By Staff Reporter
For many people passing through Area 25 in Lilongwe, the busy hardware shop owned by 34-year-old businessman Ibrahim Mussa looks like just another successful small enterprise.
But behind the packed shelves, delivery trucks, and dozens of employees lies a painful story of hunger, rejection, and survival.
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Years ago, Mussa was sleeping on unfinished shop verandas in Lilongwe after failing to pay rent.
“I remember days when I could go two days without proper food,” he says quietly while standing inside his office. “Sometimes I drank water just to sleep.”
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Born in a poor family in Machinga District, Mussa came to Lilongwe at the age of 19 with nothing but a small bag of clothes and hopes of finding work.
Life in the capital was harder than he imagined.
Without relatives or connections, he spent months doing piecework at construction sites, carrying bricks and mixing cement for little money.
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“There were times people insulted me because of my torn clothes,” he recalls. “Some employers could delay payment for weeks.”
According to Mussa, his breakthrough came after he started selling mobile phone accessories on the streets using borrowed capital of K15,000 from a friend.
He says he would wake up before sunrise every day to secure good selling spots around the city.
Slowly, his business started growing.
From phone accessories, he moved into electrical supplies and later opened a small hardware store.
Today, Mussa owns two shops in Lilongwe and employs more than 30 young people.
Several of his employees say the businessman understands hardship because he once experienced it himself.
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“He treats workers with respect,” says one employee. “Many bosses forget where they came from, but he always encourages us.”
Mussa says one of his biggest goals is helping unemployed youth become independent.
“Young people should not lose hope,” he says. “Your situation today is not your final destination.”
He also revealed that he regularly supports vulnerable families and pays school fees for some children in his home district.
Economic experts say stories like Mussa’s show the importance of entrepreneurship in Malawi’s struggling economy, where thousands of young people remain unemployed.
As customers continue entering his busy shop, Mussa pauses for a moment and smiles.
“When I was hungry and sleeping outside, I never imagined this life,” he says.
“But suffering taught me how to fight.”