NamLux Innovation | The Change Africa Needs

After conducting multiple tests on the NamLUX innovation, Mr da Fonseca can prove that:

(i) the LED light can shine twice as bright as the existing street lights in Namibia; (ii) the LED light is able to reduce energy consumption incurred through the usage of over 230 bulbs in streetlights across Windhoek; (iii) the LED light is more cost effective than the existing streetlights as the costs incurred will decrease from approximately N$ 369 000 per month to approximately N$ 71 000 per month.

With the NamLUX streetlights, the municipality would enjoy a cost saving feature of about N$ 3.8 million every year, which can be channelled into infrastructure upgrades and maintaining certification standards (iv) NamLUX streetlights are guaranteed to last up to 5 years, covers approximately 50m2 and is eco-friendly in comparison to other LED lights on the market; (vi) The NamLUX streetlight is able to have a WI-FI compensator inserted allowing people to access WI-FI across the City.  

To date, da Fonseca’s invention has won over seven international awards. During the SADC Investors Fair which was held on the 27thJune 2017 in Johannesburg, da Fonseca participated as the first ever representative from Namibia and won the Overall Best Invention Award out of 160 competitors. His success at the event in Johannesburg automatically qualified him to be a participant in the African Inventors Award that was hosted by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO). This further qualified da Fonseca to be a participant in the Seoul International Inventors Fair (SIIF), supported by ARIPO and Business Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA), where he was the first African to compete against 1 500 participants from across the globe.

Mr da Fonseca stated that finding an investor who wants the same goal for the company, understands the long -term feasibility and how quickly the project would be able to generate a return on investment is the most challenging part of his entrepreneurship journey. He realised he needed support in this and sought it from Business Financial Solutions (BFS) who assisted him with his business strategy and financial modelling.

Subsequently, the world’s largest organization in the field of mechanical engineering, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), approached Mr da Fonseca inviting himto be a speaker at the ISHOW in Kenya. At the time, he did not have enough funds for the trip and decided to contact BFS for financial advice. His financial advisor told him, “This is one of those opportunities that are calling you to be part of something in Africa, you should go!” He had successfully approached the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) with a request of funding his travels. This trip enabled him to engage with 40 delegates across the African continent.

The panellists were so impressed by his speech that they had enlisted him as the African ambassador. The support he received encouraged him to continue in his ambitions and empowered him to inspire other young Africans to fight for their dreams.

When asked what his recommendation to other start-ups would be, Mr da Fonseca answered as follows: “You need to have a powerful mentality, as to where do you see yourself and where you are going. Never show any signs of weakness, instead be strong and make sure that you strive to finish what you started.If you are not sure of yourself and your progress, how are you supposed to convince other potential partners or customers about your product and business? So, you always need to be a hundred percent sure. 

Sometimes it gets so difficult to do everything on your own and being able to recognize that you are not able to do everything, requires a certain degree of intelligence. I had to learn that too. You have to recognize that there are certain people in certain positions, that need to do certain things, that means delegate that to them. Help them to help you”. He lives by the philosophy: “one should rather under promise so one can overdeliver, meaning when you do not have anything, and you walk into an investors boardroom and they ask if you can provide, say yes! If they do not ask when, then do not mention a date, but if they ask to give yourself double the amount of time you think you need to meet their target.”