Young Innovator Spotlight: Mary Mwaku’s Journey With Local Foods Interview - By Nakiwe Simpungwe

In the heart of Zambia’s growing youth innovation landscape stands Mary Mwaku, a Grade 10 pupil whose passion for food science is quietly redefining how local ingredients can be transformed into nutritious, value-added products. From sweet potato and banana flakes to moringa cookies and rosella-based jams, Mary’s work reflects the true spirit of Nkwazi — honouring local heritage while boldly shaping the future.

Driven by the needs of her community, Mary’s innovations focus on affordability, nutrition, and sustainability. She embraces locally available crops not only to reduce reliance on imported foods, but also to preserve cultural knowledge and stimulate the local economy. Her products demonstrate that innovation does not always begin in laboratories, but often in kitchens, gardens, and curious young minds.

Despite limited access to machinery and resources, Mary continues to push forward with creativity, discipline, and determination. Balancing school and entrepreneurship through effective time management, she represents a new generation of Zambian innovators who are resilient, purpose-driven, and deeply connected to their communities.

With support from Excel Foundation and her vision to expand into wider markets, Mary Mwaku’s journey signals hope for improved nutrition, reduced food waste, and greater youth participation in Zambia’s food security agenda. She is not just creating products — she is cultivating possibility.

In Mary, we see the essence of Nkwazi: rooted in tradition, rising with innovation, and carrying Zambia’s future in capable young hands.

Meet Mary Mwaku, a Grade 10 pupil who’s turning the tables on food innovation in Zambia. With a passion for food science and a drive to uplift her community, Mary is transforming local staple foods like sweet potatoes, moringa, and rosella buds into nutritious snacks and products that are both delicious and empowering. We dove into her inspiring story.

Mary Mwaku is a Grade 10 pupil at Chitokoloki Day Secondary School. She creates projects in food science, hospitality, and technology. She is inspired by her community’s needs and a desire to help people access healthier food options.

To Mary, value addition means improving local products to make them more useful, attractive, or profitable. For example, turning sweet potatoes into crisps or cookies.

She believes using local products in innovation is important because they are cheaper, easier to find, and support the local economy. They also protect culture and traditional knowledge.

The abundance of sweet potatoes and bananas in her community motivated her to create sweet potato and banana flakes. She wanted to create a nutritious snack and reduce reliance on imported products.

Mary explains that her products are healthier than ordinary crisps or cereals because of the use of natural ingredients and local resources.

She uses moringa powder and homemade peanut butter for moringa cookies because moringa is rich in vitamins and minerals, while homemade peanut butter is healthier, with no added salt or oil.

The abundance of rosella buds in her community inspired her to make rosella orange jam. She wanted to create something unique and nutritious.

Shivi jam offers consumers a unique flavour and texture, using underutilized local ingredients.

Mary’s ideas come from experimentation, research, and inspiration from her community.

The main challenge she faces is limited resources such as machinery and equipment, which she overcomes with creativity and help from friends.

She ensures her products are healthy and appealing through proper packaging and labeling, which makes them attractive. To ensure they are healthy, she goes to great lengths to ensure proper storage.

Mary received a K7,500 seed fund from Excel Foundation. She says the money will help her increase production, distribute to wider markets, and employ help.

Balancing school and innovation, according to Mary, is all about time management. She uses spare time and holidays for business while school periods are dedicated to her studies.

The support she needs mainly includes assistance in sales, marketing, and financial support.

Her innovation benefits the community by promoting the local economy, reducing food waste, and inspiring other youths.

Young innovators, she says, can promote nutrition, reduce waste, and make food accessible, thereby contributing to food security.

Mary’s future plans are to expand supply to community markets, supermarkets, and exports.

She says she is proud of all her products, as they promote local ingredients and nutrition.

Mary’s biggest dream as a young innovator can be summed up into growing more ideas, improving nutrition, and empowering her community.

Indeed, the future is bright for our young innovator Mary. Her journey is a testament to the power of youthful innovation and determination. With her sights set on making a difference, she’s proving that even the smallest ideas can grow into something big. As she continues to innovate and inspire, one thing’s fairly certain—Zambia’s food scene is in good hands, and Excel Foundation is proud to support and be associated with her.