Zimbabwe FlagCommunity =  Co-Creating Ecosystems | Trans4m Senior Fellows

Andrew Nyambayo: Called to Improve the Livelihoods
& Wellbeing of People through Technology

“We can bridge the gulf in human interactions and neutralize all unhealthy polarities by embracing all the world views: Southern, Eastern and Northern and Western world views. A single view can never be representative of all views no matter how “enlightened” it may appear.”

 

Andrew Nyambayo

Growing up in Chimbadzwa rural village in Mutasa District of Zimbabwe brought me in close contact with poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy. Personally, I assisted my parents to raise school fees by selling sugar cane, mangoes, avocado pears and grapes to the local community. When the school fees were not paid, the headmaster had no option but to chase me home. During the liberation war I witnessed the severe suffering of our people. “When will our people enjoy life?” I wondered. No one could answer me. In the unbearable and fearful situations I remembered the poem entitled, “Enda kuchikoro mwanangu”(Go to school my child) written by J.C. Kumbirai that my mother and siblings taught me before I enrolled for primary school. “Education is nowadays the heritage since we no longer have cattle… Ambition my child is the greatest thing. Without ambition you have no legs to walk upon the earth.” The poem was so inspiring that it propelled me to achieve higher things and to overcome obstacles.

With great ambition and God’s grace I made it to high school and also to the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Zimbabwe. I learnt early in life that ambition, determination and perseverance are the wings of success. You may possess an average mind but with ambition and God’s favor you can scale mountains. Through suffering and witnessing harsh circumstances in the rural areas, I received the calling to improve the wellbeing and livelihood of the people. I vowed, “never again should our people live under reproach and shame of hunger, poverty, illiteracy and disease”. Our people deserve a better quality of life. Villagers in remote areas also have worthwhile life goals to achieve. Therefore my life contribution is to improve the livelihoods and wellbeing of people through technology.

After years of engagement in the corporate world I heard the familiar voice once again saying “Enda kuchikoro mwanangu”(Go to school my child). Without debating further I enrolled with Trans4m and Da Vinci Institute and embarked on a research-to-innovation journey on Integral Marketing for Technology Inclusion in Zimbabwe and Africa.

This research I managed to closely align with ECONET, Zimbabwe’s largest mobile communication provider, where I am employed as a General Manager. For continuing the research to innovation journey, well after the successful passing of the PhD, I established the Integral Knowledge Institute of Technology (IKIT) with the help of my colleagues. IKIT collaborating with Trans4m will continue to surface and implement new concepts and models that contribute towards the improvement of the livelihood and wellbeing of people.

Andrew Nyambayo with Privilege
Together with Privilege at an Econet Kiosk in Domboshawa where Privilege is a Facilitator. Domboshawa is one of the communities my technology research was embedded in.