Our #MCM Simbarashe Mhuriro, born 30 October 1984, is the founder and Managing Director of Oxygen Energy, an independent power producer, and renewable energy development company.

His company received a US$965 000 grant from the African Development Bank to prepare a business case for the development of a 20MW off-grid solar rooftop project on Old Mutual buildings. The project will cost about US$28 million on completion.

Because of his exploits, Simba and his company have won several accolades which include the Africa Innovation Top 50 Innovations in Africa (2018), Africa’s 200 Economic Leaders of Tomorrow (2018) and the Forbes Africa 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs (2016 and 2018).

More recently, he was selected for the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Programme, a prestigious achievement in its own right.

Simba grew up in Marondera, Zimbabwe, just 30 kilometers from the capital Harare. He attended a local school and by all accounts had a normal childhood.

He didn’t start his career as a business high flyer. Simba recalled how his first jobs were rather ordinary, and not particularly indicative of the career he has gone on to pursue.

His early jobs included working as a school teacher and even as a disk jockey before becoming a hotel reservations agent.

He built upon his hospitality career and moved to Dubai after landing himself a job with hotel giant Emaar Hospitality Group. As he climbed the ladder, Simba rubbed shoulders with established business people from a variety of industries while gaining a sound understanding of the corporate world.

In 2010, he decided that given his business skills and knowledge of Zimbabwe, he wanted to create his own firm.