2017-08-23Staff Report 2 Tuulikki Abraham Oranjemund Growing up close to business moguls of his village, the likes of Tobias Indongo and Tate Kadhila, two of those who were close friends to his father, inspired a young boy who has now become a young entrepreneur. Immanuel Natangwe Imbili, 26, was born and raised in the village of Oshitayi two kilometres north of Ondangwa in the Oshana Region. He is now a qualified electrician with a National Diploma (N3) in Electrical Engineering. He established his own electrical business known as Imms’s Empire Trading CC in February 2016 in Oranjemund. His core business is consultancy in general electrical engineering and the electrical wiring of plots but he branches into other opportunities such as construction and all the work requiring technical skills such as metal fabrication, plumbing and pipe fitting, carpentry, joinery and tiling. Imbili says he currently employs two artisans and one general assistant. However, the human capacity changes depending on the volume of work from time to time. He emphasises that there is a lot of space for growth and expansion in the electrical field, thus he plans expanding more into the mining industry by offering motor and transformer repair services to the mines. “I think this approach will help the mines to cut costs and provide business opportunities to the experts in the industry,” he says. Imbili also plans to open a vocational school in Oranjemund. “Being an artisan, I acknowledge the importance of applied skill, and I believe that the fore wheels towards national industrialisation lie within implementation and strengthening vocational education and skills development,” emphasises the young entrepreneur. The vocation school, to be known as Namibia Institute of Excellence, will be a supply chain for skills and training for the mining industry. The institution aims to make vocational training and skill development affordable and accessible all over Namibia to trigger industrialisation and infrastructure development. The institute is expected to accommodate more than 100 students in its first intake, and as it expands in the long run, it will avail hostel accommodation if need be. The institute targets to have centres in Lüderitz and Rosh Pinah, with the main campus being in the diamond town of Oranjemund. Imbili adds that he plans on expanding the institute to the northern parts of Namibia with an information and communication technology (ICT) programme. The institute will also have secondary school programmes, which will be offering tutorials to learners repeating Grade 10 and 12, to help learners improve their points through the Namibia College of Open Learning (Namcol). Imbili’s portfolio and responsibilities include being the president of Southern Youth Entrepreneurs (SYE), a youth organisation that mentors and grooms entrepreneurs professionally through the concept of human capital investment. He is also the executive director of the Namibia Institute of Excellence (Vocational and Training) and a managing director of Imms’s Empire Trading CC. 2017-08-23Staff Report 2
