By Koviao Matuzee
At just 24, Ngahupe Reinhard Mutirua is already looking back on a journey that began with three cattle, a few goats and a childhood shaped by life on a farm.
The young farmer from Otjituuo, who grew up on a farm about 60 kilometers from Grootfontein, is building his future around something that has been part of his life since he was four years old.
Raised by his grandmother and father alongside his younger sister, Mutirua grew up in a household of four where farming was not considered a business opportunity.
Unfortunately, at 14, he lost his father and for a teenager who had spent his childhood on a farm with his father, the loss was a defining moment.
His father was no longer there to guide him into the years ahead, but the life they had shared on the farm remained.
At 13, a year before his father’s death, Mutirua had started with three cattle and a few goats.
At the time, he did not see himself as an entrepreneur.
“I had been farming from a very young age with three cattle I started with at the age of 13 and a few goats,” Mutirua said.
Growing up as a young Herero man in a farming environment, agriculture was deeply rooted into his everyday life and was not something he had to discover but knew.
Nonetheless, as he grew older, exposure began to change the way he looked at it.
While working in the United Kingdom (UK), Mutirua encountered farmers and business-minded people who approached agriculture as a business rather than simply a lifestyle.
He began to see that farming could go beyond livestock and that the land could support different business opportunities.
His father’s younger brother, Vato Rukoro, whom he regards as a mentor and role model, became another major influence.
Rukoro’s passion for farming showed Mutirua what it looked like when someone treated agriculture not only as a tradition, but as a serious enterprise.
Mutirua’s entrepreneurial spirit was also close to home, with his mother running the successful trucking company known as Leo Transport, giving him another example of what could be achieved through business.
“Motivation started at home before it went out into the world,” he said.
According to Mutirua, finding his direction did not happen without a few wrong turns.
At 19, Mutirua ventured into the taxi business, which eventually failed, and other business ideas followed, but many struggled.
“The only thing that was doing great was the farming,” he said.
However, that did not curb his enthusiasm; that experience gave Mutirua a different understanding of purpose.
“I’ve since then had the understanding that what you are meant to do or be will work out with ease, and that’s what the farming was to me,” he said.
According to him, it was not simply about finding something that made money.
It was about recognizing where his natural strength, passion, and purpose were.
“It taught me to work on my strengths,” he said.
His journey has also taught him the danger of trying to do everything alone.
When he started out, Mutirua believed he could figure things out by himself.
The result was a number of mistakes and what he describes as casualties.
Those experiences, however, changed his approach.
“There is always someone who did it before you, so ask for advice and be around people who will help you grow,” he said.
Today, his ambition is to grow beyond being an SME and establish himself as a large commercial farming enterprise.
However, for a young farmer, getting there is not easy.
Mutirua says access to finance remains one of his biggest obstacles.
He has applied for Agribank and government funding, but says young entrepreneurs often struggle to secure the loans needed to expand their operations.
Mutirua also added that he has noticed that beneficiary lists frequently feature older farmers, something he believes highlights the difficulties young people face when trying to establish themselves in agriculture.
For now, he continues to rely on hard work, family, and the people who have supported his journey.
Uncurbed by the challenges, Mutirua has no intention of abandoning the industry.
Three of his five business ventures are linked to farming.
“Farming is my life,” he said.
“Everything I want to do is around farming,” he added.
While farming remains at the heart of his business interests, Mutirua has also built ventures in construction, transport and logistics, broadening his entrepreneurial footprint beyond agriculture.
Mutirua has already experienced the kind of failures that could make many people give up.
However, he sees his youth as an advantage.
He believes young Namibians should start early, take risks and make mistakes while they still have time to recover.
“I would advise any young people to start the business idea early and make those mistakes while you can start over and still be young,” he said.
Yet beneath the confidence of a young entrepreneur is a man who still remembers the boy he once was.
If he could speak to his younger self, Mutirua says he would not tell him to change the path he took.
“Keep up, you’re doing alright,” he said.
Mutirua says people often become too hard on themselves because they are in such a hurry to succeed.
“If I hadn’t gone through what I went through, I would have treated a lot of things differently in my business and personal life,” he said.
Mutirua is not measuring his life by how quickly he can get to the top, but by taking it one step at a time.
His message to young Namibians is to dream big, work for what you want and, above all, find something you are passionate about.
“Take one step at a time and we will get there. Don’t be in a rush. Just enjoy the journey and take in as much as you can,” Mutirua said.
