MAN OF THE MONTH: Mutende Musonda; A man with an Innovation that may help women in rural areas.

African women have been known to be the strongest both spiritually and physically over the years. Evidently, this truth has been seen in the way African women live in rural areas. They face hardships fearlessly and they don't complain because to them, its the lifestyle, that's the way they live. Its amazing how a woman would be pounding some cassava with a baby on her back. Or carrying firewood on her head, baby on her back and a container of water in one hand.

Mr Mutende Musonda

Well, we have one Zambian man who has seen how hard these women work and he has decided to come up with a brilliant idea that would make it easy for women to process cassava. ASW had an online interview with Mr Mutende Musonda, who is currently in the Netherlands for studies.

ASW: Mr Mutende Musonda, glad to have you on African Super Woman. Its indeed an honor to have a chat with you. Tell me about yourself briefly.

Mutende: Thank you. I am a Zambian and I am currently studying my MBA at Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands, specialising in Corporate Strategy and Economic Police. Back home, I studied Agricultural Engineering (BEng) at the University of Zambia. Over the years, I have had a couple of professional training conducted by Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA). These include; The Extension Management Training Course, "Monitoring and Evaluation" at the Farmers Training Institute (FTI), Northern Zambia and this was done by JICA's Rural Extension Services Capacity Advancement Program (RESCAP). I also did "Introduction and Evaluation" under the same program conducted by JICA. Trained and successfully completed the Monitoring Founding Training Course (including basic operations of GIS software for digitalised mapping) by RESCAP at FTI Northern Zambia. Trained in Participatory Village Development in Isolated Areas (PaViDIA) by JICA.

Mr Musonda with the Mayor of Maastricht City

I have done several other trainings conducted by JICA, the Zambian government under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Barcleys Bank, Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, People's Act Fund, Children's Aids Funds (CAF) to mention but a few.

I am working for the government of Zambia at the moment under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives as District Agricultural Coordinator (DACO). I have also worked with Barcleys Bank Zambia (Plc), Children's AIDS Fund USA. I have worked with many other institutions and organisations, the list is long.


ASW: Wow! You have a pretty impressive resume. Judging by the work and trainings you have done, I see why you have so much compassion for the people living in rural areas especially the women. Tell me about your innovation.

Women pounding the cassava using a mortar and pestle

Mutende: Thank you. I thought of the idea of reducing labour/stress on rural women as they process cassava flour. About 70% of the population in Zambia live in the rural areas and cassava is the main staple food in the northern region. Normally, the cassava flour is processed by women using a pestle and mortar. Instead of the usual mortar and pestle, they could do it in a more relaxed way using the, "Cassava Integrated Processor".

ASW: Who inspired you to come up with such a brilliant idea? What is the motivation behind it?

Mutende: My inspiration is my lecturer in a course called Strategic Management of Technology Innovation by Dr. Ludovico Alcorta, director of research at UNIDO in Austria. I have been motivated by the fact that if such an innovation worked out, it would benefit the African super woman in rural areas. And that together with me, local entrepreneurs could refine the idea and make a profitable venture out of it. But of course, it is a novel idea that has not yet been refined and needs to be tested and then implemented.

ASW: Thank you so much Mr Musonda and we hope your idea will be implemented. Its been a pleasure to have a chat with you.

Mutende: it is an honor

*Mr Musonda is a profound Zambian young man with many awards to his name. with great great leadership skills and very innovative. 2014/2015, selected president of MBA class at Maastricht School of Management. 2013, he won 1st prize at the Fourth Northern Province Agriculture, Tourism and Investment Show, where he came out 3rd in 2012 and the event was held in Kaputa District, Northern Zambia.

Mr Mutende Musonda is also committed to voluntary and community work; he is at present the Director of Marketing and Strategy as a voluntary at Smile To The Future.

THE CASSAVA INTEGRATED PROCESSOR

*We need more innovations like Mr Mutende Musonda's "Cassava Integration Processor" that will change the lives of ordinary African women in rural areas on the continent.