eBusiness Weekly
Enacy Mapakame
It was only going to be a matter of time. A professional banker sitting at home could only “housewife” for so long.
And so Abner Chapfika started to make milk, sour milk in her home to the rest of Zimbabwe. It was only a small operation back then,
but that was the beginning of greater things for her on a journey to being a business woman with interests in horticulture, events and hospitality.
Chapfika, who is also into philanthropy, has risen to become vice president of the Zimbabwe chapter of the Africa Women Leadership Organisation (AWLO), a global organisation whose focus is on mentoring women to empower them in their communities as well as into leadership roles.
Currently, she is the chief executive officer of TIKO Private Investments incorporating Wagon Orchard and Cultivator.
What drove the passion?
Chapfika, a member of the Institute of Directors Zimbabwe, draws significant inspiration from Ghanian women entrepreneurs.
While living in Ghana some years back, barred from working as an expatriate’s wife, observed how women in the West African country dominated the foreign currency businesses.
They ran bureau de change and a plenthora of informal businesses, sustaining their families. She took an interest, bought a handful of wares for resale back home.
“I have always wanted to make an impact where ever I am,” Chapfika, who once lived in Ghana on account of her husband working for the World Bank in that country at the time, told the Business Weekly.
It wasn’t by accident that after coming back home, she started curdling milk on a small-scale from their family farm. This was time to test her skills.
She processed sour milk from the few litres she gained from her farm, before showcasing the product to a number of people mostly at women-only gatherings. It became an instant hit.
But she didn’t produce enough milk from her farm for commercial purposes.
So, she started to outsource from established dairy producers, processing, packaging and supplying her choice sour milk to selected supermarkets in the capital.
“My inspiration was to give in church. That is what drove me to start my business because I wanted to make an impact towards God’s work,” said Chapfika, a devout Christian, and Deaconess with the Christ Embassy Church in Harare.
The big breakthrough
Chapfika’s big breakthrough happened when she expanded her agriculture business, spreading into fresh produce like fresh vegetables, targeting specific niche markets.
“I saw opportunities in the area, I asked myself why we had to import vegetables and not just grow them locally,” she detailed.
“So I started off with a small green house, and had good produce that attracted a good market from a vegetable wholesaler.
“That was the turning point, because the next season we expanded. The most important thing is to start from somewhere. Even if you start small, put your heart and dedication to it and it will surely grow,” Chapfika said.
Role at A W L O
Her role at AWLO jells well with her usual passion to impart life skills and motivate women especially from less privileged backgrounds.
Chapfika speaks of her desire to help young women grow professionally and spiritually, something that led her to be a founding director of Regional Capacity Building Foundation.
Through AWLO, Chapfika’s dream is to see women in Zimbabwe empowered in every sphere of their lives. This is achieved through networking and exchange of ideas from grassroots levels to leadership positions, she said.
The idea is to create a platform for women in leadership roles to share ideas with others starting from a young age, so as to inculcate self-esteem and leadership.
Some of the programmes under AWLO include iLead, a leadership programme that targets girls of between seven years of age and 17 years.
The other programme, HeForShe looks at encouraging young men to view their female counterparts as equals and tackle discrimination at all levels.
“We want to stimulate young girls’ minds into seeing their potential and that they can be leaders at a young age.
“We also want a situation where a brother sees his sister as equal and take a role in fighting for her rights as well,” she said.
Overall, AWLO’s objective is to foster an alliance among women of African descent in leadership positions, to challenge women to aspire to, and take up leadership positions in their respective communities, countries and ultimately globally.
Chapfika said this was a platform that allows women to cheer each other up and mobilise support for their growth.
She cited the vice president of Liberia Dr Jewel Howard Taylor as one of the AWLO members who has received immense support from other women across the continent through awareness created by the organisation.
