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Road to being a pioneer in manufacturing in Namibia

Ndalishi is a safety boots and gumboot manufacturing company founded by Lars Ndalikokule Shinyemba, a young Namibian entrepreneur. Ndalishi was founded in 2019. The Ndalishi manufacturing facility is located in the coastal town known for mining, Arandis. Ndalishi is currently the only Namibian manufacturer of safety boots. Careers, asked Ndalikokule what inspired him to start a safety boots and gumboot manufacturing company and he said: “After studying in China for a number of years I have really been in love with the process of manufacturing. I looked into many other projects, but the love of shoes captivated me more.” Ndalishi has five employees working in the factory at the moment but they are still in the process of recruiting and looking at expanding the business. As part of expanding the business, Ndalishi aims to work with more brands because currently they only work with three brands. In the next five years Ndalikokule sees Ndalishi becoming one of the largest boot manufacturers in Southern Africa. When it comes to challenges, Covid-19 was a huge obstacle to face for Ndalishi, because they weren’t able to import machinery during the lockdown period and the factory was closed for four months. When Careers asked Ndalikokule what measures he put in place to overcome all the challenges Covid-19 brought, he said: “We had to work with a smaller group of employees to be able to meet the timelines that we missed due to Covid-19.” As much as there were challenges, there have also been a few positives. “We get a lot of encouragement for being the first and we have a lot of people who are supporting us and a lot of people never knew that a Namibian company could set up an establishment like this,” Ndalikokule says. Careers asked Ndalikokule what message he had for his potential customers. “Please buy Ndalishi shoes; they are proudly Namibian and they are made by people who have a passion for it,” he replied.