11 Feb 2019

Thirty-four-year old Nation Mashunda makes a living by providing architectural, interior designing and construction services. 

Driven by determination, passion and the qualifications he has, Mashunda established a company called Galalie Investments in 2015 to employ himself and others.  

The company has provided employment for three people, one drafts man and two construction artisans and it employs more whenever more hands are needed. 

Mashunda said his passion started in 2002 when working as a casual labourer on a project to construct LEA houses and Botswana Tourism Organisation buildings in Tsabong. 

He said in 2005, he enrolled at Palapye Technical College to pursue a certificate in building construction and was later given an opportunity to do an associate degree in architecture and technology at Limkokwing. 

“I wanted to learn more on design and architecture so I continued studying and I acquired my Bachelor of Arts in interior architecture in 2013,” he said.

He said upon completing his studies, he landed a job as a tutor at ClearLit College on a one-year contract at the end of which he decided to venture out on his own. 

Mashunda said he was funded by the Youth Development Fund to the tune of P68 000 to setup an architecture studio in 2016, and that since then he has been doing well. 

He said he used social media platforms to advertise the company’s services. 

He said his was among YDF funded companies that were visited by a delegation of officials from the Office of the President to gauge progress and learn about the challenges they faced. 

He said one of the challenges was that he has not yet registered his company with the Architectural Registration Council, which limits him from designing large scale projects. 

He explained that the reason for this was that local graduate companies must have a masters in architecture obtained from a recognised university abroad to register.  

He said another challenge was that they were limited to design projects on plots of not more than 250 square metres, which limits them to display their talents and capabilities.  

However, he mentioned that he was a member of the Botswana Institute of Architectural and Construction Technologists, which helps local architects to voice their concerns. 

Mashunda urged those who were studying architecture related courses to work hard since the industry was demanding, and he encouraged the youth to be self-employed. ENDS