Two youth entreprenuers to attend US summit

programme focused on leveraging the US technological advances in the agro-processing sector.
Mr Mhungu (32) is the founder and managing director of Harvest Fresh, an indigenous company specialising in agribusiness and food processing.
Mr Makani (31) is the founder and managing editor of Technology Zimbabwe which has become a leading voice on technology issues in Zimbabwe and a main promoter of local technology creation and venture capital investment.
“The two were chosen for their track record of using innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit to create positive change in society. This programme should give them ideas and contacts to help boost them to the next level of indigenous business achievement,” said Sharon Hudson-Dean, counsellor for public affairs at the US Embassy in Harare.
“Their three-week mentorships in the US will provide a first-hand look at American workplaces and the latest thinking on successful management and enterprise growth.”
The summit will feature high-profile business leaders, inspirational speakers, international and civil society activists.
The event will provide practical break-out sessions and networking opportunities for participants, as well as complementary events for youth-to-youth encounters, leadership development and training in new technologies.
After the two-day event, participants will travel to business internships in various states in the US where they will spend time as interns with US companies and non-profit organisations.
“The current focus of the United States government of promoting sustainable agriculture with a focus on the small-scale farmers is the right one for Africa. I think Zimbabwe probably has the best platform for that growth on the continent because we have small-scale farmers with scalable skill-sets and relatively decent agro-processing supply chain infrastructure,” said Mr Mhungu.
The former Victoria Falls Safari Lodge management trainee studied business at Howard University in Washington, DC. He worked at Walt Disney Company and later joined Goldman Sachs where he was responsible for managing 12 hedge fund relationships with assets of two billion dollars.
Mr Mhungu also helped structure several private equity transactions in Southern Africa.
“Working in the financial services industry gave me a deep window into what is happening in the global economy in terms of money flows and opportunities,” says Mr Mhungu.
“While at Goldman Sachs I saw the amount of investment that was going into agriculture and agro-processing in South America, some parts of Africa and in Asia . . . when I looked at that equation vis-a-vis the population growth, the growth in our needs for food security, and the availability of land in which to grow this, I saw there was a mismatch.
“Sixty percent of the world’s arable land is in Africa, yet Africa is a net importer of food,” he said.
“The growth is going to come from this continent . . . so I thought that in my lifetime that (food importation) can change. Even if I can play a small part in that, I think it will be helpful in allowing that equation to balance. Hopefully, this will also encourage others to come and invest in a sector which I feel truly has amazing potential.”
About 60 youth leaders from throughout Africa are expected in the US for the summit and Mentorship Partnership programme.
The programme is part of President Obama’s multi-year initiative to engage with young African leaders. Beginning with President Obama’s Forum for Young African Leaders in 2010, the outreach has included more than
2 000 US government-sponsored programmes for young leaders across Sub-Saharan Africa including the First Lady’s Young African Women Leaders Forum, held in South Africa in June 2011.