You might have seen him on TV for 91 days, as he represented Namibia at the fourth season of the Big Brother Africa Show (BBA) and finishing third place, Helsinki-based Edward Mandume Moongo says he is trying out that new modern life as a “Diasporic entrepreneur” but home will always be where the heart is.
“I am very much tied to Namibia and will always remain to that effect,” Moongo told Entertainment Now! he left Namibia by choice, which was mainly influenced by matters of the heart of studying and chasing his academic dream.
“I went on and studied visual merchandising in Helsinki and I got a chance to do my internship in Ikea and I then came up with my unique business idea, as I saw that the retail market was lacking something Unique,” detailed Moongo. Without divulging into what business he is venturing into, Moongo stated that leaving the BBA experience a decade ago opened many doors, especially out in the public, both in South Africa and Namibia.
“I followed the bandwagon for a bit and climbed off while contemplating on what I wanted and needed for myself. I furthered my studies and I was the first student at Business Collage Helsinki to register my own business and was fortunate to be selected from 2 000+ students to study a first pilot course at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Science,” said Moongo.
Having lived in Finland for about six years now, Moongo said he has settled in well and although he occasionally comes home, he also has a family of his own. “Almost married and yes, it prides me to say I am a father of a five-year-old daughter and a grown young man,” revealed Moongo.
He became part of Helsinki’s entrepreneurial society, where they help enthusiastic entrepreneurs to breakthrough. “This entails networking at events with likeminded entrepreneurs.
They provide a platform for enthusiastic and ambitious talents to try out their wings, test their ideas and boost their future growth with skills and competencies that they wouldn’t gain elsewhere,” he said.
Finland currently on lockdown has prompted Moongo to appreciate his unique business idea and build on it. “This has led me to concentrate, as I now have to do an internship for my own start-up company with my school and this is all because of the lockdown,” he conveyed.
He has applauded the Finish government for the abundance of information it has been spreading amidst the Covid-19, which has affected the world at large. “We are informed through all kinds of ways and I read an online article that this country pioneered by collaborating with local social media influencers to disseminate crucial information. This I find amazing,” he attested.
What he has learned about the virus is that everything is relative. “The world was forced to take that break, find new ways during the chaos, and then manage this new way of life; I guess different degrees of humanity and humility baring itself-out,” believed Moongo.
– psiririka@nepc.co.na