About Us
Africa is home to 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, yet it remains a net importer of food. Despite its vast agricultural potential, Africa has seen the number of undernourished people rise over the past three decades, according to the World Economic Forum (2016). In 2023, youth unemployment on the continent remained critically high, with Sub-Saharan Africa facing the highest rate globally averaging over 30%.
Inspired by Aesop’s fable “A Rich Farmer and His Sons,” which teaches that the true treasure lies not in hidden gold, but in the labor and rewards of cultivating the land, Hidden Treasures International, Inc. (HTI) was founded in August 2024. The story highlights how the farmer’s sons, after tilling the land, found a wealth far greater than any hidden treasure—a prosperous harvest. This story encapsulates HTI’s belief that Africa’s hidden treasure lies in its untapped agricultural potential and the opportunities it presents to address both food insecurity and youth unemployment.
Meet the Founder
The founder of HTI, Dr. Issumael Nzamutuma, is a retired education administratorwith roots in Africa and experience in the United States. Driven by a deep commitment to supporting those struggling to meet life’s basic needs, Dr. Nzamutuma established HTI to create lasting change for Africa’s youth and communities.
“In God’s plan for Israel every family had a home on the land, with sufficient ground for tilling. Thus, were provided both the means and the incentive for a useful, industrious, and self-supporting life. And no devising of men has ever improved upon that plan. To the world’s departure from it is owing, to a large degree, the poverty and wretchedness that exist today.”
—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 183, 184. Ellen G. White