Patience Makwele
A Namibian graduate who spent four years looking for a job has found an alternative in cross-border trading, sourcing clothes, hair accessories and other goods from Angola and now training others to do the same.
Jastina Ndahafa Uugwanga, who graduated about four years ago, said she became frustrated after repeatedly applying for jobs without success.
Despite having a qualification, she said she eventually reached a point where she had to stop waiting for formal employment and find another way to make a living.
Her experience comes as many young Namibians continue to struggle to enter the labour market.
The Namibia Statistics Agency’s 2023 Labour Force Report puts unemployment among people aged 15 to 34 at 44.4%, compared with 36.9% nationally. Among young women, the rate was 48.2%.
Uugwanga said she got the idea to start ordering goods from Angola in 2023 after seeing social media posts from an influencer encouraging people to travel there and start businesses.
“I was like, okay, this is now something that I am going to try,” she said.
She did not have enough money to fund the trip herself, so she turned to her family. Relatives contributed what they could through a family group, eventually helping her raise enough money to go to Angola with a friend who already had experience sourcing goods there.
But her first trip took a frightening turn.
Uugwanga narrated how she was resting at a house in Angola while her friend had gone out for a short time (approximately 30 minutes). She had been tired after spending the day shopping and decided to stay behind.
She said she woke up to the sound of someone trying to forcefully open the door.
“I closed my eyes for maybe five minutes after a day of shopping that evening and I heard a noise coming from the lock, I locked at it and it looked like someone from outside was trying to open it. I was scared so I reached out for my phone which was charging across the room, before I could get to it, two men broke into the room,” she narrated.
According to Uugwanga, the two men were armed and took her phone and about 3 000 Angolan Kwanza from her wallet.
She said one of the men pulled out a knife, held it against her neck and threatened to kill her if she screamed.
She said the men then tried to sexually assault her while she fought back.
“I could not scream at the time because they looked so terrified and they said if I was going to scream, they were going to slash my throat,” she said.
Uugwanga said she fought back until another woman who was passing outside heard the commotion and called for help.
The men were taken to the police and, according to Ndahafa, her phone and money were recovered.
The incident left her afraid to return to Angola.
“It took me approximately four months to recover from that whole process,” she said.
But after returning to Namibia, she went back to selling the products she had bought and started selling them.
She said she made about N$12 000 in less than two weeks.
Much of the money went towards supporting her family, leaving her with about N$5 000 after several months.
An amount she said gave her a reason to try again.
When she returned to Angola, she travelled with a larger group instead of going with only one other person.
She continued travelling between Namibia and Angola and gradually became more experienced in sourcing and selling goods.
Three years later, she said she is no longer travelling only for her own business. She now takes people with her and teaches them how to order products.
“I now train, I now go with people, those that want to learn how to order. I train them, we go together,” she said.
Adding that her first experience in Angola also changed the way she approaches group trips.
“I make sure that no one is left out of my sight whenever we go because it’s my responsibility to protect them,” she said.
The business has since allowed her to support her family, including relatives studying at local institutions.
She has also invested in vehicles, including two delivery vehicles she uses to transport parcels and attend to customers.
Her experience is part of a wider informal cross-border trading economy between Namibia and Angola.
The Namibia Statistics Agency recorded N$10.3 million in informal cross-border trade across selected Namibia-Angola and Namibia-Zambia border posts in November 2023.
Oshikango accounted for 46.7% of the recorded trade, while Angola was the source of 94.4% of imports recorded in the survey.
But travelling across the border to source goods also comes with practical challenges.
Traders have to deal with transport costs, currency exchange, language barriers and customs requirements.
NamRA requires goods acquired outside Namibia to be declared when entering the country, while its traveller allowance does not apply to goods brought in for commercial purposes.
For Uugwanga, learning how to navigate those challenges has become part of the business.
She says she has now reached a point where she is no longer waiting for an employer to give her an opportunity.
“After making that N$15 000.00 I decided then, if a job was not going to find me, I was going to create a job for myself,” she said.
She also believes fear prevents some young people from exploring opportunities outside their comfort zones.
“A lot of people were telling me that you can always go to Angola or start somewhere, but I was afraid because I was too comfortable at home and relied on the support from my family but the question I asked myself was, how long will they continue supporting me?,” she said.
Her advice to young people struggling with unemployment is simple.
“Find ways, face your fears, take a step, sacrifice here and there, whatever works for you, take it seriously.”
