By Peter Tanyanyiwa

One of the directors at one of Zimbabwe’s biggest passenger transport firms C.A.G Tours, Dr Afra Nhanhanga, has challenged women to rise up and demand their share on the business table.

She said this on the side lines of the MegaFest national business awards, where she was honoured as the 2022 outstanding business woman of the year.

Dr Nhanhanga operates a fleet of buses at C.A.G Tours, she is also the founder and ceo at Afrason Aquaculture, she is an entrepreneur, ex-bus conductor and philanthropist.

In the backdrop of celebrating 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the MegaFest national business awards outstanding business woman of the year Mrs Dr Afra Nhanhanga Chinhamo has challenged women to come up with income generating projects so significantly contribute towards the development of the nation.

She is a mother of four, three girls, and one boy, got into business at a very tender age. At the awards she expressed appreciation to her father who encouraged and nurtured her as she was growing to venture into entrepreneurship.

Speaking on the side-lines of Megafest awards held in Harare recently, Dr Chinhamo implored women to venture into various income projects.

“What I hope for is for every woman to find something to do, not just to wait for the men, we are the ones who carry the pregnancies for nine months, those family’s needs to be taken care of. Women should rise above murky waters and claim their position. 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,” she said.

she encouraged parents to help create a solid foundation for their children through teaching them to work hard from a young age, she said spoiling children is killing them.

“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 for ushering me into the business world; trust me it was not fancy work but look at where I am now. 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 who is one of the directors of CAG travellers coaches says she is now 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. I have realised that not many women are into this trade. It is a flexible business model 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,” she said.

She encouraged women to focus on diversifying their projects no matter how small the projects are 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, you 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 aqua culture 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 asked people until such a time I had the knowledge and I embarked on it, now I am being recognized on a global scale,” said Dr Nhanhanga.

The MegaFest Outstanding Business Woman of the Year 2022 called on women who want mentorship to approach her, and also to parents who want their children to learn how to get into business, she said she feels that everyone deserves to know that they can make it out there. She urged Zimbabweans not to keep crying foul when there are opportunities all around them.

The God-fearing executive’s life took a turn when her father started a small business using a pick-up vehicle to transport commuters in Harare. She is now an entrepreneur, who started from a very humble beginning as the conductor of their first bus while her father was the driver and her brother would sell the tickets. And during those years, she says it was 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, this is why I am so much into mentorship, and parenting. I just don’t do this for my own children but I try and help any young person I meet, they need direction and it’s our role to impart the knowledge we have gained over the years. My heart cries out especially for the girl child, as today’s parents we are training our house helpers more than our own children, this is just wrong, let’s show our children the business world and give them a proper foundation in life,” she said.

Her father Golden Nhanhanga allowed her to learn how business works, as she was the first born, again unlike what was happening in other families during the yester year, where girls would be excluded from the day to day business dealings, and be told to wait for marriage. She became part of the transport business at a tender age by assisting her father who used to operate a Datsun pick-up truck to transport commuters from Lusaka, Highfield to Mbare Musika.

She went on to say that thriving in an industry dominated by men has not been an easy road. The transport sector is not for the faint-hearted. 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 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,” added Dr Nhanhanga.

Last year Dr Afra Nhanhanga scooped the outstanding woman ceo of the year gold award at the Megafest Women Leadership awards.