Behind every successful man are stories untold, sacrifices unscripted and hurdles walked over without looking. The courage to climb the social ladder all through to become President is no child’s play.
His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema is the current president of the Republic of Zambia, at 59, he identifies himself as the “cattle kid” who tended his family’s animals as a child before becoming one of Zambia’s richest men. From a very humble beginning, he persevered to receive a scholarship to study at the University of Zambia and then earn an MBA from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
He is Zambia’s second-largest cattle rancher and gestures at one of his ranches in Choma. In the Central and Southern provinces, Mr. Hichilema holds ranches with about 90,000 cattle with three ranches in Kalola, Chibombo district.
He states in a tweet “We started our cattle ranch with 6 cattle. With discipline and management, the herd grew exponentially. It has since sustained us. We want to see Zambian youth engage in agriculture”.
This is a great inspiration to all youth of today wanting to enter into the agribusiness space. As much as its potential lies in our hands, it takes much patience and hard work to see it materialise.
Mr. Hakainde recounts his days as a young boy looking after his family cattle in the bush. This experience made him get hands-on experience in handling these cattle. Upon further study in the university in the areas of finance, economics and his accounting experience placed him in a better place to properly manage his business of cattle ranching.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNT – 1. Be disciplined in your line of agri-business.
- 2. Bring your professional experience to use.
- Grow your agri-business organically not in a rush.
- Cast a bigger vision for your business.
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