PEBL Computer – Shaping Namibia’s Digital Future

Africa has been going through digitalisation, and innovations that involve integrating digital technologies into people’;s everyday lives have been on the increase – making life easier. The PEBL computer, developed by Namibia’;s very own Vincent van Wyk, is one of these innovations.

got the opportunity to speak to Van Wyk on how he came up with PEBL and how he hopes to influence the digital landscape in Namibia with this innovation.

Van Wyk describes PEBL as “a high-tech central processing unit developed to support all your IT related needs”. He added that PEBL is small, portable and radiates elegance. PEBL’;s internal and external features and accessories are selected by each user to define their ideal product identity – making each carefully crafted PEBL unique to its user.

He also said that PEBL can be connected to your computer screen, television, mobile phone and any smart devices in your home or office environment. “PEBL is the first Pan-African computer brand developed and assembled in Africa.”

“PEBL aims to become synonymous with the new African culture; rising up with them as a household brand which delivers access to information through provision of the creative PEBL products that meet their unique needs,” said Van Wyk.

PEBL was launched by then strategic partner Paratus Telecom at the mybroadband.co.za conference in South Africa, and the Namibian ICT Summit in Windhoek August 2016. He disclosed that PEBL entered the Namibian market in October 2016.

“With our pilot, 120 units sold out at a rate of one every two days, in a small Windhoek test market.”

“We have since made significant strides, recently breaking the one-million Namibia dollar revenue barrier, with a 0% product return rate. We’;ve also exported PEBL to Zambia, Botswana and South Africa,” he said. On what sparked the idea of developing the PEBL PC, Van Wyk recounted when his mother bought him a second-hand PC which he says changed his life. “That machine showed me the world.”

He narrated that it unlocked a wealth of educational and professional opportunities. He maintains that it taught him skills that improved his productivity and competitiveness.

“It empowered me, economically and socially. However, most young Africans are not that lucky. There exist three computers for every one thousand Africans! Developed markets are creating digital solutions, whilst we’;re missing out on yet another industrial revolution. That is why I build computers,” he said.

With PEBL, Van Wyk aims to serve millions of Africans who are now technologyicallydependent and the global markets that firmly believe that technology is a service to the consumer. Van Wyk and his team have specific strategies for organisations and for individuals. “We are able to supply volume quantities based on pre-defined specifications to enterprises, and we also allow individual buyers to customise their prospective machines. “

Computer science graduate Stefanie Garises, who has had the pleasure of using the PEBL computer, told YouthPaper that the computer offers a high standard of quality at an affordable price. “You can also build a custom PEBL PC for yourself and add your own branding through the PEBL website,” said Garises.

On the influence PEBL wishes to have on the Namibian information technology arena, Van Wyk stated that the idea is to initiate the development of a new industry of tech hardware in Namibia for Africa. He is aware of the huge software industry in Africa and belives most companies now lack easy access to hardware.

“With the convincing determination of government to develop the manufacturing sector, we think that our activity gives rise to an opportunity to build a successful business case study that can be used as reference activity to attract more hardware expertise and knowledge in Namibia,” said Van Wyk.

Despite making good strides in the innovation sector, Van Wyk admitted that PEBL has easily been the toughest project he has ever worked on by far, but also the most vibrant as its main purpose is to create an African global brand and product.

He stated that despite the rising popularity of entrepreneurship in Namibia and Africa, being a start-up brings its own unique set of challenges and problems that must be addressed. “Innovation culture in Namibia is still in its infancy. Challenges include financing, as most potential investors are conservative investors that look at products like real estate. “

Currently, Van Wyk works actively with FABlab Namibia, led by directors Bjorn and Kirstin Wiedow, pioneers of innovation- and the start-up eco-system in Namibia. “They have been at the forefront of driving innovation and entrepreneurship in Namibia. PEBL was fortunate enough to be one of the start-ups they incubated,” he said.