“Most people would say their biggest challenge to starting a business is finance but when I registered my company in 2011, I was not the highest paid person in the land but I was probably the most determined 24-year -old. I used the small income I was earning at the time as a HR [Human Resource] assistant to register and start my business. Sometimes all you need is determination and drive to get something going because you can have thousands of Namibian Dollars but if you lack determination and drive, than your thousands of dollars will just go to waste.”
This is how young the young Labour Law expert and Social Entrepreneur, Regto Ndemufayo David, unveils how he entered the entrepreneurial domain. Born and raised in the dusty streets of Mondesa, Swakopmund, by a single mother who is just a laundry assistant at a local Hotel in Swakopmund, David schooled in Swakopmund until Grade 10 at the Coastal High School. He then relocated to Lüderitz where he matriculated at the Lüderitz Secondary School in 2003 before progressing to the University of Namibia (Unam), and then later went on to the University of the Western Cape for postgraduate studies.
As a teenager, David was always a high scholarly achiever throughout primary school and high school. He also watched television and read newspapers a lot. “I was always well informed on politics, economics and international matters,” he says. David was a member of the Student Representative Council (SRC) in 2008 serving with the likes of Job Amupanda and many others. The same year he was recognised as the best member SRC.
After university, he chose the business world because he saw a great need for young bright minds to be involved and create employment opportunities for fellow other Namibians who are less fortunate. David worked in the Ministry of Justice as a Human Resource Assistant for two years while saving money and getting things in order to further his studies outside Namibia where he went for a Masters degree in Labour Law. However, he still managed to study part-time at Unam’s Faculty of Law for a short Post graduate certificate in Dispute Resolution and Negotiations, just to get a feel of the Labour Law field before pursuit his Masters abroad.
David presently holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Industrial Psychology which he obtained from Unam in 2008, a post graduate certificate in Dispute Resolution (Labour and Negotiations) which he also obtained from Unam in 2010 and a Master of Philosophy (Labour Law) which he obtained from the University of the Western Cape in 2012.
After completing further studies in South Africa, David came back in 2012 and was offered an opportunity to join the Olthaver and List (O & L) Talent Attraction Programme (TAP) the same year as a Human Resources intern and after completing his one year development programme successfully with dedication and great enthusiasm, O&L Group appointed him straight as an Employee Relations Manager in 2013 for both Namibia Dairies and the Windhoek Schlachterei, two O & L leading operating companies. After two successful years at the Namibia Dairies and Windhoek Schlachterei, he was transferred to another O&L operating company, Kraatz Marine early 2014 in Walvis Bay to take up the challenge of Human Capital General Manager and Member of the Executive Team there including being a board member at the age of 27.
However David’s desire was always to be an employment creator for other Namibians. So he left after one year and was privileged to observe and understand how a big company like O&L group works and ensures success in its operations. He saw the high demand for jobs in the industrial sector so he decided to set up his own business, the Namibia Industrial Group. “I realise that with our high national unemployment rate of about 27 per cent, the greatest way to contribute towards national development is to start this industrial company to work with vocational and technical skills students and young people. That’s the direction we have taken to date,” he affirms.
Last year, David was awarded the first ever Development Bank of Namibia’s Business Innovation Award. He says young Namibians must find the purpose and start a revolution economically or developmentally. “I would like [to]advise young Namibian professionals that once you are qualified with a degree and get a top job, please don’t get too comfortable, learn as much work experience as you can from your employer and go set up your own company because that is the only way we are going to win the war on poverty and create more jobs for other less fortunate Namibians,” he says.
Through his journey, David learnt that there is no success without the pain of hard work and focus. He is currently the Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Namibia Industrial Group and Go Safe “Eenda Nawa” (Pty) Ltd as well as six other start up subsidiary companies, including the award winning Go Safe “Eenda Nawa’’ (Pty)Ltd, Makalani toilet paper, Namibia Roadworks and Pavements and the Namibia Labour Consulting, amongst others.