Namhook whizz-kid urges govt to fund website

The 22-year-old Namibian-born information technology student studying in Cuba, who developed the country’s own social network called Namhook, has urged government to assist him urgently with funding to keep the website going, as it is good for the Namibians and has put the country on the map. Gerson Mangundu, who was born in Kavango East, says that since media reports about the website went viral, he has received requests from people in other African countries to make it a continent-wide social network. So far Namhook has 3 200 users. Mangundu told Namibian Sun that the current challenge he is facing is funding and that despite being a student he has to take care of all the expenses associated with the website. He said due the high volume of users signing up every day, he will have to host the website on a dedicated server and that this will be expensive. “I therefore request the government to assist with funding, to keep the website going,” he said. Mangundu said he and University of Namibia student Joel Tumeo are involved in Namhook. They have also received a lot of help from Ndumba Peter. “Social networks are crucial nowadays, as they make life easier for people to communicate and share their feelings,” said the IT whizz-kid. Mangundu, who matriculated from Max Makushe Senior Secondary School, was one of the best performing Grade 12 learners in 2010. He scored 42 points in Namibia Senior Secondary Certificate Ordinary Level (NSSCO) Examination. Mangundu said came up with the idea for Namhook when he was 18 years old, but since his arrival in Cuba it had taken him some time to figure out how to go about putting the project together. He said the social network was launched on January 17 and has already won the Global Business Labs’ Business Idea of the Year award in Namibia. Asked how he controls content, especially pornography, Mangundu said they depend on user assistance. “If a user sees a porn video being uploaded, they can quickly report it to the administrators and we will immediately take it down. We will ban users who upload such content by blocking their IP address. We are serious about this. We will ban users who don’t comply, said Mangundu. He said Namhook has many features, which are not found on the bigger social networks. “Namhook will change the lives of Namibians in terms of how they use social networks. Namhook will help entrepreneurs to market their products for free. It will help musicians to share and sell their songs with ease via the website, and also the most important aspect is online shopping,” he said. Mangundu explained that online shopping is not common in Africa, but it’s a great tool for business. He said online shopping will assist shops in the country, which do not have branches in all regions, to sell their products to the entire nation. “It will be very safe since the seller/shop will only be paid when the buyer confirms delivery of the order,” he said. Mangundu said the creation of the social network is not about money, but more about fun for him, and about helping fellow Namibians to build them a platform they can use for free. “At the moment we are not planning on making money from it yet. I actually enjoy seeing people use something that I created for them. I would like to offer the service for free, but with time we could gain revenue from advert campaigns, commission from selling music, listings, commission from online shopping and we will also monetise the mobile apps,” he said. Mangundu advised others to never give up on their dreams and not to wait on the government to create jobs. “Obstacles are always there, but they should not stop you, and don’t listen to people who may not believe in what you are doing. Always believe in yourself and in what you are doing.” WINDHOEK SELMA IKELA