Nam-Mic Financial Services Holdings commits towards union members development.

Windhoek, Dec.17 – – Nam-Mic Financial Services Holdings (NFSH), through its Social Investment Fund has, since its launch in 2016, invested over N$4 million, in a range of social initiatives that include worker- based union projects and opportunities that aim to make a sustainable impact in the lives of those who benefit from its social investment.

 “NFSH is committed to being a responsible corporate citizen and invests in projects that seek to deliver on its mission of creating and distributing wealth to its beneficiaries,” said Walter Don, Nam-Mic Financial Services Holdings Chief Executive Officer.

The Social Investment Fund funds four priority areas;   sustainable employment, education and training, and health with specific focus on creating awareness on the prevention of HIV/AIDS amongst workers. As is with NFSH business dealings, the golden thread running through NFSH’s social spending is the partnerships it fosters with beneficiary communities. 

Women at Work: Under the focus area training, support for Women at Work aims to improve the socio-economic development and empowerment of women. They offer Home Management courses sponsored by NFSH to the Namibia Domestic and Allied Workers Union (NDAWU) members who have not completed grade 10 and comprises of the following modules: Life Skills, Cleaning, Cooking, Laundry and Nanny Skills. 

Workers Representative Trainings were held in Lüderitz, Oshakati and Windhoek for representatives of the Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (NAFAU) and Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU). The training included the History of Trade Union in Namibia and the Role and Responsibility of Worker’s Representatives as well as training on The Labour Act no 11 of 2007, Collective Bargaining, Grievance and the Disciplinary Hearing Process. NANTU presented Seminars on Legal Documents in the Zambezi Region in Katima Mulilo.

African Leadership Institute (ALI):  Nam-Mic Financial Services Holdings (Pty) Ltd, ALI and the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) signed a sponsorship agreement on 18 September 2019.

NFSH sponsored the training of twelve senior NUWN members from various regions, between October 2019 and June 2020.  The training content focusses on leadership in line with the ALI profile and curriculum and students who complete the course will each receive an ALI Certificate in Transformational Leadership. Eight students attended the first and second face-to-face training session. The third week for training and graduation will conclude in January 2021.

Under the focus area, health, NFSH supported the Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (MANWU) Gender and HIV/AIDS Conference in Windhoek at the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation. One hundred and ninety eight members from various unions attended the two-day conference.

With the focus on education, NFSH awarded bursaries to twelve Namibian students during 2017 and 2018 to further their studies in the fields of Mining, Computer Sciences and Accounting and Finance. The bursaries will cover the cost of tuition, textbooks, registration and examination fees and accommodation.

The training and retraining of workers is phase 3 of the NAM-MIC sponsored education programme for trade union members offered under the Sustainable Employment focus area. To achieve this NAM-MIC project, talks have started with the Namibia Training Authority (NTA), the custodian of short courses and unit standards at national level, as well as with KAYEC, which offers trade skills courses that are in line with the Vocational Training courses. In light of the above, the Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI) LaRRI have engaged in a process, with the assistance of NTA that would train and retrain workers under NUNW affiliates countrywide in vocational skills. In LaRRI’s consultation with the NTA, they have resolved that the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme is ideal for the retraining of workers.

“It is the vision of NFSH to economically empower Namibians by creating opportunities for both our main stakeholders, the unions, and ultimately for their members. We believe that by doing this, we contribute to the economic development of Namibia in general,” concluded Don.

Robert Maseka mrobert@namibiadailynews.info