adminTanaka Mahanya
ZIMBABWEAN food innovator, Tracy Mapfumo, has scooped the Small to Medium Enterprise first prize in the African Women in Agribusiness awards.
The award ceremony was held in Accra, Ghana, on Saturday.
Mapfumo is a passion driven entrepreneur and she told H-Metro she is excited about bringing the award home.
“I got the SMEs award, which is such an honour, because there were three nominees in the category, one from Ghana and the other one from Zambia.
“I am keen on partnering with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement and the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development.
“To the youths, I say we are proudly Zimbabweans and we are the future,” she said.
Mapfumo said the youths have a mandate to bring change and develop the country, through agriculture, as it was the backbone of the economy.
“We cannot thrive on missed opportunities, but we can build on the existing foundations as we have a lot of resources that will help us in innovation.
“I believe in creating markets because we seem to face challenges when it comes to finding market places.”
She urged business people to normalise networking as this creates an opportunity for them to seek and acquire knowledge in different sectors.
Mapfumo intends to improve the quality of sesame seeds grown in Zimbabwe through training and partnering with organisations and experts in the field of sustainable agriculture and organic farming.
She has also been chosen as one of 12 young entrepreneurs selected in Africa to advance young women, agribusiness and food processors.
She is currently in Michigan, United States, where young innovators are undertaking training and networking with other entrepreneurs.
“I am excited and can’t wait to come back home and implement some of the things I have learnt,” she said.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter