OMDis for Oranjemund

'Mining for Good' requires purpose. Namdeb Diamond Corporation established the OMDis Town Transform Agency to be a special vehicle specifically to rescue the picturesque and historic town of Oranjemund from the ghostly fate of not-too-distant Kolmanskop.

Instead, a vibrant, diversified and self-sustainable urban future is glittering in the Namib sands next to the mouth of mighty Orange River.

Meet Tony Bessinger, OMDis general manager.

“It is well known that the transformation of Oranjemund centres around normalising a once privately owned, closed and isolated town and changing it into a place where the community can thrive,” he said.

Namdeb launched a town transformation programme 2014, along with the town council and the community.

“A vision for a future sustainable town by 2030, irrespective of mining, was co-created amongst all affected parties, including the community,” he explained.

Transfer of town management from the mine to the town's council and privatising property ownership was completed in 2018.

“This will transition socio-economic services such as education and healthcare into a normalised state. This phase is in progress. Meanwhile, transforming the economy by diversifying its composition through new industries and small and medium enterprise (SME) development is also in progress and is anticipated to be completed by 2030,” he said.



Here follow more questions and answers:



How is the organisation funded and how many employees does it employ?

At this stage, OMDis is 100% seed-funded by Namdeb. We employ a core team of seven people and a further 10 people through a third party at the OMDis nursery pilot project. Secondary services such as finance, human resources and project management are managed by third parties, externally.



How does OMDis work together with the Oranjemund town council and how is duplication of functions avoided?

The Oranjemund town council (OTC) is a legal institution that provides public services through land and service provision to the community of Oranjemund. OTC is mandated to enable conducive investor-friendly incentives for investors and local businesses. OMDis, on the other hand, is a development agency that was created to accelerate the economic diversification of Oranjemund’s economy alongside diamond mining. Our overlapping efforts, with OTC in local economic development, propel us towards achieving a sustainable Oranjemund by 2030. By collaborating closely, our limited resources are use complementary to each other.



What highlights illustrate the progress OMDis has made to date?

In tourism, the Orange River concession has been awarded, with the feasibility study currently being finalised. Jasper House Museum has been renovated. Public art murals and sculptures have been commissioned for Oranjemund, the yellow frame has been erected for pictures at the Orange River mouth. An annual artist retreat is held with exhibitions in Windhoek, and participation in tourism expositions is regular. The guesthouse was renovated and the state-owned enterprises annual general meeting was hosted in 2022. A quarterly farmers market has been established, and hospitality training is supported. The Changemakers television series exposure added to the impact of the Oranjemund promotional video, the 'Diamonds in the Sand' documentary, and advertising in publications like Wanderlust, National Geographic and several trade directories. Grassroots business support training and events for pitching for grant funding, business seminars and conferences, mentoring and coaching are among direct efforts to grow local entrepreneurial activity. Agriculture feasibility studies along the lower Orange River have been completed, and an urban agriculture project is ongoing. Property feasibility studies have been undertaken for the golf club, yacht club and bowling club.



How has the town changed since the creation of the OMDis?

Case studies indicate that town transformation is a process that takes up to 15 years, significant financial resources and committed stakeholders are required to see a positive impact. OMDis was created in August 2019. Since then, OMDis has played a facilitating role by connecting investors with opportunities in Oranjemund. We enable mitigating risk by conducting feasibility studies for industry development. We support existing SMEs and create a culture of entrepreneurship. We are still in the infant stage of town transformation, however, OMDis contributed positively to creating a conducive environment and connecting some property developers with OTC.



What are the current challenges facing Oranjemund?

Challenges create opportunities for investors to solve these challenges. High demand for housing in a growing market outstrips supply by far. Lack of accommodation establishments for tourism and business travellers. Oranjemund is still primarily supported by diamond mining, while alternative economic engines are still being developed. Other challenges are: Limited retail options; infrastructure upgrade required in line with the newly developing demand; land delivery for housing and businesses.



How is OMDis helping Oranjemund prepare for current and expected expansion in terms of residents, infrastructure, services and economic diversification?

As part of our mandate, OMDis is a purposeful intervention to accelerate economic diversification by creating two or more industries. OMDis conducted feasibility work in property development that can assist in solving the accommodation need. We are collaborating with OTC to tackle issues that can hamper economic growth, i.e. land delivery and SME development.



What opportunities currently hold the most promising for the development of Oranjemund?

Agriculture and tourism. Oranjemund has natural endowments that set itself apart from the rest of the region and Namibia, which makes it an attractive tourism and investment destination.



When will the OMDis have fulfilled its function and what will happen to the organisation after that is achieved?

OMDis has a plan towards 2030 by helping establish 50 new sustainable SMEs, helping establish a stable town population of at least 15 000 and seeing that at least two new industries were created. The town can support 1 000 new employment opportunities. By 2030, OMDis will have reached self-sustainability through participation in sustainable projects.



What are OMDis' priorities for the rest of 2023 and what is expected for Oranjemund in 2024?

Completion of the fibre-to-home project in partnership with Telecom Namibia. Finalisation of a tourism feasibility study for the Orange River concession, completion of the SME development project including tax compliance, training of accounting systems, mentoring, coaching and grant funding. Start of the Oranjemund Business Box with the MTC Dome Swakopmund. Women-In-Business Conference and Expo on 18 October. Artists’ retreats and arts exhibitions will be held and a collaborative project with OTC to complete the beach kiosk is planned.