WITH a record of having worked as a waiter and now being the initiator of an exceptional tech store, E – Mark, at East Park Mall in Lusaka, Emmanuel Mwanza has impactful wise words for young people.
He says young people should continue showing up for their dreams.
Mwanza was speaking when President Hakainde Hichilema’s finance and investments advisor Jito Kayumba presented five Lenovo laptops, bought from E – Mark, to five University of Zambia (UNZA) students yesterday.
“What you can learn from what has happened is that you don’t have to have it all figured out. When you put your mind to it and work towards what you want, help is on the way,” Mwanza encouraged the recipients.
“You didn’t expect these laptops, but because you are working towards your dreams, aspirations…. Some of you are on bursary but a bursary is not an entitlement; it’s because you are working towards your dreams.”
He continued, saying: “sometimes we get clogged in our minds that we need all the resources that we need to get moving.”
Mwanza said as a business, E-Mark has its own challenges as well but that: “we show up and continue pursuing our dreams.”
“That’s what life is all about. It’s not about having everything in one place – it’s about working towards your goal. That’s how the world works; when you show up, help will show up,” Mwanza said.
“So, continue showing up for your dreams. Forget where you come from; so many people are coming from hard places, compared to where you are coming from. But they have come out and they are doing great things.”
He added that success is not a preserve of a certain group of people.
“It’s for everyone,” noted Mwanza.
“So, don’t feel pity about where you are coming from. You are creating a story and own it; be proud. It’s part of who you are! I used to work at Wimpy as a waiter – cleaning tables and serving people. But today I’m employing people….”
On his part, Kayumba said E – Mark is special because it is owned by a young Zambian entrepreneur.
“I’m here to handover the five laptops and my hope is that you (recipients) are here because you don’t have and financially you are not able to buy. So, we are here to mitigate that challenge,” Kayumba said.
He told the recipients of the laptops to work diligently to contribute to society, because: “it is not just a government official who is going to resolve every problem.”
“[But] it’s about personal initiatives and what we do. No government told him (Mwanza) what to do. But he took the initiative and created a store like this. Whether you are going to be an engineer, environmentalist, teacher or whatever the case, I urge you to be disciplined, focused and put your faith in God,” noted Kayumba.
“We need to link the inflow of capital [into the economy] with the needs of the people on the ground to have liquidity. So, this is why our attention is on you, among other people.”
The laptops were bought using funds fundraised by presidential aides.
The recipients of the laptops yesterday were Blessings Kaleji (a student of library and information science with development studies), Alfred Mwenda (civil engineering), Malambo Mukambala (human nutrition), Rosaria Mbao (media and journalism) and Moffat Nyirongo (electrical engineering).
Kalemba April 8, 2023
