TWENTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Sandra Mwiihangele has been recognised as a star entrepreneur on the African continent by Forbes Africa magazine.
The young entrepreneur told The Namibian in an interview on Monday that she was honoured and humbled to have made it onto Forbes Africa’s ’30 under 30′ list this year. She is the only Namibian on the list.
Forbes Africa said it spent months hunting for ’30 under 30′ entrepreneurs busy building businesses, creating jobs and transforming Africa. The annual list exposes the young stars on the horizon.
Forbes Africa, a South Africa-based entrepreneurship focused magazine, in the stable of US-based Forbes Media, on Monday revealed the ’30 under 30′ list in its latest issue.
Forbes Africa’s Ancillar Mangena, who worked on the list, told The Namibian yesterday that this year’s list features more women, including Namibia’s own Mwiihangele.
“She comes from a long line of entrepreneurs, yet she didn’t let it get to her head, but rather used it as a motivation to build her own brand. Also, she didn’t let her stutter stand in the way of achieving her goals.
Sandra is a go-getter, making her mark in the tough manufacturing industry,” Mangena noted.
An excited Mwiihangele said the Forbes Africa recognition was definitely a dream come true, especially because her business is only two years old.
She said this recognition added to her growing list of accolades, and that she was extremely grateful.
Mwiihangele is a qualified cosmetic chemist who owns KiyomiSandz, a cosmetics and toiletry products manufacturing business, which she says was still growing.
There’s always a lot more work to be done when building a business, she added.
She said she was working on implementing an exciting and innovative marketing strategy around her Summer Rain Collection products.
Her products are available through Medicine World pharmacies, and will soon be in Spar stores in Windhoek.
“I’ve also just completed developing a wonderful Summer Rain Collection of products, tailor-made for the hospitality and tourism industry, consisting of a shampoo, hair conditioner, body lotion and body wash,” she beamed.
Apart from KiyomiSandz, Mwiihangele is also chairperson of the new cosmetics sector steering committee of the trade ministry, in conjunction with GIZ, since earlier this year.
“Developing a cosmetics industrial growth plan will lead to the improvement of this vital industry, whereby it can greatly contribute to the advancement of our country’s economy, especially resulting in increased employment and the exporting of our proudly Namibian products,” she stated.
Mwiihangele said her recognition by Forbes Africa showed what young Namibian entrepreneurs could achieve.
“This prestigious listing adds more credibility to the products I manufacture, and to the third-party manufacturing services which my business currently offers. Being the first Namibian to make it onto this coveted list also shines a light on Namibia overall by showing the rest of the world that the youth in Namibia, who start innovative businesses, are indeed investable [sic], and that we have what it takes to become successful and internationally recognised,” she said.
Mwiihangele said she intends to grow KiyomiSandz into an exporting enterprise, and to employ more people.
PERSEVERANCE
Mwiihangele has advice for young Namibians with entrepreneurial dreams.
“If you fully comprehend the field you want to start your business in and how you are going to execute your goals, then you are already halfway to achieving your overall business vision and mission,” she said.
She added that young Namibians should remain focused and not let others block their entrepreneurial journey, or their personal growth.
