Growing up in an entrepreneurial environment led Martin Pandu Nankela to create a platform for young potential entrepreneurs to acquire the necessary information to set up businesses. 

The 29-year-old founder of Business Summit Namibia said the idea was initiated during the Covid-19 pandemic to encourage people to tap into business, and for those with small businesses to scale up.

He said the summit is ideal for people who are looking for information and ideas on how to start a business.

It is also meant for those who want to increase and diversify their streams of income.

“We only wanted to do it once, but realised there is an appetite for it. So we kept doing it – and now we are on the fourth edition. The reviews of the summit have been great, as several businesses started with the first edition,” said the entrepreneur on the margins of the summit in Windhoek over the weekend.

Nankela, who also owns Hotchops Butchery situated in Rocky Crest, was over the moon that the summit managed to motivate entrepreneurs who were seeking to venture into business.

“We are also encouraging them to scale up, motivating us to continue with what we have started. We are looking forward to a lot of sponsors coming onboard and collaborating with all industry players, and see how we can better come together and be more impactful,” he said.

Nankela, a holder of a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance, an honours degree in business management and another qualification in forensic auditing, said getting into business is something that he has been exposed to since early childhood. 

“Both my parents are businesspeople. My mother is into event management and décor, among other things. She is the one who made the décor here, at the summit. My father is a farmer. He is into construction. He is everywhere, and that is why I am deeply pursuing this. It is deeply rooted in my upbringing,” he told Youth Corner yesterday. 

Themed ‘Legitimising Business Ventures’, the summit was filled with inspiration, knowledge and networking opportunities for both seasoned and novice entrepreneurs.

“This is also for industry players like governments. I want them to be in the room so they can understand the art of entrepreneurship, and how we can make the Namibian business ecosystem better,” he stated.

Shiwomenho Kalla, known as ‘Shiwa The Baker’, said starting a business is not easy as it requires tenacity, patience and drive.

“When I started this, I didn’t even know that we were going to last a year, but then again, here we are. Looking back at where we come from, the fact that we are standing and survived Covid-19 as a business is remarkable because it almost took us all out of business,” said the pastry chef.

The event attracted many young entrepreneurs from fashion, craft, skincare products, education institutions and the healthcare industry to showcase their businesses. 

Tusnelde Kombada (33), the Rubby manager at Dynapharm Namibia, said showcasing at the summit is vital to entrepreneurs who have clear intentions about their ventures.

“We want to add value to the lives of Namibia by providing these necessities that are vital for their health and wellbeing, and sort of giving back to the community. We are with different products to inform people about them,” she said.

Kombada said the challenges of being in the pharmaceutical industry are mostly the lack of awareness or cooperation from clients when it comes to using certain products.

“When products are provided to clients, they sometimes expect immediate results. It may require us to raise more awareness. That is the only challenge. Clients or customers must be prepared to take some medication over a certain period – but overall, the business keeps going,” stated the energetic service provider.

-psiririka@nepc.com.na