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WHEN two Englishmen meet they talk about the weather, according to British lexicographer and literary critic Samuel Johnson.
When two banking software systems engineers met in 1999, they talked information technology thus laying the foundation on which Afrosoft is built today.
Engineers John Mberi and Kundiso Matanga had a vision for the growth of the economy driven by technology and in Afrosoft, they saw a company that would provide software engineering and solutions.
Mberi was a consultant at Beverley while Matanga was at Trust Bank. But the duo had worked together at Beverley.
“We discovered that our products were superior to those coming from outside the country and we discovered that there was a gap in the market for local software,” said Mberi, the Afrosoft group chief executive officer.
Mberi is a believer in the maxim that locals can drive the revolutions with foreigners coming in to complement their efforts.
“Technology driven by local people is the most sustainable strategy any country can do for growth,” he said.
“Relying on external imports is only sustainable but short term. What we get from outside should complement our own internal systems,” he said.
After more than a decade in the field, the company has spread its tentacles to Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa.
In Tanzania, Afrosoft has grown considerably from ninth to the second largest company in two years, Mberi said.
The South African project is for research and development focusing on global technology trends and harnessing them for local products.
Afrosoft’s quest for expansion will be anchored on Zimbabwe.
“We want everything to benefit Zimbabwe and take it after it has been well-tested here,” he said.
Mberi believes ICTs can play a role in economic development.
“By leveraging our growth on ICTs the economy can grow exponentially as what we have seen in first world countries,” he said.
The growth of the sector is enabled by friendly policies and support from government.
Mberi says the creation of a ministry for ICTs is enough testimony that the leadership wants the sector to grow.
He believes with an investment both in skills and financially, Zimbabwe can be a leader in technology.
“I have seen how technologies have changed the economies of other countries… I have seen how hardworking our people are and if we change our mindset, value system and culture to align with technology-driven growth, we will get there,” he said.
Mberi is a preacher of the “don’t be evil” approach and argues that unconditional love to one another and a commitment to service excellence is paramount for the growth of an economy.
“The ‘don’t be evil philosophy’ unleashes energy towards positive development. When you are evil, you have locked every potential,” he said.
Mberi boasts of 20 years in the IT business having cut his teeth at Realtime computers in 1990. As a software engineer, Mberi was thrown at the deep end at Realtime Computers but believes it is the experience that has shaped his career.
“I was given heavy responsibilities to develop systems for a large organization like Beverley. I grew into a leader so fast and from there I feared nothing,” he said.
His target is to continue putting innovation as a driving force for the growth of the economy and says the country has fate in its own hands.
“Our fate is choice. If you want to prosper like any leading country it’s a matter of choice and we can do it,” Mberi said.
From humble beginnings to leading a company that has plans of listing on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, Mberi said his family has been supportive.
Married with three children, Mberi says his family has been inspirational.
The wife has ventured into her own businesses while the children are excelling in class and in sport.
“That peace at home has released a lot of my energy to produce results,” said Mberi who chairs the Harare Metropolitan Province tennis board.
Yet the road to stardom has not been that easy, Mberi admits.
To get international recognition, the company had to go through certification and it needed funding which means they had to dig deeper into their pockets.
But he says NMB stood by them during the nascent stage and “it is the only reason why I won’t abandon them”.
Another hurdle was the skills shortage on the market which led Afrosoft into recruiting raw skills from universities for further in-house training.
The greenhorns did not disappoint and they have become the backbone of the company
Determination and commitment to excellence has seen the company getting recognition from international organisations.
In 2008, the company was awarded Africa SMME “Most Innovative Award” sector by Africagrowth Institute, an initiative by African governments, which is based in Cape Town.
Afrosoft is the 2009 African ICT Achievers award winner as the most innovative company by South Africa-based company, ForgeAhead for developing mobile-based technology which is the integration of business and payment systems on the mobile.
Mberi was also first runner-up “Manager of the Year” in the Zimbabwe Institute of Management 2004 awards and sits on the board of the Industrial Research and Development Centre.
Afrosoft is building a regional Software Technology Park in Msasa and a training and research centre in Rusape for a massive continental software technology business.
BY NDAMU SANDU
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