Raimo Ndapewa Naanda

On 19 May 2022, I was honoured and privileged to attend one of the graduation ceremonies of the University of Namibia at its main campus.  

Unam will be celebrating its 30th anniversary in August this year, and I am taking off my hat for the institution to hold its graduation ceremonies for the first time in history at its campuses across the country. 

 I also have to congratulate the organisers of the graduation ceremony, as the graduation procedures only lasted a duration of 1h45.  Well done, Unam, for this milestone.

During this event, I witnessed the graduation of students from the Faculty of Commerce, Management and Law.   I am informed that 4 697 students will be graduating this year at all twelve (12) Unam campuses countrywide at the end of its graduation on 1 June 2022. This was indeed a joyous occasion for the graduates and their parents.  

The spirit during the event was so high and overwhelming – I must admit.

Dr Jacob Nyambe, executive dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Management & Law, in his welcoming remarks, encouraged the graduates not to aspire to become job seekers but to rather opt to become job creators, which should result in them employing others.  What a noble encouragement. 

The question that immediately struck me was whether graduates really understood what Dr Nyambe was alluding to.

Also, another question that went through my mind was whether graduates were properly equipped to become job creators to start their own businesses rather than becoming job seekers.

I know many Unam graduates, particularly lawyers, who are excelling in the legal profession in our country today and have opened up their own law firms. 

For this achievement, Unam really deserves to be commended for a job well done.  

I do not want to dwell too much on the success of such lawyers, but one should also understand what made them successful entrepreneurs.

The word “entrepreneur” comes from the French verb entreprendre, meaning, “to undertake”.  

Three well-known economist thinkers of the 20th century, namely Joseph Schumpeter, Frank Knight and Israel Kirzner were central to unpacking the concept entrepreneurship. Schumpeter suggested that entrepreneurs – not just companies – were responsible for the creation of new things in pursuit of profits. 

Knight focused on entrepreneurs as the bearers of uncertainty and believed they were responsible for risk premiums.  

Kirzner thought of entrepreneurship as a process that led to the discovery of new things.

While trying myself to understand what entrepreneurship was all about, the question that also came to my mind was whether entrepreneurs are born or self-made.

 In exploring these questions, one wonders as to what made those persons become successful entrepreneurs.   One can, therefore, argue that entrepreneurs are born (self-made) or they can be nurtured.
I would like to argue that entrepreneurs can be nurtured. In many developing countries, we have seen that such economies are successfully driven by small and medium enterprises (“SMEs”), which are established by people who have graduated from either colleges, vocational training colleges or universities.

I believe that for one to become a successful entrepreneur, they should be well prepared during your training. Also, the necessary environment should be established for one to start your own business and successfully operate such a business.  

It is unfortunate that today, in our country, many such conditions for young people to start their own business might be minimal and or in the worst case none existent. For the country to encourage SME development, the whole economic ecosystem must be in sync, meaning the academic fraternity should churn out quality products, the job environment (both formal and informal as well as the employer and employee relations and financial institutions) should be equally leveled and the capital markets must be efficient to allow for funding and greater innovation.  

An imbalance in the above equation will not help to stimulate the economy and/or drive the entrepreneurial spirit we so much want to achieve.

It is no secret that there exists many barriers to entry, especially when it comes to funding. 

Financial institutions are there to make profits – but at the same time, they must make funding more accessible and not put up stringent lending requirements that discourage the youth from obtaining the necessary start-up capital.  

Also, we must acknowledge that many courses of study do not include an element of basic financial literacy, which is fundamental for success in business.  

The call, in this regard, is perhaps to consider entrepreneurial skills in curriculum development from primary school level to tertiary level.

It is also important to note that most academic spheres are able to develop entrepreneurs – be it in the medical space, theology, all social sciences, arts and vocational trades.  

It is possible for graduates to come together and form co-operatives or private companies and offer their services jointly, rather than try to do it alone.  

There is always strength in numbers – and as the old African proverb goes, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone and if you want to go far, go together’.
 This also brings me to a quote read by His Lordship, Hon. Justice Peter Shivute during his address at the graduation that “Success is not the end and failure is not fatal”.  

This, in essence, means that graduates must not only consider graduation as an end but to look at it as the beginning and that in life; one will succeed at times and also fail but must have the courage to stand up and learn from that experience. 

So, as in business, entrepreneurs face a lot of challenges but with the right guidance and mentorship, failures can be turned into positive learning experiences. 

  During 2017, the Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation trained over 120 graduates through the Student Entrepreneurship Program (SEP).  This program targeted graduates from institutions of higher learning, such as the Vocational Training Centres and universities, and aimed at equipping participants with the necessary skills to start and run their own businesses.  

The unfortunate experience at the time, after training, participants experienced lack of funding for them to start their businesses, despite the fact that one of the local banks created expectations to support participants with funding upon completion of their training.

of graduates from institutions of higher learning, after completing their studies, have an obligation to pay back their loans to the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF), and if they do not have means to an income, the NSFAF revolving fund cannot assist others.  

Also, many of these students don’t have collateral to submit to financial institutions to acquire funding to start their brown businesses. Thus, for many to start their own businesses, remains a long pipe dream.

A call is, therefore, for government and our financial institutions to create environments to encourage graduates to start their own business. 

Vision 2030 can only be achieved if we support our graduates from our institutions of higher learning to start their own businesses so that they too can assist in job creation and wealth distribution. 

For sure, as long as the current status remains, many of these graduates will not secure employment prospects in our economy and will join the many unemployed graduates already in the country.

Without any doubt, to turn around the economy and reduce the high unemployment rate in this country, calls for graduates who have the entrepreneurial capabilities to be assisted and supported to start their own businesses and employ others must be heard. If not, our economy will remain fragile, and the youth unemployment rate will continue unabated.

* Dr Raimo Ndapewa Naanda is a TVET specialist. He is a holder of a PhD in Curriculum Studies from the University of Stellenbosch.