Kunene conservancies court Chinese investors

BEIJING – Namibia’s communal conservancies are looking to China for new tourism investors after decades of struggling to generate sustainable income.

Conservation leaders say President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s State visit has opened a rare opportunity to attract investment into one of the country’s biggest untapped sectors.

Executive director of the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) John Kasaona said most conservancies in Kunene have existed for more than two decades but are still without viable tourism businesses that can create jobs and improve the lives of rural communities.

Speaking to New Era on the sidelines of the Namibia-China Trade and Investment Forum in Beijing, Kasaona said his organisation joined the presidential delegation to seek Chinese partners willing to invest in community tourism and conservation projects.