It’s more than sport

For those who grow up with a habit of doing what they wish to be in the future, it becomes part of their lifestyle, as they not only become passionate, but also good at what they do. At the age of 21, Titus Mwahafa is a well of inspiration to many young people. Recently awarded as one of the young emerging entrepreneurs in the Namibia Business Hall of Fame, Titus has shown himself to be the master of his own destiny. The social entrepreneur is the founder and brain behind the Titus Basketball Academy (TBA), which he founded to prove that not only is sport a business, but children too can be good at sports and educated at the same time. Born and bred in Windhoek, Titus grew up in the dusty streets of Okuryangava. His sense of independence started at nine months when he would already be sent to day-care at the Women’s Centre. He entered the gates of Tobias Hainyeko Primary School where he was always involved in activities such as athletics, football and 4H Namibia. With 4H Namibia, Titus’ love and passion for business was born. Teaching him how to save up, start a business, make profit and book keeping, “this organisation exposed me as an individual to the business world from a very young age,” says Titus. Already at primary school, he sold sweets, biscuits and ice at home. He continued with his schooling at Immanuel Shifidi Secondary School and concluded at Khomas High School. While at Immanuel Shifidi, Titus fell in love with basketball. Attending a youth camp organised by the NBF at Unam, only added to his understanding and skills of the sport code. During his rookie year, he was not given much play time, but with the little he got, he always showed improvement. By 2009 he was recognised as the best male player at Immanuel Shifidi in 2009. At the same time, he was selected to feature in the Khomas team at regional championships. Moving to Khomas High School was like opening a new page in Titus’ life but it was also more of an opportunity for the business and basketball enthusiast to introduce himself to the school. Because of his love for basketball, which was a sports code foreign to Khomas High School at the time, Titus took on the challenge and introduced baskeball at the school. With the ups and downs when working with young people, Titus went through a lot to make sure that the team survived and remained significant in the basketball fraternity. While still in high school, Titus got involved with the Junior Achievement programme. The business-driven rookie became the organisation’s marketing manager and was later promoted to managing director of a company called K High Enterprise. The company driven by young minds scooped numerous awards such as that of Business of the Year. “I gained so much from that time and I will forever be grateful for the tremendous change it made in my life. I matured way before my peers because of the responsibilities I had at a very young age. I became more disciplined, my public speaking improved, my creative juices sky-rocketed, I developed the mindset of excellence and truly believed that I could do anything I wanted as an entrepreneur,” said Titus. After being in the world of influential and inspiring characters, Titus decided to not only be different, but to write his own story that could equally be celebrated by the Namibian child. ‘Titus Basketball Academy’ is what came of the young entrepreneur’s business idea to make his mark. As the founder, Titus took the step with the aim of having an influence on children in the country. The mission of TBA is three-fold. Titus brings together the concepts of basketball, education and entrepreneurship under the TBA umbrella. “TBA is building the next young educated and skilful gurus in Namibia,” he said. Starting up TBA had its’ ups and downs such as financial status and choosing the right players. But a determined Titus, who is destined to make a name for himself, stood firm in his life motto - ‘I don’t fit in, I stand out.’ Titus, who is both an accounting student and student assistant in the Department of Accounting and Auditing and Commercial Law at the University of Namibia, has become fond of what he does. “I am passionate about what I do, but I want to show my fellow young Namibians that sport is business as well.” With a number of business accolades to his name, the class of 2015 Namibian Business Hall of Fame emerging social entrepreneur continues to aim for the top and to be a great leader. “As a leader, I always wish to help those who are under my leadership so that in my absence they may excel. Only then do I know that I have truly done my job,” concluded Titus. FIKAMENI MATHIAS