- Name: Fahad Awahd
- Age: 30
- Current location: Zanzibar, Tanzania
- Home town: Toronto, Canada
- Education: Bachelor's in Business Marketing
- Current position: Co-Founder, YYTZ Agro Ltd.
- Organization description: YYTZ Agro is a Tanzanian cashew processing company that adds value to agricultural commodities while creating jobs and boosting the income of rural communities.
- Bio: Fahad is a serial entrepreneur. And he started early: growing up in Toronto, he was accepted to an International Business and Technology program for grades 7 and 8. Learning about entrepreneurship, accounting and marketing from an early age laid the foundation for his international entrepreneurial career. In his first year at York University in Toronto, he and some friends started a t-shirt printing business, which then grew into an international company, Malyka Clothing, with manufacturing operations in Bangladesh and retailers in Canada, the Bahamas and The Gambia. Following graduation, Fahad moved to West Africa and established a commodity trading company which sourced different raw materials from Ivory Coast, Ghana and Guinea, serving customers in Dubai. In 2012, Fahad moved to Zanzibar Tanzania, where his family is from, with the aim of establishing an agro-processing company that would add-value to agricultural commodities while creating jobs and boosting the income of rural communities. He travelled to Vietnam to learn best practices in processing that he could adapt for his company. YYTZ Agro Ltd has its flagship location in Zanzibar, Tanzania and recently won a $500,000 grant from the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund.
- Countries I've worked in: Canada, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Tanzania, UAE
- Sector / subsectors: International Business, Entrepreneurship
- Areas of expertise: Entrepreneurship, marketing, agricultural commodities.
- Country: Tanzania
- Region: Africa
- Sector: Agriculture, Business
- Degree subject: Business & commerce
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Please tell us about yourself and your company.
Meet the king of cashews on the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania.
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Can you share the story of how you got started, as well as your own background?
Fahad's project selling t-shirts on campus grew into an international business and solidified his drive to pursue entrepreneurship.
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Can you talk about the process of deciding which business opportunity to pursue?
Fahad spent a year conducting research, including field visits to farmers and regulators in Tanzania, and factories in Vietnam.
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What are some breaks you had along the way?
Fahad talks about his big breaks, including winning the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, and the entrepreneurs that he looks up to.
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What have you enjoyed most about working internationally?
Fahad's move to West Africa following his business degree from York University in Toronto, Canada, opened his eyes to the opportunities on the continent, as well as the importance of learning the local language.
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What skills and abilities does a person need if they are aspiring to international entrepreneurship?
Fahad quotes Marcus Aurelius and the Toyota Motor company as he offers his best advice on getting through challenges and setbacks.
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You mentioned the importance of a resilient attitude. Do you see a way of cultivating that?
Meditation, mindfulness, and actively shaping our habits can unlock greatness.
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Any final thoughts that you would like to share?
Fahad shares final reflections about the journey of entrepreneurship, and the value of sharing experiences.
