Tracing clever Mpoha’s business journey: how it all began
By Bengu Wambuyi
In Zambia and, indeed, many other African countries, there are many examples of people who shot to the pinnacle of financial influence only after having worked in government or simply inherited family wealth.
There are also examples of people who only became financially prominent after having landed big government contracts. Equally, many are times when some people have amassed sudden wealth by being connected to politically-powerful personalities. It must also be accepted that some forms of wealth could be questionable, especially when there is no traceable record of the years in which one conducted their business.
However, the Zambian people are fortunate to have businessmen and women from whom they can learn the values of hard work, perseverance and tenacity; people whose wealth is traceable. One Clever Siame Mpoha, a native of Nzoche village in Isoka district of Muchinga Province, is one of Zambia’s success stories whose business journey is as educative as it is motivational. The 56-year-old Dr Mpoha is a believer in seven Ps which have guided him in his conduct of business since he incorporated his initial company, Savenda Management Services, in February 1997.
“From the time I was a kid, the principles that have guided me have been purpose, potential, persistence, planning, perseverance, people and prayer,” writes Dr Mpoha in his book titled The Business Mind of Clever Mpoha: The Group MD who built Savenda Group of Companies into an African Conglomerate.
On purpose, it is very easy to see that Dr Mpoha had purpose when he decided to quit his job as an accountant at Barloworld in 1997 and incorporate a company under the name Savenda Management Services. That was shortly after Dr Mpoha had arrived back from Johannesburg, South Africa, where he had gone to attend a business conference addressed by Bahamian evangelist, author and leadership consultant Myles Munroe. It must also have been purpose that had inspired Dr Mpoha to undertake the trip to South Africa to listen to Dr Munroe.
“At the time I made this trip, I was just a mere employee with a tight budget of finances. Therefore, my friends and I had to take a bus from Kitwe to Livingstone and then connect with a train from Livingstone to Johannesburg,” Dr Mpoha writes.
Having arrived in Johannesburg and listened to Dr Munroe, Dr Mpoha’s perspective of being purposeful was reignited.
“Dr Myles Munroe was amazing and he opened up my mind. I was challenged by Dr Munroe when he asked if each one of us who attended the conference knew what our purpose on earth was,” he adds.
Dr Mpoha returned to Zambia a changed man and, with a capital of only $1,000, began a small family business with his wife Esther Chanda Mpoha, reselling South Korean phones, focusing on anti-magnetic wave products.
“In 1997, after attending Dr Myles Munroe’s conference, I was determined to become a person of value, someone who was going to find his purpose. I was committed and I had faith in God that we were going to succeed,” Dr Mpoha explains.
Because of having purpose, what began as a small business would, over 30 years later, grow into the Savenda Group of Companies, a huge global supply chain conglomerate with a network of partnerships in the United States of America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. Having begun with the resell of phones, the Savenda Group now has investments in energy, logistics, insurance, medical supplies, mining services, financial services, telecoms, agroindustry construction, express printing and risk assessment for the International Organisation for Standardisation certification.
The second P which Dr Mpoha believes in and utilised to be where he is today is potential.
“Every human being is like a seed. Every seed has the potential to grow into a plant or tree. Humans are like that too. We all have the potential to be what we dream about. You have to believe in yourself and begin the journey. You have to begin today and believe in your potential. That’s what I did. Begin the journey and leave the rest to God,” he says.
On the third P, which is persistence, Dr Mpoha says his experience in life and business has taught him that great things take time and effort.
“In the process of trying to realise your potential, you will face challenges and opposition. When you are persistent, you are always ready to work despite not getting the immediate rewards you want. You work as unto the Lord and not to please men,” says Dr Mpoha whose business empire is worth over $300 million.
On planning, which is the fourth P, Dr Mpoha says from his interactions with successful people, he has realised that most of them spend more time sharpening their axe than cutting down a tree.
“If you don’t plan, you are merely wishing for success to come into your life. That strategy has never worked for me,” says Dr Mpoha who was, in 2022, conferred with an honorary doctorate degree in entrepreneurship by India’s Myles Leadership University in recognition of his business prowess.
On the fifth P, perseverance, Dr Mpoha says there were times when business was so bad that he thought quitting was the only way out but he persevered.
“Business and entrepreneurship are not as easy as motivational speakers would make them look. There are many things in business and life that may happen to you or your business, which you did not anticipate.
“There is no successful person who has never gone through challenges. They could be there, but I personally don’t know any despite knowing a number of successful people. Therefore, I believe perseverance is a good principle in business,” Dr Mpoha counsels.
The sixth P is people, with Dr Mpoha advising that for one to succeed in life, they must learn to associate with the right people, which he did when he began associating with a certain white farmer while he was working for Barloworld in Kitwe.
“The 48 Laws of Power, one of my favourite books, teaches that you have to avoid the unhappy and the unlucky. So, choose the right people on your journey of life,” says Dr Mpoha who is the executive chairman of the Savenda Group of Companies.
Lastly, Dr Mpoha discusses the seventh and most important P, which is the power of prayer.
“As an adult, I have been in situations where I have questioned the existence of God or his love upon our lives. But every time I have questioned God, He has shown me who He is. Whenever I am about to give up, He has lifted me up. When times look so dark, He brightens His light upon my life,” says Dr Mpoha.
These have been the seven Ps which Dr Mpoha has lived with, right from the time he was growing up in Nzoche village, herding cattle, hunting rabbits and fishing in small rivers. This is how it all began.
No wonder, he was one of the nominees for the 2024 The Forbes Best of Africa Awards, which recognise outstanding individuals and organisations who have demonstrated exemplary leadership, innovation and social impact across various sectors in Africa. Earlier in the year, an international magazine, LEADERS, listed Dr Mpoha among 15 global business leaders and influencers.