Igniting Ideas and Fuelling Passion in Africa's Youth - The Inspire Experience.
- Collins Nyatanga
- Jan 30
- 4 min read
Written By Munashe Mutsva
On Wednesday 20th January 2025, TANGA Foundation hosted its inaugural ‘Inspire’ event aimed at ‘empowering African youth with the tools and resources to transform their dreams into tangible realities’.
‘Inspire’ is more than an event, it transcends to community. TANGA Foundation established Inspire to cater to its growing community of over 380 students and young professionals in Africa.The event sold out in just four hours, bringing a total to 150 attendees. This enthusiastic response underscores the community's eagerness for knowledge and guidance in entrepreneurship and career development.
The event was led by TANGA Foundation’s Founder & Director, Collins Nyatanga featuring three accomplished African speakers who shared their insights on starting, sustaining, and scaling in business:
Rumbidzai Nyatanga - Hairstyling
Phil Nyatanga - Digital Marketing
Kevin Zhou - Event and Wedding Planning
Speaker Highlights
The first speaker, Rumbidzai Nyatanga, is an award-winning hairstylist - at just 27, she has already made significant strides in the beauty industry. Holding a BSc in Business Administration from Curtin University, Mauritius campus, Rumbidzai founded RLaced in 2021, a hairstyling service that addresses a notable gap in the market for women's hair in Harare. She later launched Her Hair Extensions, a luxury line of hair extensions.
During her presentation, Rumbidzai shared invaluable lessons from her entrepreneurial journey. Key takeaways included:
The importance of securing funding.
The necessity of planning and organization.
The acceptance of failure as a part of the entrepreneurial process.
The value of surrounding oneself with a supportive community that aligns with personal and commercial brands, as reputation is crucial.
Rumbidzai also expressed her passion for mentorship, revealing that she has begun training aspiring hairstylists through one-on-one sessions focused on wig installations and care. Her engaging storytelling and warm personality left a lasting impact on attendees, inspiring them to boost the confidence of others in the hair and beauty industry.
The second speaker, Phil Nyatanga, is a 30-year-old entrepreneur with a BSc in Business and Marketing Management from Oxford Brookes University.
Phil runs the marketing specialist boutique, and serves as the EMEA E-Commerce Manager for Elemis Skincare. Phil is also a 360-degree marketer and a professional model.
Phil shared that his motivation for starting Tanga Digital was to follow in his family's footsteps, particularly inspired by his father's business focus. He expressed a desire to keep the family legacy alive and to make his younger self proud.
In 2018, Phil identified a market gap and launched Tanga Digital. Remarkably, during the global pandemic—a challenging time for many businesses—Tanga Digital thrived, achieving a Certificate of Excellence that recognized the agency as one of the top firms for small to medium-sized businesses.
In the same year, Phil was nominated as one of the UK’s top 15 social media marketers under 25.
Phil emphasized that understanding human consumerism and behavior is crucial in business.
He imparted several key insights from his journey:
Be a sponge: Continuously learn and absorb knowledge.
Networking is essential: It helps connect with a wider market and potential business leads.
Word of mouth: This traditional method is as powerful as digital marketing.
Persistence: Following up with clients is crucial for success.
Phil's insights highlighted the importance of resilience and adaptability in the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing.
The final speaker, Kevin Zhou, is a renowned wedding event planner from Harare, affectionately known as "Kevin Wedding Planner" by clients, friends, and business associates worldwide.
With a portfolio of over 300 memorable events across Southern Africa and beyond, Kevin has earned a stellar reputation for his sophisticated event coordination.
Zimbabwe’s First Family private 10th wedding anniversary event (Collins Mnangagwa and Linnet Mnangagwa).
A Forbes 30 Under 30 (2021 alumni), Kevin's expertise has garnered international recognition, featuring on DSTV's Forever Yena and Wedding Diaries. He joined VIP Hosting in 2013 and became a shareholder in 2016, bringing extensive qualifications, including Culinary Arts, Clothing Technology and Design, and Interior Design.
Kevin shared insights from his professional speaking engagements across Africa, the Middle East, and the UK, where he provided valuable lessons on successful wedding and event planning across diverse cultures. Despite his accolades, Kevin's journey began with an academic setback—failing his O-Level exams in 2012. He turned this academic mishap into a thriving career, proving that failure can be a powerful motivator.
Key lessons from Kevin included:
Consciously reinventing your craft: Continual learning is essential.
Understanding luxury clientele: Recognizing the nuances of high-end services.
Pivoting on destination weddings: Adapting to market trends.
Finding happiness in serving others: Relieving clients of planning stress and creating beautiful moments.
Kevin's story resonated deeply with the audience, emphasizing that passion and service can lead to remarkable success. He also provides mentorship and training to aspiring planners, reinforcing the theme of community support shared by all speakers.
Call to Action
The Inspire event by TANGA Foundation was a resounding success, setting a positive precedent for future events. With plans to continue empowering youth through such initiatives, the foundation is poised to make a significant impact on the African entrepreneurial landscape.
Many thanks to Rumbidzai Nyatanga, Phil Nyatanga and Kevin Zhou for their willingness to serve through the webinar. Thank you all for supporting TANGA Foundation as we strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the African generation. Let’s continue to work together to create opportunities and build a brighter future. Collins Nyatanga and TANGA Foundation encourage entrepreneurs to join the foundation in empowering and imparting business and trade knowledge.
Partner: Collaborate with TANGA Foundation and other key grassroots leaders to develop innovative new programs and expand our reach in communities.
Visit our website www.tangafoundation.com to find out more ways to be involved. You can also follow us on our social media (@TANGAFOUNDATION) to keep abreast of our new developments.
ONE HOPE. ONE DREAM. ONE TANGA.
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