WAY back in 2002 , young Ms Stacey Yayra Makumator hanged her always neatly ironed suit to put on a different attire to the passionate disagreement of her parents. But nine years down the line, she looks back, beams with smiles and said to the GRAPHIC BUSINESS that at the moment, "I would say such a move was worth it though I’m not at my destination yet.”
Ms Makumator, who now co-ordinates the activities of Nesy Concepts Enterprise, an African products’ trading company that she founded, had resigned from her job as a secretary in a shipping company in Tema to produce bags, hats and beads for sale to her friends.
PASSIONATE DECISION
From that humble beginning triggered by her passion for the trade, the young lady now has five permanent employees in her manufacturing enterprise, exports the finished products to the Netherlands, USA and Nigeria, and has even set up a foundation; the Nesy Concepts and Development Foundation dedicated to the grooming of her colleague women in the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills.
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| Stacey Makumator rode on roughs to sit here |
According to her, this year’s second quarter training, slated for March 30 to April 9 at the Ghana Association of Women Entrepreneurs - GAWE house in Accra would see about 30 - 50 single mothers, less privileged women, and people who are passionate about craft participating in the programme.
PASSION IN THE MIDST OF ROUGHS
Ghana's business environment has fewer records of practical grounds and conditions for business expansion and entreprenuerial skill development as well as its application.
From entrenched perceptions of trade being an area that accomodates dropouts or the less academics, offers meagre earnings in return for higher risks, to the dawning realities of limited markets, a tight lending system from the financial institutions to businesses, scanty information on entrepreneurship and unfair competition from foreigners, only the giant hearted can bruise through this profession.
But the situation even becomes worst when the person involved is a woman. For women, combining business trips, capacity building training and workshops with family duties is just as hectic as one can imagine.
And even as Ms Makomator said "women in business are considered new comers and are therefore not given the same opportunities as the men."
So, in an environment like ours, noted for its hostility; both perceived and in practice to entrepreneuring, especially in her case "a woman", founder and co-ordinator of the Nesy Concepts Enterprise said she got not roses but roughs in her new field.
To her, that entrepreneurial path which she choose over the air-conditioned secretary job has never been smooth with her parents thinking of her as being crazy. She also regreted ever taking such a decision and has therefore attempted on several occassions to pull out, a decision passion has never allowed.
“My parents thought I was crazy to have forfeited a formal job with a fixed salary for beads, hats and bags making which they said earns meagre. I have also on several occasions invested my money in this business but never recouped any causing me to break down and weep but by God’s grace, I always wake up stronger”, she recounted.
AN URGE TO QUITE
As a result of these frustrations, Ms Makkumator said she occasionally “regreted ever taking such a step” and thus attempted stopping on several occasions but her strong centred feelings for the trade would not just permit any exit.
The challenges, she said are however not limited only to those of the personal and family difficulties but extends to lack of technical assistance, market, credit and the persistent haunting perceptions of “a woman in business” as pertains in the country.
“Access to credit for expansion is very minimal. It is only when we get orders to produce goods that the banks would be willing to pre-finance our operations, otherwise, they are not prepared to take risks,” she further bemoaned.
"The company is currently in search of a strategic partner to help us invest in machines, equipment and materials to expand the workshop and our resource center facilities."
That she said would help open up new outlets for the products in other parts of Ghana and on the international markets.
Explaining further, the young CEO said women across the country who are into trade always lack access to relevant information and technical assistance necessary to help them grow in their respective sectors of operations and that she said affects her as well.
She also mentioned the lack of patronage of African products in Ghana as a hinderance to her enterprise but added that the much talk about the need for local attires as Fridays was making things better.
“People are also beginning to patronise the use of some of our products at conferences and I think we are getting on a bit well,” she added. At the moment, Ms Makumator said those frustrations are dying out as she is bent on staying with her job.
She was grateful to GAWE, for its technical assistance and information to her business operations. She thus advised her colleague members to make good use of the association for their individual benefits.
THE NEED FOR FEMALE MENTORSHIP
Ms Makumator who is the Greater Accra regional president however, bemoaned the lack of mentorship culture among women by their fellow females.The lady who said she was mentored by the current GAWE president, Madam Lucia Quachey who was featured on this page last week asked ”a lot of women have done a lot and are in higher positions with numerous skills but what are they doing to help those below?”
According to her, successful women needed to cultivate the habit of mentorship so as to “breed a lot more of their calibre.”
She was therefore of the view that corporate institutions and the numerous female-based organisations should dedicate a little of their time and resources to the training of women in trade skill acquisition as well as its application.
LOOKING AHEAD
On the way forward for her company and women issues in Ghana, Ms Makumator, said she aims at making Nesy Concepts Enterprise a household name in Ghana especially when it comes to beads, African bags and hats.
She is currently reading Logistic at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) which she hopes to master in to enable her apply the theory to be acquired in the export of her beads, bags and hats to newer markets.
She also hopes to penetrate the local market as well as the international markets with crafts from the Nesy Concepts Enterprise in the near future.
For now, Ms Makumator said “I am hoping to stay in this field though that hope would very much depend on the perceptions of my would be better half towards my occupation. In fact, that would even determine who that person should be”.
So, who ever that is interested in Ms Stacey Makumator, and would therefore be prepared to say one day “till death sets us apart” to her, such a man should as well be prepared to allow her space, time and the moral encouragement needed to carry on with her trade. After all “if women go through the process to get rich, trust me, we would not disrepect anybody”.
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