Exploring Entrepreneurship amongst the Herero People in Namibia: The Otjinene Village

Abstract

Entrepreneurship potential amongst indigenous groups (such as the Herero people in Namibia) should be considered a courageous idea to encourage development in the community and the development of indigenous people within a particular economy. This paper explores the role of indigenous entrepreneurship as it pertains to a Namibian specific indigenous tribe (Herero people in the Otjinene village). It is the argument of the researcher that the diverse Namibian culture could be a distinctive advantage for social and indigenous entrepreneurship, as it makes room for some of the essential traits of an entrepreneur, namely: innovation, creativity, perseverance and self-confidence. An empirical investigation guided by extensive research methods was used to conduct research in Namibia amongst the Herero people in the eastern region (Otjinene Village) of Namibia. These methods are storytelling, in-depth interviews. This paper reveals that Herero people in Namibia have the potential to be indigenous entrepreneurs.