WINDHOEK – Two young graduates from Walvis Bay have decided to shun a life of dependence and instead joined forces to start a furniture business called Lidamuna Furniture Manufacturing Project.
Wilhelm Itope and Taimi Valombweleni aged between 29 and 31 are the two proud partners in the successful start-up business project, which operates from the Singles Quarters in Kuisebmund, Walvis Bay, behind the Ekutu Lyatika Open Market. The two graduated from the Namibia Institution of Mining and Technology (NIMT) (Arandis Campus), where they acquired the National Vocational Certificate in carpentry and joinery. They are qualified artisans and have been through various internships and job attachments around the coastal towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, before venturing out on their own. “We started in August 2011 as a very small woodwork project in Kuisebmund, with not enough tools to do the jobs and we actually used to ignore some small tenders due to the fact that we didn’t have the right tools to do the job,” said the two entrepreneurs. According to them, Lidamuna grew at a slow pace, because there were very few customers in the beginning and insufficient funds to buy raw materials. However, towards the end of 2011, they became involved with the Namibia Rural Development Project (NRDP), where they trained and were offered financial assistance under the Namibia Youth Credit Scheme (NYCS).
“We gained more knowledge and skills in business management, such as costing and pricing, bookkeeping, cash flow projection, how to expand and increase our production line and meet customer demand and business plan writing. The Namibia Youth Credit Scheme Programme really opened doors for our business. We have benefitted a lot whether through the training in basic business management, attending conferences, and exhibiting at trade fairs and expos.” They say they used their first loan to purchase machinery and even managed to pay back the loan within a six-months period. “The second loan was a huge amount compared to the first loan which was N$6 000 and we paid it back as well within six months. That money was used to buy stock and portable electronic machinery for our project. The business is doing well and we didn’t experience any problems on repaying the loan. We currently have a loan of N$20 000,” they say, which they appreciate. According to the two the only remaining challenge they have is finding suitable premises to operate from, since they still operate from a house which is in a residential area, which is not zoned for trading, which means they are operating in contravention of municipal by-laws and regulations. Transportation also remains a huge challenge. They have to wait for two to three days for the suppliers to deliver raw materials or for them to deliver finnished products to customers, which is costly.
Their future plans include producing quality production designs based on the latest consumer trends and customer demand. “We are planning to operate from the industrial area with industrial machinery that will increase our production volumes,” said the two young entrepreneurs. Currently Lidamuna employes five people and one student on a job attachment. They also hire casual workers if there is a lot of work to be done.
Story by Loide Jason