Man moves from South Africa to Malawi with skills to build factory

Ted, who calls himself the 'Bush Engineer', spent 15 years in South Africa before returning to Malawi to start his own factory
Back home, Ted invented two products he says address real gaps in the Malawian market, and a video showed his ventures
Viewers from across Africa praised Ted's entrepreneurial spirit and his decision to bring his skills back home

A Malawian man who spent 15 years living and learning in South Africa has returned home to build machines that tackle everyday problems in his community. Ted, widely known as the "Bush Engineer," runs his own factory in Malawi where he designs and manufactures practical tools from scratch, with no formal engineering qualification to his name.

A woman interviewed a Malawaian man who started a factory after returning from South Africa — A woman shared the story of a Malawian man who started a factory after returning from South Africa. Image: @naa_atswei.a
Source: Instagram

An Instagram user shared a documentary-style video on 11 October, filmed on location at Ted's factory compound. The property includes a welding area, a warehouse and an outdoor courtyard stocked with finished products.

In the video by @naa_atswei.a, Ted explains how he identified two specific problems people in Malawi were struggling with. The first was a lack of affordable cement blocks, which led him to design what he calls the Gizmo Machine, a cement block-making device built to meet local construction needs. The second was a frustration with standard wheelbarrows, which he addressed by creating the Tenjanji wheelbarrow. Ted described it as "the strongest wheelbarrow in Malawi and probably the strongest wheelbarrow in Africa." Watch the video that inspired thousands across Africa:

Viewers applaud Malawian man

Commenters from South Africa and beyond were moved by Ted's journey and flooded the post with praise:

@enthiantobeko wrote:

"This is what we want 💪💪 empower yourself and contribute in your economy rather than running away from your problems #proudlySouthAfrican🇿🇦"

@maimane_karabo said:

"As South Africans, this is what we want to see"

@tramtrae shared:

"Great stuff. This is the Africa we are talking about."

@noxolosishuba1 added:

"After learning from South Africa, good student ❤️❤️"

@glendamorongwa noted:

"He learned from South Africa and decided to go home 👏 hardworker and a good learner 🙌 South Africa does transfer skills as well"

@takinegondeni said:

"At least he took the skill with him 😍❤️"

Man moves from South Africa to Malawi with skills to build factory

Viewers applaud Malawian man

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