1.
To disseminate credible/official information about COVID-19 prevention and the
implications for street/informal trade.
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2.
To train informal economy traders in preventive sanitary measures and to clearly identify
those who have undergone training for coordination with authorities.
3.
To distribute sanitary material (masks, sanitizers, etc.) to protect traders and customers
during lockdown.
This will be implemented through capacitating a network of volunteer trainers across all regions, in
collaboration with local authorities, to identify training venues such as municipal markets and trading
corridors that meet the required COVID - 19 requirements and precaution standards. Our proposal is
to have the volunteer trainers trained by health professionals from the Ministry of Health, health
inspectors from the municipalities, and other professionals who are involved in health and wellness.
The informal economy committees will be trained and will continue mobilizing communities and
supplying them with sanitary material for themselves and trainees. A network of trader leaders will be
formed, through which sanitary material and printed information about COVID-19 prevention can be
distributed in the weeks following the training.
We wish to demonstrate through this proposed strategy, which we have already submitted to the
Ministry of Trade and Industrialisation, the Ministry of Health and Social Services, other government
agencies, as well as various partners and stakeholders, that informal economy traders are aware of
the circumstances we face as a society, and are serious about playing a constructive and responsible
role in keeping Namibia safe, and minimising risks to the health and well-being of the public.
To this end, NISO is also proposing a code of conduct that will be simplified in bullet point form on a
one-page document, and publicly displayed at various trading points, and which must be adhered to.
The code should set strict preventative measures for the handling of goods or products. Preventive
sanitary measures include:
e ensuring that cleaning services increase sanitization operations more regularly, especially
after use of toilet facilities and infrastructure;
e operators of transportation services (taxis, buses, etc.), should be required to ensure personal
hygiene, and to clean vehicles at least twice a day or directly after use (especially cleaning of
door handles and interior sanitization);
e social distancing while queuing for services;
e prioritizing customers at higher risk (e.g. elders, pregnant women):
e reduce customers’ touching of merchandise;
e cleaning of surfaces, installation of ‘tippy taps’, etc.
We are in communication with other stakeholders, and we will continue to proactively work with and
receive advice from our partners and the authorities, as we strive to keep Namibians safe and work
for our mutual benefit.
In light of that commitment, we request the Government to assist informal businesses by allowing
them to resume their economic activities, within the requirements of optimal hygiene and the
regulated social distancing, so that those in the informal economy, and their dependants, are spared
the hardship that comes with loss of income during the lockdown currently being enforced. Our
commitment is to continue to sensitize our constituents to trade responsibly, and to co-operate with
All official correspondence should be addressed to the Secretary General
Address: ERF 589 Cleopadra Street, Dorado Park, Windhoek
Directors: Mr. Elias Jeja (Chairperson), Mr. Josef V. Kandenge (Secretary General),
Mr. Sam Haukongo, Ms. Fransiska Tjatindi, Mrs. Gerhardine Katupose, Mr. Michael
Heita, Ms. Paulina Nuule and Ms Maria Johannes
