust.

Speaking at the certification ceremony, Agribank Chief Executive Officer, Sakaria Nghikembua, stated that “the Bank is committed to develop leadership and management capacity as well as create a pipeline of leadership competencies to guarantee business continuity at all times. This program had a tremendous impact on the business from the word go as it was a very practical process and demanded of participants to already apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills in the work environment”.

According to Nghikembua, the bank has implemented a well-managed performance management system that is focused on creating a culture of performance and service delivery in the bank’s quest to serve as a catalyst for the transformation of the agricultural sector in Namibia. It is for this reason that the next phase of training would focus on leadership development for Senior and Executive Managers within the organisation.

Issued by:
Sakaria Nghikembua
Chief Executive Officer

For enquiries, kindly contact the Marketing and Communications Division at:
Tel.: 061 2074332/Fax.: 061 2074206

Following a petition by a group of farmers who are in arrears with their loans, the governance structures of agricultural lender, Agribank, have reviewed the petition and have responded to the demands made by the ‘concerned’ farmers as per attached and signed response. Commenting on the bank’s response to the petitioners, Agribank chief executive officer, Sakaria Nghikembua, stated that “it is important to ensure that the bank is managed prudently for its sustainability. This is a cardinal principle from which we cannot detract. The only way this bank can be there for the future is by ensuring it is able to collect loans disbursed and do everything necessary to attain that outcome. We continue to invite clients in arrears to approach the bank for discussions related to their repayment arrangements. As far as practically possible, we would reach such agreements”.

See Attached and Signed Response

Issued by:
Sakaria Nghikembua
Chief Executive Officer

For enquiries, kindly contact the Marketing and Communications Division at:
Tel.: 061 2074332/Fax.: 061 2074206