At a time when many Zambians are […]

At a time when many Zambians are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living, 55-year-old Danford Mwemba, a Ngombe resident, has embraced the reality that one source of income is often not enough.

 Every morning before reporting to construction sites, Mwemba drives passengers around Lusaka in his taxi, earning extra money to put food on the table before spending the rest of the day installing aluminum windows and doors, roofing, ceilings, kitchens, and wardrobes.

Mwemba told Zambian Business Times-ZBT in an exclusive interview that he left formal employment in 2012 after realizing his salary could no longer meet his family’s needs. “I was earning about K1,153. I had children to look after and relatives to support. I realized it wasn’t enough, so I decided to work on my own,” he said.

Besides the low pay, Mwemba said he also resigned because his employer required him to work on Saturdays, which conflicted with his Seventh-day Adventist faith. Fortunately, the transition into self-employment was smooth because he had already built a network of clients through weekend jobs. “I already had connections, so it wasn’t difficult.

On Sundays, clients would call me for private jobs, and that’s how I built my business,” he explained. Today, Mwemba earns no less than K8,000 in a good month from construction work, although he says income varies depending on business. Despite that, he still chooses to drive passengers every morning.

“Money is never enough. The taxi business helps me top up. The money I make in the morning buys bread and other necessities for my children, while what I earn from construction can be invested elsewhere,” he said. A father of six, with only his youngest child still in primary school, Mwemba said his work has also enabled him to support extended family members in need.

 His construction business has grown to the point where he now employs other artisans whenever he has multiple projects running at the same time. “I’ve taught many people the skill, and today some of them are my competitors. I’m actually proud of that because they can now provide for their own families,” he said.

Mwemba believes practical skills are one of the strongest tools young people can have in today’s economy. “Young people should not always wait for a salary. Learn a skill and work for yourself. Once you have a skill, no one can take it away from you,” he advised.

 He added that while construction work may leave him covered in dust during the day, he takes pride in honest work. “When you find me on site, I’m dirty because I’m working. But after I clean up, I dress smartly. There’s dignity in hard work,” he said.

 Looking ahead, Mwemba hopes to retire from physical labor around the age of 60 and focus on supervising projects while creating employment for others.“My goal is to keep getting projects while the young people I’ve trained do the work. That’s how we create opportunities for others,” he said. He encouraged Zambians, especially the youth, to stop relying solely on formal employment and instead invest in acquiring practical skills that can help them build sustainable livelihoods.

 By Karen Ngulube