Etosha Fishing has gone from strength to strength since it was awarded
the
Quality Company of the Year Award
(Large Enterprise Winner) and
Namibian
Exporter of the Year at the Namibian Standards Institution (NSI) National
Quality Awards held last year. All first place winners of this competition were
pitted against companies in the SADC Region, where Etosha Fishing was once
again victorious.
In a statement to Etosha Fishing the NSI announced: “The Namibian
Standards Institution (NSI) is very proud and pleased to announce that Etosha
Fishing Corporation (Pty) Ltd is declared winners (first place) of the SADC
Annual Quality Awards 2014/2015 in Category Two (Company of the Year – Large
Enterprises) and in Category Four (Exporter of the Year – Large Enterprises).”
Measured against stringent criteria requiring a mark higher than 70% to
qualify for an award, Etosha Fishing ticked all the right boxes for the judges.
In the same statement NSI CEO, Riundja Ali Kaakunga noted: “The NSI expresses
its profound gratitude and appreciation and congratulates the Board, Management
and staff of your company for the massive achievement in landing these prestigious
SADC Annual Quality Awards for 2014/15.”
In response to this unique achievement Etosha Fishing MD, Pieter Greeff,
is full of praise for his team. “We are delivering consistently on quality
value added fish products through the efforts of a family of devoted staff.
This award is dedicated to every individual’s input.”
The Quality Awards
The annual NSI National Quality Awards is aimed at recognizing
industries, enterprises and individuals who perform excellent on quality.
The Quality
Company of the Year Award (Large Enterprise Winner) is awarded
to registered companies which best reflect full commitment to applicable local
and international high quality production practices and standards / norms.
The Namibian
Exporter of the Year is awarded to a company or organisation that has made
significant progress in commencing or expanding exports to new or wider markets
by introducing quality in their company.
Sustained
business success
Established in the 1940s, Etosha Fishing Corporation is a leading player
in the Namibian fishing industry and considered to be one of the foremost round
can production facilities in the world. It is the Namibian home of the iconic
Lucky Star canned pilchard and also cans Namibian horse mackerel under its own
EFUTA Maasbanker brand. The company subscribes to the vision “
excellence in food processing” and
operates under HACCP compliance and EU Accreditation. Products also comply with
NRCS and NSI regulations and standards.
According to Etosha Fishing MD, Pieter Greeff, this award is testimony
to the company’s continued efforts to ensure quality products through
sustainable business management strategies. He adds: “Management is committed
to the sustained success of the company strategies and objectives through
monitoring, measurement, analyses and review performance. We serve our market
with high quality products and remain committed to product innovation.”
Value
addition and exports
In recent years Etosha Fishing set the standard for value addition to
Namibia’s national fish by launching its own EFUTA product range of canned
horse mackerel in tomato sauce, chilli and salt water. It is the first Namibian
canned product to receive the NSI’s Standard Mark of Conformity product
endorsement. EFUTA Maasbanker is also a proudly Namibian product endorsed by
Team Namibia and carries Halaal certification.
Apart from its local distribution, EFUTA is currently being exported to
the following SADC countries: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi,
Zambia, Zimbabwe Swaziland, Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa. Export
markets in the process of being established include Angola, Benin, Nigeria and
Tanzania.
Environmental
and social impact
Asked about Etosha Fishing’s impact on the environment and society,
Greeff acknowledges that the company’s activities have a human and social
impact and as such it plays an active role in the community. The company
supports a school feeding scheme that currently provides 5 meals per week to
more than 1 400 vulnerable children. It also hosts the annual Lucky Star
Marathon aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle among the youth across Namibia.
As far as its environmental focus is concerned, Greeff notes: “To this
end we consider the integration of environmental protection into our product
design and development processes as part of our corporate social
responsibility.”
Etosha Fishing considers the health and well-being of its employees to
be of prime importance. The company continually makes large investments into
its health, safety and environment programme, which is annually audited, and
also offers a range of training opportunities to its employees. Says Greeff:
“We have embarked on a program to identify previously disadvantaged persons in
the work force and to further their studies to provide them with the necessary
skills to move to a middle management position.”
The company provides benefits to all employees whether seasonal or
permanent, that includes competitive salaries, pension or provident funds, and
housing.
Committed to
Namibia
“We are committed to the economic growth of an independent Namibia and
take an active part in the creation of job opportunities and stable employment
for all Namibians, despite the seasonality of the fishing industry,” highlights
Greeff. He adds that the innovative business thinking of Etosha Fishing
Corporation is not only directly in line with the Government’s directive of
value addition to Namibia’s local marine resources, but further contributes to
job creation and extension, as well as the sustainable development of the local
fishing industry. This clearly supports the Government’s Vision 2030, as well
as NDP4 aimed at high and sustained economic growth, increased income equality
and employment creation.
Photo caption: Proud moment
– Etosha Fishing was officially
crowned as the winners of the SADC Annual Quality Awards 2014/2015 in Category
Two (Company of the Year – Large Enterprises) and in Category Four (Exporter of
the Year – Large Enterprises). The event was hosted in Kinshasa earlier this
month. Etosha Fishing MD, Pieter Greeff (left), flanked by Estelle van
Dyk (Etosha Fishing Quality Manager), is seen here receiving the honours.
Pictured with them on the right is Albert Kasongo Mukonzo, Director General of
Office Congolais de Controle (OCC).
