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Peter Tanyanyiwa-Correspondent
Women should rise up and demand their share on the business table so they can contribute significantly towards the growth of the economy.
One can start small and gradually grow the business into a flourishing enterprise.
One of the directors at a local passenger transport firms CAG Tours, Dr Afra Nhanhanga, who recently won the Megafest 2022 Outstanding Business Woman of the Year Awards has encouraged to work hard and continue upgrading themselves so they can excel in life.
Dr Nhanhanga started as a mere bus conductor and through hard work rose to become a chief executive operating a fleet of buses at CAG Tours.
She is also the founder of Afrason Aquaculture.
A mother of four — three girls and one boy — Dr Nhanhanga got into business at a tender age through assistance from her father who nurtured her in entrepreneurship.
Speaking on the side-lines of Megafest awards held in Harare recently, Dr Nhanhanga implored women to venture into various income generating projects.
“What I hope for is for every woman to find something to do, not just to wait for the man,” she said. “We are the ones who take care of the children. Those young ones’ needs should be taken care of.
“Women should rise above murky waters and claim their position in business. Now there are so many opportunities as the world is pushing for the emancipation of the girl child. I want to challenge all the women to open their eyes and identify opportunities around them and start different projects.”
Dr Nhanhanga encouraged parents to help create a solid foundation for their children through teaching them to work hard from a young age.
“We should not spoil our children,” she said. “I owe my success to my upbringing, however, some may see things differently as I started being responsible at a tender age.
“I started working and I thank my father Golden Nhanhanga for ushering me into the business world. Trust me, it was not fancy work, but look at where I am now.”
The executive’s life took a turn when her father started a small business operating with a Datsun pick-up truck to transport commuters from Lusaka in Highfield to Mbare Musika and she would assist him.
She was also the conductor of the family’s first bus.
Her father was the driver and her brother would sell the tickets. And during those years, she says it was a taboo for a woman to be a bus conductor.
“I can never thank my father enough as he did what many fathers were not doing, empowering and involving the girl child in business,” she said. “This is why I am so much into mentorship, and parenting. I just do not do this for my own children, but I try and help any young person I meet; they need direction and it is our role to impart the knowledge we have gained over the years.
“My father allowed me to learn how business works since I was the first born. Although I was a girl I was not excluded from the day to day business dealings, and be told to wait for marriage.
“My heart cries out especially for the girl child. Nowadays as parents, we are training our house helpers more than our own children, this is just wrong, let us show our children the business world and give them a proper foundation in life.”
For Dr Nhanhanga, thriving in an industry dominated by men has not been an easy road.
“The transport sector is not for the faint-hearted,” she said. “But I always believe that with God all things are possible.
“I started small as a mere conductor and had to deal with the public at grassroots and that helped me gain an understanding of what it is like being on the ground. For this business to flourish, it can only be God.
“Without him we labour in vain in our quest to become a leading company that provides safest, convenient, efficient and high-quality public transportation service in Zimbabwe and the SADC region.
“In this light I want to urge all parents not to spoil their children all the time with expensive things, teach them how to work for those things and you would have created a solid foundation for them. Children are not eggs; they do not break.”
Dr Nhanhanga is also into fish farming in Buffalo Downs near Karoi in Mashonaland West province.
“I am one of the directors at CAG buses, however I am now a founder of Afrason Aquaculture in Buffalo Downs,” she said. “I have realised that not many women are into this trade. It is a flexible business model of fish farming and our Zimbabwean weather is perfect for aqua culture. I want to urge more women to try fish farming.
“I am a Christian, so I always refer back to the Bible. A woman should be like the Proverbs 31 woman, many are just relying on their academic credentials, however, all women should be all-rounder, so let us get into business.”
Dr Nhanhanga encouraged women to focus on diversifying their projects no matter how small the projects were, as “there will always be light at the end of the tunnel”.
“A lot of women need a paradigm shift of the mind-set, any amount can change your life, starting from merely a dollar,” she said. “One can choose not to buy bread and get into business.
“There is no amount too small to start a project, you just need guidance on which projects to start with and the know-how. When I started my fish farming project, I did not know anything about it, but because I am a passionate business woman who always strives to be an all-rounder, I researched and enquired from experts until such a time I had the knowledge and I embarked on it. Now I am being recognised on a global scale.”
Dr Nhanhanga, who is also a philanthropist, said she helps women aspiring to venture into businesses with advice.
She urged Zimbabweans to take advantage of opportunities around them.
Last year, Dr Nhanhanga scooped the outstanding woman CEO of the year gold award at the Megafest Women Leadership awards.
Women of all ages are launching businesses everywhere, although many find opportunities in sectors like retail, health care, education, arts, travel, food services, marketing and other professional services.
But others choose traditionally male dominated fields like construction and manufacturing. Modern female entrepreneurs use feminine strengths like effective networking, empathy and an inclusive, holistic mind-set to conquer issues of the day-to-day challenges of being a woman.
Some even believe that motherhood makes them more productive in business and this propels them to do more.
Online Reporter