Introduction
NambizDot.Com is a wholly Namibian-owned company specialising in database management and list development. The company has been in operation since 1999, and has been providing databases, lists and directories to clients both locally and internationally. The company was started with the aim of creating a business directory that includes full business reports on each company for various stakeholders. The basic directory was established in 1999 and an online version was the first product. The online version was a “free” service with clients paying for additional information on a specific company according to their own requirements. In 2003, the company expanded its database products by using the ownership and managements section of the business database to include all persons in Namibia and thus began a “Namibia Consumer Database”.In brief:
- Public data added from various sources including local authorities, central government, voter’s registers, land evaluations, school results, etc.
- NamBizDotCom started in 1999
- Namibia Business website 2001
- 10,291 businesses in 2003 – printed directory with street addresses
- Consumer data started in 2004
- 1,141,081 consumer records by 2009
Products
The company has two main products, namely:- NamBiz Database – a database of over 20,000 companies that includes more than 7,500 small- and medium-sized enterprises. (Update planned for end-2016)
- Namibia Consumer Database – a consumer database of over 2,4 million persons that includes their full names, postal address and date of birth particulars. The database includes name, surname, physical and postal address, contact numbers, region, constituency, etc. (Updated end-2015)
The databases were created for:
- Market Research – third party requirements (product research, focus groups, etc.)
- Debtor Tracing
- Dependants Tracing (insurance)
- SMS lead generation
- Telephone marketing
- Know-Your-Customer
- Credit Information Bureau – focussed on SME’s / Namibian owned business.
Due to the vast information landscape, NamBiz has decided to focus on the core business of maintaining and updating the two databases and providing this to third party service companies that specialise in a sector, service or product. For example, IT Solutions purchases access to the NamBiz databases and uses this information to update pre-selected users data of clients in the financial services sector.
The separation of users of the NamBiz Databases, and the upkeep of the data is to ensure compliance with regulators in the various sectors as well as any future legislation on data protection.
Clients:
- Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit (NEPRU)
- SMEs Compete
- Ministry of Trade and Industry
- Joint Consultative Committee
- Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority
- Creditreform Germany
- City of Windhoek
- IT Solutions – tracing business for insurance industry
- Twafika Capital Investments – market research
- Government Institutions Pension Fund
- AGRA
Conclusion
NambizDot.Com has developed a consumer and business database that enables service companies to provide access for government, business and consumer to the central register. Each service is “powered by NamBiz” to ensure each sector of work meets the statutory environment required by regulators and possible future data protection legislation.
