Administering housing contracts countrywide

MICHELLINE NAWATISES

Indileni Set-Sam Iipinge is a civil engineer by profession. He was born and raised at the village of Okau-Kamasheshe west of Oshakati along with three elder sisters. His late parents were both veterans of the liberation struggle.

Iipinge is married to Mee Magano and blessed with three adorable children. He attended school from grade one until grade 10 at Okau Combined School at the same village. In 1999, he attended grade 11 and 12 at Negumbo Senior Secondary School and matriculated in the year 2000.

At the age of 16 (in 2001), Iipinge registered for the civil engineering programme at the Polytechnic of Namibia, now Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). Thereafter, he obtained his National Diploma and B-Tech Degree in civil engineering, as well as a Master of International Business from the Harold Pupkewitz School of Business at the same university in 2013.

He is currently a contract administrator at the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) responsible for the administration and management of all housing contracts in the north-eastern, central and western areas, from Katima Mulilo to Oshakati and all the way to Opuwo in the Kunene Region.

Iipinge is tasked with developing, negotiating and evaluating company housing contracts for the benefit of the organisation.

“I am also charged with ensuring that both parties are complicit with the terms and conditions of the contract, as well as ensuring that all contracts abide by local and government laws and regulations,” he says.

He says in engineering, challenges occur every day, but his biggest accomplishment so far was the popular mass housing project which was launched in 2014 by former president Hifikepunye Pohamba.

“Because of the project’s huge scope and tight schedule and demand for quality control and close supervision, this was the biggest challenge and accomplishment at the same time,” he says.

Iipinge adds that together with the line ministry, contractors and other stakeholders, the NHE delivered more houses in the shortest period. “Many families are now living in brick-and-mortar houses at an affordable cost and this makes me happy,” he says.

His day includes giving feedback and communicating with all internal and external stakeholders on various issues regarding residential contracts.

“My day is normally filled with solving technical and contractual issues from various project sites,” he says.

Iipinge is inspired by the unsung heroes who, no matter the circumstances, still wake up every morning and do whatever they have to do to make a living.

“My inspiration comes from those young men and women that walk long distances around townships in search of customers to buy their products like recharge vouchers, eggs, and many more.”

His advice to young people is to educate themselves, as an educated country is a strong and solid country.

“Young people need to be well educated with the correct skills to enable them to make informed decisions regarding their health, career, life, education and even wealth,” Iipinge says.

When asked what his plans are, he says he is open to whatever opportunities the future may hold, especially within this company and in the sector responsible for providing shelter to Namibians.

“I have been with NHE since 2005 and I am grateful for what the company through my previous and current colleagues has done to my career growth and personal development. I am happy at NHE and my current job is a perfect fit with my interests and skill set,” he says.

The best phase in his life was coming from university and starting a career, as it was filled with many expectations. He is proud to have been given that opportunity by the NHE, which he says is one of the best companies to work for in Namibia.