Finding his passion through entrepreneurship— Zomba Private Ambulances

Siyaphera Makunganya

Siyaphera Makunganya is the founding Director of Zomba Private Ambulances. It is the only privately owned emergency response company in Zomba, in the eastern region of Malawi.

An educator by profession, Siyaphera discovered his enthusiasm for business and entrepreneurship during his training at the YALI Regional Leadership Center Southern Africa in 2018.

He consequently started Zomba Private Ambulances in 2019 with a $5000 grant from the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF). With the grant, Siyaphera purchased a second hand minibus and converted it into an emergency response ambulance. In 2020, he received a second grant of $42,500 through the Grow Malawi Accelerator COVID-19 challenge. With this second grant, Siyaphera purchased two additional fully fitted ambulances and upgraded the first bringing his fleet to three emergency response ambulances.

Zomba Private Ambulances currently employs 11 people. Siyaphera is ecstatic about the future and believes his company has a crucial role to play in rebuilding Malawi through job creation.