Brother Willy is a household name in Petauke. Born in Zambia in 1961,
Wilson Phiri, a 41 year-old entrepreneur, made up his mind at an early
age to rise above poverty and distinguish himself in business. By mid-1993
Willy had become a respected businessman in Petauke and owned a garage.
He was introduced to the USAID Human Resources Development Project,
(which was the genesis of the Zambia Chamber of Small and Medium Business
Associations (ZCSMBA) in 1994, and participated in a workshop on Business
Management and Basic Finance. Over the next seven years Willy attended
another 11 courses and expanded his businesses to include a motel and
a grinding mill. During this time he founded the Petauke Association
of Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (PASME). PASME is, in 2001, the largest
member of the ZCSMBA with a membership of 1,120 small and medium entrepreneurs
(SMEs).
Brother Willy said after the first course he attended in 1994 "this
course was like a mirror to me, it opened my mind to the business world
and ever since then I have not looked back." His profits have risen
by 75% since he has been taught how to manage his businesses. He currently
employs 32 people making him one of, if not the largest, SME employers
in Petauke.
The USAID funded ZCSMBA, with District Business Associations in all
nine provinces of Zambia, provides a comprehensive range of business
development services to rural non-farm enterprises and uses PASME as
an example of what a District Business Association can achieve by working
with small businesses and providing them with fee-based business development
services.
Everyone Calls Him Brother Willy
