With more than 300,000 calves exported yearly to South Africa, Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare is calling for local value addition around cattle farming in the quest to create more employment.

The premier spoke to NBC News in an interview during the 17th edition of the Okakarara Annual Trade Fair. 

70% of exported calves are from communal areas, with value addition done in South Africa.

"If value was added here in Otjozondjupa, in Okakarara, it means there will be jobs created. They'll be young people who will be employed. There will be women who will get shoes. They will be women who will get patterns from their horns, and the number of items can be derived by adding value to the livestock, which is what we should aspire to, and we must not be tired of continuing to ensure that we advocate. As our president keeps saying, value addition is the way to go, so if we have this particular strength, let us value it."

Okakarara's abattoir remains abandoned due to technical challenges. 

Ngurare emphasised that the Namibia Industrial Development Agency and the local authorities must collaborate closely to revitalise and enhance the facility.

"There should be an abattoir here, functional and operational, and those are supported by the central government and supported by all stakeholders. More than that, I think the community of Okakarara, as well as Otjozondjupa, once they are given this infrastructure, must look after it."

There is also a need to normalise exhibition opportunities for small and medium enterprises for these businesses to thrive. 

With regard to schools in Okakarara and the Otjozondjupa Region as a whole, Ngurare said food items and repairs can come from Okakarara, as there are farmers and a vocational training centre.

"That is how you create employment; that is how you support small and medium enterprises. In other words, we should not support them only with nice words but also practically, and they must know that we are supporting them practically, not by talking."

Namibians, Ngurare said, should appreciate their own talent, ingenuity and creativity, as it benefits locals.