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Elzine Gawaxab-Mushambi

Founding Impact in Africa

Elzine Gawaxab-Mushambi is changing the narrative on the continent. “There is no sense in waiting for economic help to come from some ‘Prince FirstWorld’ – we must take our future into our own hands by creating opportunities and growing our economies”, she says.

She was born in Windhoek and lived abroad with her family for some years before returning home to complete high school. Then it was off to study. Elzine achieved a Masters in Science from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, a Masters of Business Leadership from the University of South Africa’s Graduate School of Business Leadership and, also from the University of South Africa, a Bachelor of Commerce Degree.

After a varied career as a planner for the retail store Truworths, a project manager at Old Mutual and as a senior project manager at the Engen Petroleum Company in Kenya, Elzine founded Impact Tank, Namibia's first social impact venture builder focused on building sustainable ventures and supporting the entrepreneurfounders to scale them. This new endeavour combined her experience and knowledge.

“Venture Capital is not a well known concept in Namibia, or in Africa in general,” Elzine notes, “But it is becoming more common to know and understand ‘venture’ and use the term.” However, Impact Tank operates in the impact investing sector, which is less commonly known. Elzine emphasises that it is building commercially viable businesses that solve social problems and social challenges in different thematic areas, such as indigenous knowledge, the green economy, technology and the emerging technologies space. “Impact Tank, specifically, wants to identify what the development gaps are in the country, define the problems and then build the companies to solve them while growing the economy as well”, she says.

According to Elzine this industry requires a rockhard work ethic and deep motivation. Her inspiration comes from her family and every single Namibian, Elzine says. “As Namibians we are so resilient.” She has hope for what Namibia could be. Through empowering Namibians, Elzine wants to change the narrative of what Namibia and Namibian non-profits look like.

As part of the interview to join Impact Tank as a business, entrepreneurs are asked where they might have found themselves if it was 1980 and the liberation struggle was raging in our country. Elzine believes that this shows a person’s values and grit in persevering through challenges.

If life is a fairy-tale, Elzine is the princess who slays the dragon and saves the people.