Ezekiel Dhitima
Student Of:
MBA in Agribusiness Management
Age:
58 Years
Nationality:
Zimbabwean
Resident Of:
Harare
First Language:
Shona/English
Work Experience:
35+ Years
Prospective Students:
Current Organization:
Ministry of Health & Child Care
Industry:
Healthcare
Designation and responsibilities:
I am working as a Medical Laboratory Scientist. Mainly involved with managing patient samples at the reception area. There are so many samples numbering up to a thousand plus referred from each province every week, besides the local work. This work consists mainly of blood samples which come in form of dried blood spots on labeled filter paper cards, and fresh frozen plasma samples in cold chain. The majority of the samples are for Viral Load testing from HIV+ clients, followed by DNA/PCR for infants born to HIV+ mothers. These samples have a turnaround time by which results have to be received at the client facilities.
So before these samples proceed to the testing departments, the information on the samples and request forms has to match, and usually, it's the patient's D.O.B, name, lab request number, and date of sample collection for EID and Viral Loads uses OI, ie (Opportunistic Infection) number in place of Laboratory request number. Once matched properly, the form is captured into the LIMS and a number from the Reference Lab is generated. Bar-coded stickers are printed in duplicate and stuck to the form and sample, and the samples are forwarded to the testing department.
Any samples and forms that do not match will be rejected and also get a National Lab reference number for purposes of future follow-up. The referring facility is quickly notified if there is any rejection of samples and the reason for the rejection.
Past Organizations:
I have worked for a local hospital laboratory in my country, then a Pvt Diagnostic lab locally, a Mission hospital, then went abroad where I worked for a Medicines research lab, and a government hospital laboratory yet again before I returned home to join the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory where I am currently posted.
Q&A:
I am about to retire, any time between the age of 60 and 65 years. My new vision is to move into horticulture, piggery and goat farming. I have a possibility to build a private school too, and so the MBA qualification will sharpen my managerial skills for the new trajectory
Uhhh, my life journey has had many ups and down experiences. I was born in the then Southern Rhodesia, which was a British colony for close to a century until the attainment of independence to present-day Zimbabwe in April 1980.
Due to the protracted battle for the independence of Zimbabwe, I was affected by the war as we grew up in the communal lands where most of the war was fought. My primary education was disturbed as many schools were destroyed and children who were in their mid to late teens were severely affected; either they worked as informers to the liberators who were also called by the then colonial government, terrorists, or they were recruited by the colonial government to train as soldiers and fight to fend off the so-called “terrorists”
My school was what happened to many others destroyed, I joined the liberation fighters as an informer of close to three years before we attained our independence as a country in 1980. I was sixteen turning seventeen at our independence. I had grown up plowing crops for food and commercial, eg corn, sorghum, sunflowers, groundnuts, and rapoko, and also herding my father’s cattle and goats. I had mastered farming skills at the peasant level, and this was the only source of income we had other than going to other villagers’ fields to weed and get paid for piece jobs. The money was used to buy exercise and textbooks including ballpoints. Life was bad. We were wallowing in abject poverty in real terms of life.
I started the schooling journey again in 1980, and joined a study group in the second largest city in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo. I eventually transferred to a Mission boarding school and hope refreshed. I proceeded to the Advanced level but still dropped out due to financial pressure. It was at this turn that I went to teach at a remote secondary school in order to get some money as I tried to apply for some tertiary courses using Cambridge O level qualifications. Eventually, I was admitted to the Polytechnic where I enrolled for A level core sciences which gave me access to a university course in Medical Laboratory Technology, my life profession to date.
Once qualified, I became the family focal person for everything that needed financial support, looking after my parents, supporting the education for my younger siblings etc. I got married a bit late due to these responsibilities. Had the misfortune of losing the wife of my youth after 14 years of marriage.
I remarried after three years and moved on..
All my children are now adults with the last two at university.
Having been so passionate about farming I eventually bought a plot in the peri-urban villages where I started a horticulture project. I am also rearing free-range chickens, turkeys and guinea-fowls plus boer gots though on a small scale.
Am still practicing as Medical Laboratory Scientist under the ministry of health and child care awaiting a timely retirement into agribusiness.
As narrated above, I am passionate about agribusiness. That explains why I have massively invested in the purchase of land in the peri-urban where I have access to the urban markets. Had it not been for my late father who was sick for quite a long period of time, by now I would have finished this MBA program and retired to my small plot to focus on the project. I still will push and finish the MBA degree as long as life is given by the Lord. The MBA as already stated will sharpen my managerial skills, even as my vision will grow and projects increase.
Besides sharpening my managerial skills, the MBA program can get me consultancy jobs in FAO and UNDP. So there is great justification for pursuing the MBA not only for agribusiness but other opportunities. Self-actualisation is very fulfilling too.
My children really appreciate the lifestyle I lead by example, hence the feeling to hand over the projects to them at some stage when they are ready. Thus I am creating a LEGACY for my family.
So simply put, the above short story underpins my passion. By achieving my MBA in Agribusiness, that will be a milestone in my history and more so when my agribusiness will begin to flourish.
My new knowledge, coupled with my acquired experienced will first of all benefit my family and community. Apart from the family up to the community level, I have already mentioned how I intend to become a consultant in agribusiness and to work on a part-time basis for international organizations like FAO for example. My country and region will benefit as I may eventually delve into politics and lead the agriculture portfolio as a technocrat or administrator. I can teach on a part-time basis at tertiary institutions, set up community groups, and train younger farmers. The future of my country other than the mining industry is Agri based.
