Young Zambian Entrepreneur Turns Food Skills Into Sustainable Livelihood Read Story on Africa Brief
KITWE, Zambia — Catherine Mulenga is turning her passion for food processing and value addition into a growing enterprise, demonstrating how targeted support for young entrepreneurs can create livelihoods while strengthening urban food systems, writes Tatyana Fisonga.
Mulenga, founder of Golden Delicacies, is among young entrepreneurs whose business journey has been strengthened through the Urban Futures Project, implemented in Kitwe by the Copperbelt Health Education Project (CHEP), Ndola Nutrition Organisation and Cindi Kitwe Trust, with support from Hivos Southern Africa.
For Mulenga, value addition is more than a business. It provides an income, an opportunity to develop her skills and a pathway toward a more secure future.
She started as a backyard gardener before joining the Urban Futures Project. Through the programme, she has gained training and practical experience in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, food processing and preservation, sustainable agriculture and business development.
The support has helped her build confidence in managing and growing her enterprise while creating opportunities to participate more meaningfully in the local food economy.
From Gardening To Enterprise
Mulenga’s experience shows how young people can turn existing interests and skills into viable businesses when they have access to knowledge, mentorship and other forms of support.
Through Urban Futures, young people are given opportunities to develop practical skills, connect with other entrepreneurs and strengthen their businesses while participating in sustainable food systems.
For Mulenga, the experience helped her move beyond backyard gardening and establish Golden Delicacies, a value-addition and baking enterprise.
The project’s approach combines entrepreneurship with climate resilience, food systems transformation and youth participation, recognising that young people can play an important role in shaping their communities.
The programme operates in Kitwe as part of a wider initiative involving cities in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Ecuador and Indonesia.
Youth At The Centre Of Urban Food Systems
The Urban Futures Project seeks to create more inclusive and climate-resilient urban food systems by placing young people at the centre of food production, entrepreneurship, innovation and decision-making.
The approach is particularly relevant to Kitwe, which faces challenges including unemployment, waste management, environmental degradation, water challenges and climate vulnerability.
At the same time, the city has a large and growing youth population with the potential to contribute significantly to its economic and environmental transformation.
Mulenga’s journey illustrates what can happen when that potential is supported.
Her baking enterprise contributes to the local food economy while giving her an opportunity to earn an income from her skills. With improved business knowledge and continued mentorship, she is better positioned to respond to demand and expand Golden Delicacies.
Her experience also highlights that climate-resilient food systems extend beyond farming.
They depend on the wider food value chain, including young people who process, add value to, market and distribute food within their communities.
As Mulenga continues to build Golden Delicacies, her ambitions reflect a broader vision for Kitwe — a city where young people can turn their skills into sustainable livelihoods, local food businesses can thrive, and economic opportunity can develop alongside environmental resilience.
Through the Urban Futures Project, Mulenga is not only building a value-addition business. She is building a future.
