Executive: Strategy and Business Development, Isaac Nathinge.

At Meatco, the Strategy and Business Development (SBD) Department drives the position of Meatco in the meat industry on strategic policy aspects and advances the interests of the Corporation in trade negotiations.

According to Meatco the department has made significant strides in developing the five-year Integrated Strategic Business Plan (ISBP) for the Corporation. On 30 November 2020, Meatco’s Management held the last session that discussed the sustainable competitive advantage for the corporation in relation to other competitors locally and globally. Meatco is the longest player in the Namibian market and has over the years attracted the best talent. It has raked in a set of competencies that have enabled the company to drive operational efficiency through experienced personnel with extensive industry exposure, offering an exceptional value proposition through our premium products to our key customers locally and abroad.

We submitted the ISBP to the Ministry of Public Enterprises for review, consideration and ultimately approval in line with the Public Enterprises Governance Act, of 2019. With the completion of the five-year ISBP, Meatco Management is proceeding to develop detailed business plans for each business unit of the Corporation, prioritising the strategic initiatives and determining the breakdown of operational and capital budgets for each financial year of the ISBP. Although the Annual Business and Financial Plan of 2021/22 has been partially captured in the ISBP, it will only be submitted to the Ministry of Public Enterprises during January 2021, once the budget planning process is completed. The approval of the ISBP will allow us to prepare for the launching of the ISBP and the pragmatic implementation during the next five years with the support and commitment of our internal and external stakeholders.  

The key performance indicators, which are at a corporate level, will be cascaded down to the business unit level for ownership and accountability. This will prove to be the second phase of the strategic planning exercise. Thereafter, performance agreements will be prepared and signed by all executives, managers and operative employees who will be held accountable in delivering their contributions to the achievement of the ISBP’S strategic objectives.      

All employees will be assessed on a quarterly and annual basis throughout the duration of the ISBP period, and a mid-term review will be conducted to track the progress employees are making.

Developing the ISBP in conjunction with the Performance Management System is not sufficient, however, we need to entrench and drive a culture change in the organisation which centres more around the values of Meatco that require employees to subscribe and live up to them. There must be a coordinated process that will align the attitudes, thinking and behaviour of employees to reach the desired outcomes. If this does not happen, the integrated strategy will be as good as a well-drafted document that is gathering dust on the shelf. 

The culture change process will add meaning to ensuring that employees conduct themselves to contribute to delivering on the strategic objectives. Culture change will include enhanced capacity building initiatives through skills development and wider exposure for the betterment of the workforce to ensure succession planning, sustainability and Meatco’s performance. 

The department, as part of its mandate, will continue to assess the performance of each business unit, review policies and procedures in line with the desired outcome of the ISBP, and monitor and manage the risks that may hinder the performance of the business in the short-, medium-, and long-term. This is all aimed at making Meatco the best company to work for while taking its rightful position as a formidable leader in the meat industry and as one of the top-performing commercial public enterprises in Namibia.