MSME survey aims to unlock growth and close critical gaps
Namibia knows how many small businesses it has, where they are, and which sectors they operate in.
What policymakers, lawmakers, researchers and support institutions do not know is what these businesses are up against: whether red tape, regulations and laws help or hinder and whether Namibian businesses receive support or are struggling alone.
The national Namibia MSME Business Landscape Survey aims to change that.
“We know too little about the concrete pressures businesses face in finance, regulation, infrastructure, skills, market access and technology adoption. This survey is meant to close that gap by linking business structure to business experience,” said Christie Keulder, lead researcher at Survey Warehouse, the company that has partnered with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) to conduct the Namibia MSME Business Landscape Survey.
The survey invites registered Namibian business owners to describe the pressures shaping their day-to-day operations, with the goal of translating those insights into policy recommendations aimed at driving tangible change.
“Good policy starts with good evidence, and this survey is about replacing assumptions with facts,” said Keulder.
“The goal is not simply to describe MSMEs, but to understand what is holding them back and what can help them grow,” he added, stressing that to ensure businesses thrive requires policymakers to listen to them “systematically, not anecdotally”.
Surveying the realities
Keulder said participation in the voluntary survey is essential.
“Without the voices of MSMEs themselves, policy risks being designed from a distance,” he warned.
“Every business that takes part strengthens the evidence, and stronger evidence leads to better decisions.”
The emphasis, he said, is on ensuring that data leads to action.
“Data only matters if it changes decisions, and this survey aims to do exactly that,” Keulder said.
“What policymakers and support institutions need is not more noise, but clearer signals,” he added.
"I hope MSMEs see this survey as a platform for voice, not just a research exercise. Small businesses are not a side story in the economy; they are one of the main stories.”
Navigating a tough environment
The survey comes as policymakers and industry stakeholders seek ways to strengthen small business development, widely seen as key to economic diversification and employment creation in line with Namibia’s development targets.
“MSMEs represent the backbone of local economic development and job creation while serving as the engine for poverty reduction,” said Claudia Gossow, programme manager at KAS Namibia.
“We trust that the findings of the survey will give local MSMEs across the country an opportunity to contribute toward pinpointing risks affecting MSME sustainability and competitiveness,” she added.
Gossow said available research points to familiar pressures.
“Existing data shows that high operational costs, limited access to finance, poor infrastructure and lack of technical skills are among the leading challenges.
“The study therewith aims to utilise these findings and zoom in on existing challenges."
She said the survey team intends to use the data to develop key policy recommendations aimed at enhancing MSME development.
Keulder said the constraints facing MSMEs often overlap and reinforce one another.
“The biggest threat to MSMEs is not a single obstacle, but a stack of obstacles,” Keulder said.
“Too many small businesses are trying to grow in an environment that is still too costly, too uneven and too difficult to navigate. When finance, skills, infrastructure and market barriers intersect, even a promising business can stall,” he cautioned.
Beyond the numbers
Researchers say that while available datasets provide a structural overview of Namibia’s business landscape, they offer limited insight into day-to-day operating conditions.
“We still need sharper insight into the pressures shaping their everyday decisions,” Keulder pointed out.
“The missing piece is not only where MSMEs are but also what they are up against,” he added.
The survey seeks to collect first-hand accounts of business life to complement existing data, including the Namibia Statistics Agency’s Census of Business Establishments.
“This survey helps move the discussion from counting businesses to understanding business constraints,” Keulder said.
Speak up to be heard
The survey is open to any business owner in Namibia, regardless of size or sector, and takes about 20 to 25 minutes to complete online. Organisers say participation is voluntary and confidential, with responses anonymised and reported only in aggregate.
“Through participation MSMEs can benefit from enhanced local business support and actively contribute to sharing relevant knowledge and recommendations on closing the gaps identified,” Gossow said.
She said the survey aims to provide “locally contextually relevant solutions that speak to the Namibian MSME sector as a whole".
Keulder framed the survey as part of a broader shift towards more evidence-based policymaking.
“This survey should not be seen as an end-point,” he said.
He underscored that the survey’s real value will depend on whether the findings are used to build a continuous evidence base around MSMEs in Namibia.
"A serious MSME agenda requires regular listening, credible data and sustained follow-through.”
He added: “The survey should be the beginning of a smarter conversation on MSME growth, not the end of it.”
The Namibia MSME Business Landscape Survey is available online (scan the QR code), and a link can be provided by request through Survey Warehouse.
*Businesses seeking more information can contact: [email protected] / +264 81 261 6333, or [email protected] / +264 81 140 0775.
