Zimbabwean businessman shortlisted for USA top award
A ZIMBABWEAN businessman based in the United States of America, Dr Devine Mafa, has been shortlisted for the awards of the top 100 leading innovators in the automotive and transportation industry.
The awards will be presented at the International Transportation and Automotive Summit (ITAS) Conference in America in June this year. Speaking from his base, Dr Mafa, who is the founder and director of Hende Moto, which produces three-wheeler vehicles and has a plant in Kwekwe, was ecstatic about the nomination saying he felt honoured to be shortlisted for such an award.
“I have been nominated as an industrialist in the United States of America. I’ve been nominated as one of the top 100 leading innovators in the world in the motor vehicle industry.
“That says a lot for somebody who came from Zimbabwe . . . came to America and studied several businesses,” he said.
“I am very happy, that means Hende Moto would be able to get funding from many investors and be able to build technically advanced infrastructure in Africa and manufacturing systems because people will trust us.”
Dr Mafa said his recognition was significant, noting that the outside world will realise that Africa needs to stand alone and genuinely innovate around its own environment.
The Hende Moto plant in Kwekwe is importing 75 percent pre-assembled three-wheeler vehicles. Plans are afoot to have the units manufactured in Kwekwe.
“We have to innovate along with nature because we are in Africa and we have a lot of junk being brought in and dumped in Africa.
“We are going to change that, and we’re looking for this opportunity, which is happening to us now.
“We can’t act like we are in 1963 when we were just consumers as we were assumed not to have had the education to produce, manufacture and engineer,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has licenced Hende Moto to offer car hiring service in the country’s hospitality industry. The company was registered in Zimbabwe in June 2019. —-chronicle.vl.zw
