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“ This move to neighbouring markets was almost a natural progression as the company grew,” Vermaak says.
“ Our venture to other countries beyond South Africa is usually on the back of existing clients that moved to farms in these countries. We have always made ourselves available for business and the company footprint increased.
“ Africa is not an easy place to work. We have paid loads of school fees, and still do.“
Agriculture must be a priority
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Vermaak is an Afro- Optimist, mostly.
He says Africa’ s era is indeed dawning, if one looks at all the positive aspects with realism.“ Africa has loads of potential. Africa has land, and Africa has water( not a lot, but very little is being utilized).“
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The caveat is that a balanced and responsible approach needs to be taken in the planning and development of agricultural projects.
“ African leaders must make agriculture a priority. Agriculture can employ large amounts of unskilled labour and through this the sector really does assist in poverty alleviation. Agriculture projects such as the Susili Kulpawn Irrigation System in Ghana are good examples of projects that operate as commercial farms, but have a strong focus on teaching and empowering of local farmers,”
However, Vermaak cautions contractors wanting to work in Africa that the risks are higher than working locally.
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He elaborates:“ Distance from South Africa is a challenge – for instance, you cannot just run into Builders and buy something that was missed, lost or stolen. You have to have contingency plans for everything. Many countries |
also do not speak English, and in those countries communicating is a challenge.
“ Also if you work in Africa as a company, you also must be prepared to support your designs and installations in these remote areas.”
Inyoni Africa has a strong and comprehensively talented team, rich in skills, and attuned to working in remote regions.
Great team
“ We have many skills within our company that cover the various aspects and challenges of working in Africa. On the engineering side, we have a civil and agricultural engineer. We also have SABI Approved irrigation design capabilities. We further have technicians certified in pivot construction. On the administration side we have a comprehensive team giving us admin support including an inhouse customs clearing system, accountants, buyers and clerks.”
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These skills are complimented by a“ huge investment in IT and modern technologies”. Working“ anywhere, anytime” is an apt description of Inyoni Africa’ s staff.
“ Our staff are all geared to be highly mobile. By employing modern technologies, we can work effectively from almost anywhere in the world.
“ Notably, we also have phenomenal site agents and personnel. These guys spend weeks and months away from home, sometimes under very difficult conditions,” elaborates Vermaak.
Inyoni Africa has irrigated over 40 000 ha in Africa thus far. The majority of their developments have been for sugar cane, but there have also been large developments for macadamias, tea, maize etc.
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