adminKiyapili Sibanda, Business Reporter
A 20-YEAR-OLD Bulawayo young entrepreneur has defied the odds by setting up an information technology (IT) solutions company that promises to transform business operations.
Miss Sithabile Ndlovu launched the new company, Techno.Intell, at a colourful ceremony that was attended by businesspersons in Bulawayo on Tuesday night.
The firm specialises in providing technology and intelligence to companies for them to remain viable and move with the new technological advancements.
Miss Ndlovu started the business in South Africa two months back where she recently applied to have a registered private company, Viking Technointell, in that country. “Viking” is her late father’s name. The firm’s operations have been approved by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission of South Africa.
Miss Ndlovu is a graduate from the University of Cape Town where she studied business analysis technology. She is now doing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Technology with the Pearson Institute of Higher Education in Pretoria.
Miss Ndlovu has so far recruited seven workers who are tasked with driving the growth of the company.
She told Business Chronicle at the launch that she was very excited about the achievement, which is a fulfilment of a dream to contribute to the development of Bulawayo, her city of origin.
“I launched this company in Bulawayo because I grew up here and I am very passionate about my home area. I want to see the city grow in terms of technological advancements because it seems we are behind. Many people wanted me to launch the company in Harare but I decided that Bulawayo has to grow and has the potential to have a great impact on the economy,” said Miss Ndlovu.
“This is a virtual based company, which means we operate using laptops and computers using the internet. We target all economic sectors since technology is limitless.”
She could not be drawn to disclose how much was invested in the business but said her desire was to grow the company with a focus on job creation in the city and beyond in line with the Government’s economic ideals.
Miss Ndlovu said embracing modern technology was at the heart of developing a sound economy adding that the so called first world countries have leaped forward largely because of technological advancement.
“Technology is limitless and evolving. Take a look at Western countries on how they managed to develop using technology. Their companies have managed to be viable and I think we have a huge role to play by embracing technology to the next level to grow the economy,” said Miss Ndlovu.
She said Bulawayo needs to embrace new technology and match the global business realities and challenged businesses to utilise opportunities offered by the digital revolution.
To Miss Ndlovu, technology has a huge bearing on the performance of any economy hence all productive sectors need to move with times.
“Technology cuts across all economic sectors be it agriculture or mining. It doesn’t matter what sector of industry you are in. Technology is needed as this helps sectors to go to the next level. For example, in agriculture you need technology like sensors and trackers. The same applies to the mining sector. The simple thing is identifying the best technology that is needed for that sector and applying it effectively,” she said.
The guest of honour during the launch, who is chief executive officer of United Refineries Limited, Mr Busisa Moyo, said only 15 percent of the companies in the country use ICTs for their marketing and this shows that “as a country we are behind” in terms of technological advancements.
He commended the launch of Techno.Intell saying as a good initiative that would add value to the city’s economy. Meanwhile, Miss Ndlovu encouraged youths to come out of their comfort zones and be innovative so as to bring the best out of the challenges being faced in the economy. — @Kiyaz_Cool
Bongani Ndlovu