15 Aug 2017

Life for 35-year-old Ms Onkagile Mokabiri had been a struggle until she ventured into a candle manufacturing business. In an interview, the Maun-born woman noted that as Ngamiland was prone to mosquito and malaria due to the perennial rivers in the district

where mosquitoes breed and cause malaria, she found it appropriate to manufacture candles that kill mosquitoes.

She manufactures her mosquito candles from wax and adds nitrate to the wax so that when the candle was burning in a closed room, it produced nitrogen gas that killed mosquitoes.

She said jobs were hard to find and that the remuneration package offered by her previous employer was not appetising, and that she decided to turn the mosquito challenge into a business opportunity in order to provide for her family.

She explained that she has a number of loyal customers who purchased her products, and that her business was doing well and was able to pay for her children’s school fees and school uniform.

She further noted that people prefered buying her candles to kill mosquitoes rather than other chemicals.

“Some people are allergic to certain chemicals that are used to get rid of mosquitoes. The chemicals can cause sneezing, skin rash and other allergies, but with my candles I have not received any complaints from my clients on health related side effects,” she added.

She said her candle prices ranged from P70 to P200 each, and that they were varied because she has to consider the purpose, size, scent and decoration. She said she designed candles for other purposes such as decorations in church crusades, Valentine

dinners, and that some of her clients were safari companies, lodges and hotels in the Maun area.

As the business world is challenging, Ms Mokabiri said she was facing a problem of lack of operating space, as she operates from home and sometimes transports her candles to the market to attract more customers.

“This incurs extra costs on transport. I could save the money for other purposes but my goods also get damaged from the rain and heat and being carried from one place to the other,” she said.

About her business future plans, she said she saw her business growing into a huge candle manufacturing factory in Maun where all retail outlets would be purchasing from her.

“I am in the process of registering a company and I have sought financial assistance from the Youth Development Fund to expand my business,  and I am looking forward to a positive response from them,” she added.

She said she was aware that being a successful business person was not a walk in the park, but that it could only be achieved through hard work and perseverance.

“I urge youth who are still struggling to find jobs to join the business world and alleviate themselves from abject poverty,” she said. BOPA