At just 23, Stuart Luhanga is proving that self-taught skills can turn into real opportunities.
Inspired by a high school chemistry lesson, he ventured into soap-making last year, creating different recipes using both local and foreign ingredients.
Now, he dreams of owning a soap factory that produces beauty and medicinal soaps, despite facing financial and regulatory hurdles.
“I remember sitting in class, learning about how soap is made and thinking, ‘This is so simple, I can do it!” Stuart recalls.
Unlike most of his classmates, he did not just learn the theory, he saw an opportunity. However, it was until last year that he finally put his knowledge to the test.
“When I made my first soap and it actually worked, I knew I had found my passion,” he said in a phone interview with ProjectM.
Stuart had always been drawn to DIY projects, experimenting with various creations since childhood. But soap-making stood out because it had the potential to succeed.
“The process is straightforward, like cooking. All you need is caustic soda, distilled water, and different types of oils, soybean, groundnut, palm oil, you name it.”
He sources his oils locally, while caustic soda, though foreign, is readily available in Malawi.
Despite his success in making quality soap, Stuart faces a tough challenge to gain trust of customers for the products.
“People hesitate to buy because I don’t have government seal of approval.” Certification requires money, something he currently lacks. But instead of letting that stop him, he keeps refining his craft, determined to break into the industry.
His ultimate goal is to establish a soap factory that will not only produce beauty soaps but also medicinal ones for skin diseases.
At just 23, Stuart Luhanga is proving that self-taught skills can turn into real opportunities.
Inspired by a high school chemistry lesson, he ventured into soap-making last year, creating different recipes using both local and foreign ingredients.
Now, he dreams of owning a soap factory that produces beauty and medicinal soaps, despite facing financial and regulatory hurdles.
“I remember sitting in class, learning about how soap is made and thinking, ‘This is so simple, I can do it!” Stuart recalls.
Unlike most of his classmates, he did not just learn the theory, he saw an opportunity. However, it was until last year that he finally put his knowledge to the test.
“When I made my first soap and it actually worked, I knew I had found my passion,” he said in a phone interview with ProjectM.
Stuart had always been drawn to DIY projects, experimenting with various creations since childhood. But soap-making stood out because it had the potential to succeed.
“The process is straightforward, like cooking. All you need is caustic soda, distilled water, and different types of oils, soybean, groundnut, palm oil, you name it.”
He sources his oils locally, while caustic soda, though foreign, is readily available in Malawi.
Despite his success in making quality soap, Stuart faces a tough challenge to gain trust of customers for the products.
“People hesitate to buy because I don’t have government seal of approval.” Certification requires money, something he currently lacks. But instead of letting that stop him, he keeps refining his craft, determined to break into the industry.
His ultimate goal is to establish a soap factory that will not only produce beauty soaps but also medicinal ones for skin diseases.
“I believe locally made products can help boost our economy. If we don’t make them, who will?”
To young innovators like himself, Stuart offers simple advice: “If you have a dream, go for it. Don’t wait for the perfect conditions, they may never come. Just start with what you have and improve along the way.”
For now, he continues to experiment with new soap formulas, each batch bringing him closer to his dream of becoming a successful soap manufacturer in Malawi.
His initiative is a testament to the power of passion, resilience and self-learning that even the simplest ideas can lead to extraordinary innovations.
