Youth empowerment prioritised

YOUTH unemployment remains a concern for Namibia, with calls to empower the youth taking centre stage as a way of employment-creation.

With this vision in mind, 24-year-old Hilma Amutenya took it upon herself to empower her fellow youth by training them through her company, Loha.

Describing herself as a dynamic go-getter, Amutenya said her company is a commercial catering equipment supplier in Namibia, specialising in planning, designing and maintaining commercial kitchen equipment, as well as refrigeration, bakery equipment, butchery equipment, and cutlery.

Loha’s innovativeness lies with planning every aspect of one’s project crucially, with the aim of maximising efficiency and saving costs.

“The organisation embraces a philosophy built on professionalism, transparency and commitment in order to provide excellent service delivery,” the young entrepreneur said.

She explained that her vision is to serve as an advocate for Namibian people who want to venture into the food services industry, especially fish and chips outlets, bakeries and butcheries, by providing them with equipment and resources to help set up their businesses.

“This was triggered by the recognition of the continued rise of the unemployment rate, especially among the youth in Namibia.

Hence, Loha decided to collaborate with Itumba Trading, also owned by an innovative young Namibian businessman,” she stated.

The two companies would invest in aspiring entrepreneurs who want to make their dreams a reality, and individuals who have impactful business ideas.

“Loha will provide the necessary equipment, while Itumba Trading will assist with financial support. Through this partnership, we will give training to successful applicants, where they will all learn all traits and tricks, and gain knowledge on how to be successful in the food service industry. The two organisations will have workshops in collaboration with Poiyah Media,” she added.

These workshops will be segmented into different aims, starting off with excellent customer service as an essential tool. The workshops will also include practical exercises, educational videos and one-on-one discussions to identify individual strengths in order to nourish, mould and help turn these individuals into successful businessmen and women.

Being a young entrepreneur herself, she attested to how difficult it is to be noticed and respected, let alone be taken seriously.

Looking at her journey in hindsight and what she has gone through without having the knowledge and guidance, Amutenya wants to help make the journey for beginners easier, or at least give them the tools to help them through their entrepreneurial journey.

“Being a young entrepreneur means a lot of sleepless nights. It means working twice as hard as the average entrepreneur because when you are young, clients want to see capabilities. However, this does not mean one should give up because things are difficult. Rather look at it as a challenge, so take on that challenge because you will eventually overcome it and come out victorious,” she urged.

She advised anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur to “believe in yourself under the heaviest circumstances, and always try to withstand obstacles. Keep the focus on the goal, and be consistent. Dare to take risks; do a lot of reading and networking; have the eye for creating solutions; and most importantly, have faith in God.”

Loha and Itumba have put various measures in place to make their projects a success. They have a sustainable strategy, which consists of different stages designed to help cater towards the growth of each applicant’s project. The two organisations welcome all Namibians to apply for this initiative.

Itumba Trading’s Simon Samuel said: “We look forward to seeing this change in our different communities, and most importantly the sustainable impact on businesses that are starting to grow.”

Immanuel Mweendobe, who has worked with the two parties in this initiative, said: “This will definitely make a huge impact [on] the Namibian nation at large, contributing to the Namibian economy, especially during such rough times.”

– charmaine@namibian.com.na, twitter: Char_Ngatjiheue.