African & Distinguished
Nnamdi Oranye
Young, African Australian and Setting the Pace By Mukuka Mayuka
T
he poster child for the young and successful entrepreneur is Facebook’s, Mark Zuckerburg, aptly named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2010. Love him or hate him, Zuckerburg epitomises the change in 21st century career choices and the power of young entrepreneurs. However, this section of AfriQan Times isn’t about Zuckerburg. It’s about our own Zuckerburg’s making waves in the African Australian community. That is where 30-year-old Nigerian native, Melbourne based business owner, Nnamdi Oranye fits in. He recently took over and started to run Priden Printing Services, a specialist printing company with a 34 year history located in one of Melbourne’s growing and well-known south eastern industrial suburbs. At first glance, this confident, articulate and accomplished man’s story might not seem to have common ground with all African youth; from those with refugee backgrounds to those with a student background. However, when AfriQan Times sat down with Nnamdi it was soon apparent that although his story had similarities with the seemingly easy, usual transition story of African student turned Australian come good, there were lessons to be learned in the way his attitude and work ethic led him to become a business owner. The substance of who he is and how he became a business owner was much more important and riveting than the title itself. Nnamdi is the first of five siblings; his sisters and parents form his supportive family base outside Australia and probably are the reason why this go-getter can be looked upon to take the lead. His ability to integrate into Australian society so easily could be associated with his travel past. Being born in England, raised for a few years in Nigeria, settling with his family in Botswana and working in South Africa one gets the impression that he often has to “make good” where ever he is or which ever country he decides to lay his coat down. However, like most migrants, this was not an easy process for him. He had to leave Botswana as a young adult where he was working as an engineering consultant to further his studies in Australia. He soon managed to obtain a Masters of Telecommunications at the University of Melbourne. During this time he took up odd jobs to supplement his income and between those jobs and study his social life took a back seat. From these humble student beginnings, Nnamdi has been able to transition from consultant to business owner in a few short years. Since taking over Priden Printing in September 2010, he has set his sights on continuing to build the printing firm’s reputation MARCH 2011 • AFRIQAN TIMES MAGAZINE 13