ZAMBIA – Integrated cold chain food products and agribusiness company Zambeef has appointed Mathews Ngosa as the company’s new general manager of its poultry division, Zamhatch.

Mr Ngosa with over 29 years of experience as an animal scientist, started his career as poultry manager at Hybrid ltd. Afterwards he joined ZCCM Nchanga farms and worked at a few other farms in various managerial roles.

His expertise was recognised by his peers, who appointed him chief executive officer of the Poultry Association of Zambia.

Mr Ngosa complemented his on-the-ground career experience with academic qualifications. He graduated from the University of Zambia with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science, majoring in animal science.

He is a holder of two master’s degrees, one in animal science and the other in business administration and a higher diploma in animal neurology.

Mr Ngosa joined Zambeef in 2014 as the sales and marketing manager of Zamhatch, Zambeef’s chicken hatchery a position he held before being promoted to his current role as general manager – poultry.

Even before joining Zambeef, Mr Ngosa participated in the creation of Zamhatch, “I wanted to join Zambeef because my skills as an animal scientist would be put to good use. I had worked with them before, so I knew the company’s culture and what they were out to achieve.”

Some of Mr Ngosa notable achievements at Zamhatch include increasing out-put production of the subsidiary to over 400,000 chicks daily.

“My attitude towards work is to be a hard worker and a team player. I’m not afraid to take on challenges that achieve results. I also have a great team; their dedication and expertise help us achieve the goals we set up for ourselves.” Said Mr Ngosa.

 “My new role is a tough one, it requires a lot of planning and hard work but I am up for the challenge. My first goal is to make sure key performance indicators are met. I look forward to achieving success with my team in this new task we have been given.” He added.

The agribusiness company, posted a 4% decline in revenues to US$118.8 million for the six months to March 31, 2019 amid a challenging operating environment.

Zambeef plunged into a pre-tax loss of US$2.5 million compared to a pre-tax profit of US$2.8 million the year before.

The company’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) margin – a measure of a company’s operating performance- also declined to 5.8% from 10% a year before, leading to a 46% fall to US$6.8 million.

Significant fiscal pressures on the Zambian economy during the period presented challenges for the market and impacted the disposable income of Zambeef’s customers.