WINDHOEK – Green Enterprise Solutions (Pty) Ltd is one of the key role players in the information technology industry. New Era’s Tender Reporter, Steven Klukowski, spoke to the owner, Llewellyn Le Hané on how the company came into existence.
New Era: How long has Green Enterprise Solutions been in existence and how big is the workforce?
Llewellyn Le Hané: “Green Enterprise Solutions has been in existence since 2010. We have a workforce of 33 employees of which 30 are Namibian. About 8 percent of our staff members is made out of youth with ages ranging between 24 and 35 years. We also have women in all departments, including the technical department.”
New Era: Tell us about the company ownership.
Llewellyn Le Hané: Green Enterprise Solutions is a 100 percent Namibian owned company. I am a Namibian and the sole owner.
New Era: What is the company’s field of specialisation?
Llewellyn Le Hané: We specialise in Enterprise ICT solutions and services. We also have a strong partnership with IBM and Microsoft. Green Enterprise Solutions is the premier IBM partner in Namibia. We also focus on solutions like Business Analytics, Business Process Automation, and Workflow.
New Era: What is your view with regard to the frequent reporting of ‘tenderpreneurship’ (corruption in the tender process) in newspapers and what can be done to address it?
Llewellyn Le Hané: Green Enterprise Solutions does not condone corruption in the tendering process. Stronger policies should be enforced in this process.
New Era: What is your company’s record in terms of Social Responsibility, giving back to the community by means of donations, grants, etc.?
Llewellyn Le Hané LLH: We are one of the main sponsors for the upcoming 2014 Participatory Design Conference to be hosted by the Polytechnic of Namibia. We also bought 1500 apples from the Bank Windhoek Cancer Project that we donated to a soup kitchen in Okahandja Park, crèche in in Okuryangava (baby classes) and one of the home shelters. Some blankets were also donated to the Ear, Nose & Throat and Oncology (for both adults and children) wards at Windhoek Central Hospital. In addition we developed a mobile application (APP) for UNICEF, aiming to promote AIDS awareness at schools.
New Era: Do your employees belong to a Pension Fund and Medical Aid Scheme, and if not in which way are they assisted in this regard?
Llewellyn Le Hané: All employees are all registered with the Social Security Commission and a medical aid fund. We are in the process of joining a pension fund.
New Era: How well equipped are your employees when it comes to Occupational Health and Safety at the workplace?
Llewellyn Le Hané: Staff health is of paramount importance since our business is based in intellectual property. There is also an HIV-policy in place whilst the Human Resources department has regular discussions with staff on Occupational Health.
New Era: What programmes are in place in terms of Skills Development and Capacity Building of employees at your company?
Llewellyn Le Hané: The company provides continuous training and staff development for the staff. Since the IT-environment is a very dynamic industry, our staff needs to be on the cutting edge of the latest technology trends. Budgetary provisions are made annually for staff training and development. Furthermore all employees have access to company financial assistance (bursaries) to pursue studies at the Polytechnic of Namibia or University of Namibia.
New Era: Lastly, some Namibian companies are increasingly entering into joint ventures with foreign companies. How, in your view, can Namibians benefit out of these joint ventures in terms of employment opportunities and sharing of wealth?
Llewellyn Le Hané: The main aim with joint ventures should be skills development and knowledge gained should remain in Namibia in order to grow these projects.