Online importers who quietly keep the country's digital marketplace running finally had their concerns heard at a stakeholder engagement session held by the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) in Windhoek with "order with me" operators.
These operators, small in size but increasingly influential players in the online shopping chain, help thousands of Namibians purchase goods from abroad, mainly from China.
With their services in high demand, NamRA has been working to better understand their operations and guide them on the legal requirements that govern online import.
The Agency's Commissioner, Sam Shivute, says that the engagement creates a direct platform for open discussion between NamRA and the operators.
For operators, the session was an opportunity to gain clear guidance and learn how to keep their businesses both compliant and efficient.
For NamRA, it was a chance to better understand the everyday challenges faced by online importers.
"That's why for the first time in our strategic plan, the strategic objective, we even put it up there, and that's why we even have a function, a division within strategic objectives, strategic communication, just to specially deal with the issue of improving service delivery and customer experience. So we want to improve service delivery. That's number one. But we also want to improve voluntary compliance. We want to improve voluntary compliance so that you will not be in a position to comply with that which you do not know," says Shivute.
A number of pressing concerns were raised by operators, such as the process of declaring goods at the border, with many admitting they are unsure of the correct steps, often resulting in delays.
Another major worry involved how taxes are calculated and why the amounts sometimes appear unexpectedly high.
Operators also sought clarity on what separates legal imports from illegal ones, especially when it comes to restricted or counterfeit goods.
Experts from the agency were on hand to answer questions, explain customs procedures and offer practical advice, making the session both interactive and informative.