Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) CEO Martin Inkumbi has announced the Bank’s new positioning, “Expect more.” He says the new positioning statement reflects both the Bank’s transformation, as well as its ambition for the future.

In terms of the transformation, Inkumbi says the Bank has grown substantially since its inception, and evolved.

In terms of size, the Bank is now custodian of assets of approximately N$11 billion, a resource which is continually deployed to nurture larger scale projects consisting of enterprise and / or infrastructure. The Bank, Inkumbi says, is expected to play a larger role in finance for development, based on its growing capacity.

He adds, that the Bank has made significant progress in sourcing capital through issues notes and lines of credit from the external private sector and institutional entities.

Concerning evolution of the Bank, Inkumbi says that DBN has adopted mechanisms such as an advanced enterprise-wide risk management framework, as well as an environmental and social management system that better enable it to manage the risks inherent to financing startups in a dynamic economic environment. He adds that the Bank is currently implementing a treasury function to further strengthen its liquidity and capital raising capacity.

In this case, he explains that stakeholders and borrowers may expect more by virtue of a deeper pool of capital, but should also expect robust risk management, in keeping with the Bank’s objective of maintaining financial sustainability. The Development Bank is a national asset, Inkumbi adds, and has the duty to preserve and sustain itself, as well as grow.

In terms of its impact on enterprises, Inkumbi says, in addition to the ability to finance larger projects from a deeper pool of assets, the Bank now gives more support to its borrowers and potential borrowers who require such support through a formalized mentoring and coaching program. He describes this as a combination of advisory services prior to landing, and capacity strengthening and development through a network of business experts.

He says that each enterprise and project is regarded not just as a financial asset, but also as an asset for the Namibian economy, and so the Bank’s philosophy is to provide the additional support in order to mitigate risks that arise after lending, and ensure the long-term viability of the initiative that the Bank finances.

Internally, Inkumbi says he believes that the new positioning will have a galvanizing effect on staff. The Bank, he says, provides an exceptional environment for personal development, and this has been the basis for a high degree of motivation, and high level of  expertise. The Bank’s staff are driven by the concept of personal excellence, however, he believes that the new positioning will drive members of the team to expect even more from themselves.

Asked how he sees the future of the Bank, Inkumbi states that the Bank will strive to respond to the priorities of the Harambee Prosperity Plan as well as the expected Fifth  National Development Plan. The Bank, he says, also responds to emerging economic priorities, such as the need to provide social infrastructure such as affordable residential land and housing in line with the Government’s development programs. The Bank’s future will be guided by the needs of the nation, and the goal of sustainable development. In light of this, he concludes, the best forecast for the Bank is to expect more.