DBN CEO Inkumbi to serve 5 more years at the helm

WINDHOEK, SEPT. 6 – After steering the growth of Development Bank of Namibia’s balance sheet from N$2.3 billion with loans and advances of N$1.7 billion at the end of 2013 to N$8.8 billion with loans and advances of N$7.7 billion at 31 March 2018, the Board has seen fit to extend the tenure of CEO Martin Inkumbi for another five years.

Inkumbi was initially appointed as CEO in 2013 following a period as Acting CEO in the wake of the departure of founding CEO David Nujoma.

The Bank’s core business is to advance development by lending to larger enterprises, SMEs and developers of infrastructure, and in addition to the growth of the Bank’s balance sheet, the Bank has passed two major milestones under Inkumbi’s leadership.

A statement issued by DBN’s Corporate Communication and Stakeholder Relations Specialist Di-Anna Grobler earlier today said the Bank had put in place an enterprise-wide risk management framework, which enables it to respond to risks in a prudent and proactive manner, including risks inherent in lending, internal operational risks and the risk posed by external market forces.

“The framework is primarily geared to enable the Bank to mitigate the higher levels of risk inherent in segments of its balance sheet and commitments that require a higher appetite for risk to achieve the Bank’s targeted levels of development impact.”

Another feat the Bank achieved was to list a N$2.5 billion bond programme on the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX).

“In the first, oversubscribed bond auction, the Bank raised N$291 million. Subsequent private placements raised N$210 million. The programme fulfils the Bank’s mandate to develop financial mechanisms for local investors, and also enables investors to generate returns from development.”

Inkumbi has described the first five years of his tenure as a period of ongoing evolution and organizational development, noting the fact that the Bank grew from a complement of 60 staff in 2013 to 90 staff members at the end of its 2018 year.

“This is evidence of the increased operational intensity and capacity requirement which has fueled the growth of the Bank’s activities.”

Development finance places faith in Martin Inkumbi. Development Bank of Namibia CEO Martin Inkumbi has been appointed CEO of the Bank for another five years. Since his appointment, the Bank’s balance sheet has grown from N$2.3 billion with loans and advances of N$1.7 billion at the end of 2013 to N$8.8 billion with loans and advances of N$7.7 billion at 31 March 2018.

Additional facets of the Banks evolution and forward looking policies include pioneering finance for renewable energy generation, and the Environmental and Social Management System that mitigates social and environmental risks of the Bank’s lending activities.

Inkumbi completed a B.Com with majors in Economics, Management and Finance, from University of Cape Town (UCT), before obtaining a Post-Graduate Diploma in Finance and Banking from the University of KwaZulu Natal and an M.Sc in Financial Economics from the University of London.

His career in finance began with a position as a researcher in banking statistics at the Bank of Namibia. After being promoted to Financial Analyst, he joined FNB Namibia as a Corporate Banking Manager. In 2006, he joined DBN in the Lending Department, and worked his way up through the ranks. – musa@namibiadailynews.info