AWEC Spotlight: Sibusisiwe Chitewe - Her Journey to COMESA; One of Africa’s Most Formidable Trading Blocs

Sibusisiwe Chitewe

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, signed in March 2018 and ratified by the required number of countries in May 2019, came into force in January 2021.

As the world's largest free trade area —since the establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1994— the AfCFTA has the potential to boost Africa's economic growth by driving industrialisation, generating jobs and delivering prosperity across the continent. With an estimated combined gross domestic product of US$3.4 trillion, it is also said to have the potential to expand women’s role in the economy, decrease inequality, and expand women’s access to skills and education.

But while trade can be an engine of growth that tackles unemployment, reduces poverty, and increases economic opportunity, traders often experience cumbersome and costly border processes and procedures that prevent them from growing their businesses. And sadly, women entrepreneurs will experience the major brunt of these challenges, often facing policy and legal obstacles and gender-biased sociocultural norms, higher tariff and nontariff barriers, and lack of access to technology, finance, and education.

So how do we begin to solve these problems? Well, according to a report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), UN Women, The Africa Union (AU) and the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC), access to trade finance is a critical lever for empowering women-led businesses to grasp new export, business and regional value chain opportunities created through the AfCFTA. But this alone is not enough.

The report calls for support to strengthen women’s entrepreneurial skills in business development, leadership management, mentorship and networking. Recommended interventions include capacity-building programs and enabling ecosystem environments, which are crucial to the sustainability of women-led businesses and raises their ability to identify and leverage new opportunities in the market.  

AWEC Alumna, Sibusiswe Chitewe can relate, agreeing with the need for more technical assistance when it comes to running a business. She spoke to us about how lessons from the AWEC program prepared her for an opportunity with the continent’s eastern and southern trading bloc. 

When she joined AWEC’s 4th cohort in 2021, Sibusisiwe Chitewe had recognized the growth potential of her business which she’d started in 2013, but required the skills to scale her operations across the country and to fulfill her dream of reaching and accessing a global market. “This program was a real eye-opener,” she commented. “It offered sound advice to grow the company and enabled me to consider other business models that would help maximize business profits and increase my bandwidth.” She added that it also allowed her to focus a lot more on her production line and strategic initiatives.

Realizing from the start that the program would provide the much-needed exposure, she set a goal of expanding the availability of her company’s organic condiments throughout her native Zimbabwe and beyond.

“At first, [making condiments used to add flavor to food] started off as a passion, a skill I had learnt from my late mum. After receiving really positive feedback from family and friends, I realized there was an opportunity to turn this passion into a business to promote healthy eating.”

Motivated by a desire to solve food allergy challenges, healthy eating and a need for economic independence, Sibusisiwe launched Dasfoods Enterprise, a food processing company that manufactures organic food spreads and condiments.

By developing a meaningful relationship with her AWEC mentor, tapping into the alumnae network, and applying lessons learned throughout the year-long program, Sibusisiwe concluded her AWEC year with four new distributors and two more in the pipeline. The increased demand enabled her to double employee headcount from 5 to 10 staff.

“I remember having conversations with my mentor, Kudzayi Nheweyembwa, and trying to justify things we were meant to have done but hadn’t, like marketing our products properly, strengthening our sales process, hiring the right people, or drawing up proper contracts even for ourselves. There are so many crucial lessons I learnt and applied that have now put us at an advantage.”

Participating at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair under ZimTrade in September 2021 and at the SMEs International Expo in November 2021, was a critical turning point for her company Dasfoods Enterprise. At the SMEs International Expo, Dasfoods Enterprise caught the attention of the Zim-Italy Friendship Association( ZIMITA) representative and the Deputy Minister of Women Affairs, Gender, Community and SMEs Development.

The Deputy Minister of Women Affairs, Gender, Community and SMEs Development was impressed by their products and sent a delegation to visit the processing plant to understand ways in which she could increase her production, resulting in a discussion about obtaining more agricultural land and connecting her with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), giving her access to regional markets and the opportunity to export her products overseas. With 21 member states, including Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Rwanda, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe, COMESA is one of the pillars of the African Economic Community, so no small feat for any entrepreneur.

When asked what gave her the confidence to take on what might be considered a daunting expansion, Sibusisiwe is clear: “We are very cognizant of the power that lies in partnerships and how it enables us to achieve our goals…For other entrepreneurs, I’d advise you to note early in your process that partnerships will enable you to go further quickly.”

Dasfoods now works with organizations like ZimTrade, SMEs International Expo, and Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender, Community and SMEs Development, all of whom have mandates to create conducive and enabling environments that promote and support the development and growth of small businesses.

Dasfoods Products

“My major highlight in the AWEC program has been the ability to scale up and be recognized [in] the export markets through implementing monthly course content and the mentoring opportunities,” she commented.

Leaning into AWEC's advice to build her network, Sibusisiwe continued to cultivate her relationship with the SMEs Expo, ZimTrade and ZIMITA, an organization that collaborates with the Italian Embassy in Zimbabwe and the Italian Trade Agency in South Africa. This created an opportunity for her to attend Macfrut Show 2022, the largest International Trade Fair for fruit and vegetable producers that took place in Rimini, Italy. The experience enabled her to gain further global exposure for her company, while contributing to her ongoing goal to build her knowledge of business management and cutting-edge industry technologies.

Sibusisiwe is also proud that their operations have had a positive knock-on effect locally as they have been able to train 15 smallholder women farmers on environmentally friendly agricultural practices and how to create employment.

On reflection, Sibusisiwe said, “It is the intensiveness of the AWEC program which really challenged and stretched us to set realistic, achievable and results-oriented goals for ourselves that have led to both the expansion of our company and the wider positive impact on the communities where we serve. Upskilling entrepreneurs, women in particular, is fundamental to creating sustainable businesses and in turn, which in turn contribute to exponential growth of our continent.”