MICHELLE KAHINGA
Lusaka

AT 17, Steven Sichilima and Dalitso Mweemba had an idea to start a Zambian snack brand using dried local fruits.
Four years later, that idea is now a full-lown business called Pambana Enterprise, a Zambian brand turning locally sourced fruits into healthy, convenient snacks.
Today, Pambana offers a range of dried fruit such as pineapple, mangoes, bananas, pawpaw, sweet apples, sour apples, cinnamon apples and peaches, as well as peanut butter.
For co-founder and chief executive officer Steven Sichilima, now 21, the business began with a deeper purpose.
“We started Pambana with the goal of reducing post-harvest losses and increasing farmers’ revenue,” Sichilima said.
The idea was further strengthened by Steven’s observation that most dried-food snacks available on the Zambian market were not locally produced.
He saw an opportunity to fill this gap by creating locally made snacks, adding value to agricultural produce that could otherwise go to waste and also creating an additional source of income for farmers.
As the products gained recognition among consumers, Pambana also began to grow, with the founders building a team around their vision.
In an interview, Sichilima shares how he believes young entrepreneurs must be prepared to remain committed to their ideas even when the desired results are not immediately visible.
“If you have an idea or have a business, consistency is key,” Sichilima said.
He urged young people to exercise patience and continue believing in themselves, their teams and their goals.
“As a vision carrier, not all results are seen just after execution. Some take time and require patience. All it takes is just believing in yourself, your team and your goals,” he said.
That belief has helped shape Pambana’s long-term ambition to become one of the biggest snack brands around the world.
The business is currently mobile and offers deliveries across the country, allowing customers from different parts of Zambia to access its products.