2017-02-16Staff Report 2 Alvine Kapitako Windhoek-The former managing director of Old Mutual Africa, Johannes !Gawaxab, on Monday stressed the need for a strong private sector in order to grow the country’s economy. Speaking at the launch of the latest edition of the ‘Who’s Who Namibia’ magazine, he said that in order to grow the economy young people, especially those in the private sector, should be prepared to work hard and not take shortcuts to success. !Gawaxab now holds the position of executive chairman at EOS capital - a Namibian private equity fund manager “The moment you get into a top job you need to understand that it is difficult to lead something you don’t understand, and therefore there are no shortcuts to success,” !Gawaxab said. “Take your time and learn from people. We need to make sure that we understand what this is all about,” he noted. He added the country needs leaders who can work even with limited resources in order to develop the country. “Our aspirations should succeed our resources,” !Gawaxab, who is among those profiled in the latest edition of the Who’s Who Namibia magazine, said. The Who’s Who Namibia magazine is a source of information and a reference on the Namibian private sector. The magazine contains a new section, ‘Movers and Shakers, Rainmakers and Pot-stirrers’ where it features 20 Namibians who have made significant contributions to the country. Letshego Chief Executive Officer, Ester Kali, said that young people could decide whether their story will be inspirational or boring. “…I was told by my teacher that I am stupid and I will never work for the bank. The question is do you believe in yourselves as youth? Believe in yourselves,” Kali, who narrated her success story, said. She said that she was very curious and always looked for an opportunity to help, “I don’t think that any successful person got it for mahala (free),” Kali stressed. She advised that people should ‘speak blessings over their lives and not curses’, and attributed her success to God. “What has helped me is that I placed God first,” Kali added, saying there are many opportunities out there for young people. Meanwhile, Dennis De Wet, the owner and founder of Slowtown Coffee Roasters said that young people needed to find out who they were, and what they were passionate about. “Do an excellent job in what you are doing,” De Wet said. The book also features activist and academic Job Amupanda. Speaking at the occasion, he said that the majority of people in Namibia and Africa are young people. Yet, they are often disadvantaged in terms of opportunities. “We are saying that nonsense has to stop,” he stated. “We are in times where our country has to change. We have to take some decisions that are not popular and we are taking our future into our hands,” Amupanda added. Thea Visser, the founder and editor of Who’s Who Namibia, said that young people were wasting their time, which is “a precious commodity”. “Don’t waste your precious commodity, which is time, and I would advise young people to read,” Visser urged. 2017-02-16Staff Report 2
