By: Lesley Machimbidza

It is such a worrying issue when my fellow Africans look at the continent’s underdevelopment and blame it on the various head of states and those who are in influential positions. The truth is that Africa’s underdevelopment is supposed to be attributed to the lack of passion that we Africans exude towards our continent.

During the early stages of socialization, a child is instilled with the belief that he or she is an African and he has to know that they are inferior to other races. I grew up in a family where I was told that to have a better life, I ought to work hard, earn certificates and qualifications and fly to the west or the east to graze on the so-called “greener pastures”. I lived with such a dream for quite a while in my life but I have only realized that it is drawing the continent behind.

Why do we need to go to other continents to be who we wish to be? Why can’t we be who we want to be in our continent? There is an old saying which says “home is best” but in Africa, it seems like it is non-existent as most Africans have considered leaving their various home countries to stay in other continents. We are responsible for the lack of development that our continent faces because we use the gifts, talents, and endowments that we have for the benefit of other continents. Most of the educated Africans and talented individuals have since left our continent and have gone to render their services and skills to other continents which end up benefitting out of it. It is irrational of us as Africans, we are not be forced to leave the continent, we are leaving it ourselves. After we get established out there, we forget of our roots, we forget our foundation and we even point fingers at our fellow kinsman who would have remained behind at home.

If Africa has to be great, it needs us as Africans to be passionate about it. All the ‘spaghetti roads’ and tech-oriented life that is in other continents can be achieved in Africa as long we put up our minds on it and work on solving the problems that are being faced by the continent. All we need is unity and team spirit as we tackle the problems we have in our continent. If we are to see Africa being prosperous, we need to unite as Africans and make a positive impact on it rather than fleeing to other continents.

The reason why we are referred to as an inferior race is that our actions and way of doing things shows it. We ought to show that our continent is the best and it takes us as Africans. Let us work hard, let us persevere, and change our continent. We have the resources, we have the facilities and it takes us as Africans to bring change to it. Embrace being African, after all, BLACK IS BEAUTY!!

By: Vimbai Tanyanyiwa

Most times people make so many mistakes along the way which are always overlooked as non-existent just because people end up seeing the finished product never the journey. I started doing poultry 5 years ago after I had been retrenched from work and I had to push myself to find an alternative source of income that was going to keep me alive. Most people look at poultry rearing as something just so easy yet not considering a lot of factors that need to be adhered to for you to produce the best quality of chickens when the time is due.

It’s so easy for people to just say in 6 weeks (dzinenge dzaita) they will be up for harvest – but what of the mistakes and endurance that you make as you start; the casualties you endure the first awful winters before you know how to withstand the cold so as not to have a lot of the chickens dying? Chickens just like anything dear; require a lot of care and attention as they grow. But one of my first mistakes, when I started, was never accepted that as much as it is about money- passion has to drive you so you create the determination to succeed in the intended project.

I lost a lot of chickens within batches due to negligence & mismanagement & overzealous behaviour of putting my trust in employees & not being hands-on committed to the project, which I feel is not my mistake alone. Every project requires a person who monitors whoever employed so you don’t suffer losses. In looking for workers do most ever consider if the one being employed has the necessary skill or knowledge pertaining to that project or we just employ? Well, my mistake was just employing & sadly daily I would be told one or two have died, coming from a person with no remorse who felt it was ok for chickens to just die yet you trying to generate income from that & a livelihood.

Until I had to self introspect and understand that no person will put in as much concern and care into the project except you the owner who is pumping money into it so it survives. I then pushed myself to be hands-on until I noticed that it was very possible to have over 90% survival rate, not the bigger losses I was suffering before. During terrible winters it proved that the lamps were not adequate on their own but I had to come up with another technique to warm up the chickens since most were dying from the cold. That’s when I learnt from a Good Samaritan about the use of charcoal & mbaura in foul runs to help ease the crisis. But it had to be strategic since too much heat too would then kill them as well so it had to be proportional.

I had gotten to a point where I feared buying any batches in Winter for most wouldn’t survive but after that, I wasn’t scared to endure the winters as I had now learned how to fight the winter mania.
Not buying any batches in Winter meant no income & no income meant problems & stresses of accumulating bills which would, in turn, get to be difficult to settle. Another one of the many mistakes I had to make along the journey was accumulating debts & failing to pay them having to then ruin relationships I had with friends & family when I failed to honour up. Debts in any way always come up when we are in tight situations & we wish to solve them urgently but always end up creating more problems when we fail to pay them.

So I have learnt along the way to at least be content with what is there & work with what’s available.
Or forever be one to never really see the profits as every little money you get ends up being channeled to clear the debts. I am not really well organized in this area yet but I am striving to. Pressure from societal expectations and always wanting to live in the fast lane is never good for business. At times you need to make peace with the fact that; we were all given different lives & opportunities & we run different races. It’s not your duty to then try to always be in competition with friends & colleagues & family even when your budget doesn’t warrant you to.

Running a business demands discipline & control that puts you on the right path otherwise you run the risk of tarnishing your brand if one day you wake up being named & shamed for providing poor service to your clients

By Gilbert Sikanyika

Doctor Kudzanai Vere belongs to the group of African young Turks determined to conquer the world and leave permanent foot-steps on the sands of life.

I have known Dr. Vere through social interactions over the years and I have come to know him as a pragmatic, hard-working, and purpose-driven person. He sets high goals and when he attains those goals, he sets even higher goals. He places a high premium on his aspirations. He challenges himself to challenge challenges in his life. He does not take “no” for an answer…He knocks, knocks, and keeps knocking until doors of opportunities fling open before him. He is tenacious and aggressive in his daily operations. He does not wait for opportunities; instead, he creates opportunities for himself. He is a workaholic if ever there was one.

He was compelled to stop school in form 4 due to family financial constraints but that could not deter him from pursuing his dreams. He started working as a Receiving and Costing Clerk at Redstar in Nyanga in Zimbabwe and he rose through the ranks to become Branch Manager within a spell of three years. He was arguably the youngest Branch Manager heading a Blue Chips Company when he was only 22 years old.

Doctor Vere has “A coat of many colours.” He is an entrepreneur, Author, and Speaker of international repute. He enjoys developing people in areas such as Entrepreneurship, Personal Development, Practical Business Management, Organizational Development, Financial Literacy, and Leadership Development.

Just what makes him tick

He gets inspiration from motivating himself and others. His life gets better when he impacts lives in Business related issues. He was born in a family of 10 in a remote area of Zimbabwe in Nyanga. He went to Maereka primary school, Nyatate school, and Mapako High School. He has also attended: Zimbabwe Open University, British College Of Professional Management, Coppetstone University among others. He has:

• Diploma in Accounting
• Diploma In Accounting In Business Management
• Bcom Accounting
• Certified Public Accountancy
  -Master of Arts in Leadeship and Management
  -Registered Public Accounting
  -Certified Forensic
  -Doctorate in Phylosophy in Entrepreneurship among others.

Dr. Vere is also a notable and versatile writer whose books such as Becoming A Person Of Impact and Exceed Beyond The Ordinary have blessed multitudes of people. It seems he is a “Jack of all trades and master of everything.”

His books have impacted the hordes of people from all walks of life because of the nuggets of life they carry. His presence is being felt almost everywhere and so far so good. Although he never completed formal education, he is a self-made man who has managed to school himself and has acquired a string of diplomas and degrees and was recently conferred with a Doctorial degree in recognition of his teachings and passion for entrepreneurship.

“The whole of my adult life I have been learning business at times passively and at other times actively. I have vast years of business management, ” he said. His ultimate goal in life is to become an oasis of inspiration in Business circles. He is married to a lovely lady Fortune who is the Managing Director of the family business empire. Doctor Vere is also blessed with a wife and five children.

Gilbert Sikanyika is a Writing Prophet based in Zambia