Zambian Entrepreneur on Running a Biodiesel and Soap Production Business

by Kate Douglas (How We Made It In Africa) Soon after Mutoba Ngoma finished studying aeronautical engineering in the UK, he decided to return to his home country Zambia to start manufacturing biodiesel in his backyard. Almost 10 years later his company, Tapera Industries, has grown into a diversified eco-friendly business supplying biofuel and organic soap. And last year Ngoma was named a Mandela Washington Fellow.

But why did a young aeronautical engineer decide to return to Zambia to try his hand at entrepreneurship and biodiesel production?

His decision was based on the need to earn a sustainable income, along with his desire to do work “that really matters”. He had been struggling to find a job in the UK in his highly competitive field when he came across a documentary on Brazil’s renewable energy advances, particularly in biofuel.

“I realised that if I did something the world needs, I’d put myself in a stable financial position,” he explained to How we made it in Africa.

And considering Zambia’s fuel shortages, Ngoma started wondering why there was no local production of biofuel as both a cheaper and more sustainable option.

However, to scale the business, Ngoma needed capital. With little savings, he found employment as an aircraft technician at Zambian Airways, where he used his earnings to produce enough biodiesel to supply colleagues and friends. And when the airline went under in 2009, he focused all his energy in scaling-up operations.

“During the time I was employed I had made quite a few contacts in the renewable energy industry in Zambia. So when I restarted properly in 2009, it was easy for me to reach out to those contacts.”

The company started to focus on soap production, which Ngoma said turned out to be much more lucrative than his biodiesel business – despite competitors in the market.

Tapera Industries still produces biodiesel for a handful of clients – around 7,000 litres, depending on raw material supply. However, it has also started supplying a raw material – produced from jatropha seeds which can be used instead of used cooking oil – to other companies in the region looking to produce their own bio-diesel. READ MORE and MORE (Biofuels International)