ONANKALI: Abraham Shikongo, a resident of Onankali village in the Oshikoto Region, founded the Onankali Paper Project in 2001 with the aim of developing skills among local youth and sustaining his community.

According to NAMPA, Shikongo revealed that he established the Onankali Mahangu Paper Making Close Corporation (OMPMCC) on May 20, 2002, and registered it with the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade as a small and medium enterprise (SME). Shikongo said that all members of OMPMCC have undergone varied training from the Rössing Foundation and the University of Namibia Northern Campus to acquire small business development skills.

OMPMCC specializes in paper production from Mahangu stalks, with a product line that includes envelopes, photo albums, notebooks, bookmarks, book covers, gift tags, conference folders, wrapping paper, and greeting cards, among other stationery items and crafts. These products are sold both nationally and internationally to tourists.

The initiative addresses environmental and socio-economic issues by recycling used papers, Shikongo added. The used papers are mixed with Mahangu fibres to produce new paper, reducing litter and the need to cut down trees for new paper production.

OMPMCC Secretary Jonas Nghihulu mentioned plans to manufacture egg cartons and toilet paper from recycled paper starting next year. Nghihulu explained that they collect used white paper from various institutions and use Mahangu stalks from a two-hectare piece of land granted to them by the Ondonga Traditional Authority last year.

Despite facing challenges like a shortage of modern equipment and low demand due to the product’s quality, Nghihulu said the project is focused on diversification and quality improvement to become commercially viable. He mentioned that product diversification is essential as the existing products do not generate sufficient income for sustainable business operations.

Local customer Haihambo Matheus urged Namibians to support small and medium enterprises like OMPMCC. He lamented that people generally prefer to support larger companies, leaving smaller businesses to struggle.