Musese: A small corrugated iron structure in Musese Constituency houses what has become a lifeline for residents who previously had to travel hundreds of kilometres to access basic printing and photography services. Wisdom Design and Computing, a youth-led printing shop in Kavango West, has become a beacon of local empowerment after receiving IT equipment worth N.dollars 88 000 from the Kavango West Regional Council through the VAT Fund for the 2024/2025 financial year. The support, aimed at helping young entrepreneurs with ongoing projects but limited resources, has enabled the group to expand its services and bring essential business solutions closer to their community.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the five-member team, comprising three men and two women, has transformed their struggling venture into a thriving business that serves the entire community. What started as a photography studio in 2012 with minimal equipment has evolved into a comprehensive service centre offering copying, lamination, scanning, typing, email assistance, and professional photography.
Before receiving government support, the team operated with basic equipment, forcing them to make costly trips to Rundu for printing services while seeking assistance for better equipment. ‘We started the studio back in 2012. We were struggling until we got money to buy a small camera. We would go to Rundu for printing because we did not have a photo printer,’ said Stephanus Hausiku, 29, the administrative officer of the cooperative.
Hausiku said running the business was expensive. ‘It was very costly. While busy operating our studio by just offering photography services, we were also running up and down to see where we could get help for more equipment, and that’s when we went to the Musese Constituency office where we requested the government to help us,’ he said.
Their persistence paid off when the regional council approved their funding request, providing modern equipment that has revolutionised their operations and eliminated the need for community members to travel to Nkurenkuru or Rundu for similar services. ‘We haven’t had many complaints so far because people are now getting most of the services from us,’ Hausiku noted.
However, success has brought new challenges. The small corrugated iron structure that houses their operations has become inadequate for their expanded services and growing customer base. ‘The space where we are operating from is very small and is not big enough for our equipment and customers. During the summer it is very hot and our customers have to wait outside,’ Hausiku said.
Martha Sirongo, another youth operator at the printing shop, highlighted additional operational challenges, particularly the high cost of consumables for their government-provided equipment. ‘Another challenge is the printing machine that we got; the cartridge it uses is very expensive because it costs around N.dollars 3 000. While we were using the one we got, we made income and bought another printing machine, which is somehow cheap compared to the one we got from the fund,’ Sirongo explained.
The team’s resourcefulness is evident in their reinvestment strategy. Using income generated from their operations, they purchased additional equipment, including a new photo printer and laptop, demonstrating their commitment to growth and sustainability. Currently, all five employees work voluntarily, with plans to introduce salaries and expand their workforce once the business stabilises financially. The cooperative operates from a building provided free of charge by a relative, with electricity being its only overhead cost.
Security concerns add another layer of complexity to their operations. The inadequate building structure makes their valuable equipment vulnerable to theft, forcing team members to take turns sleeping at the premises. ‘We spend most of our time at the business because criminals can easily enter, so what we do is that we have shifts among the males to have one sleeping in the building and look after the items. We just lock ourselves inside and in the morning you go home, shower, and come back to work,’ Hausiku said.
Despite these challenges, the team maintains an optimistic outlook and ambitious plans for the future. Their long-term vision extends beyond personal success to community development through skills transfer. ‘Our long-term plan is to start offering training to other youth so they gain the experience we have and start their own businesses,’ said Hausiku.
The cooperative has recommendations for improving future funding initiatives. They suggest that the regional council should engage project owners more closely during the procurement process and consider increasing funding amounts to ensure sustainable foundations for youth enterprises. ‘They must double-check the quotations and always engage us because the project owners know what they need and know the best equipment that can sustain them,’ Sirongo advised.