Meet the Women Shaping the Ghanaian Production of PPEs

The coronavirus has posed some problems for our nation, including closing of borders, limited supply of protective wear etc. But just as they say there’s a silver lining in every cloud, this pandemic has brought to the fore the creativity of some Ghanaian women; four of them being selected by government to produce Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for frontline health workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

These women are:

  • Nora Bannerman, founder of Sleek Garments Export Ltd and MD of the Africa Sleek Institute of Creativity and Technology; whose businesses have employed over 120 people to produce quality clothes to be sold internationally.
  • Adjo Asare, CEO of Alfie Designs, who makes use of manufacturing and ethical fashion as a means of creating job opportunities and improving the lives of women and girls in her community.
  • Linda Ampah, a Ghanaian fashion designer who through her passion has shared Africa’s  prints with the world and has a desire to help empower women throughout Ghana.
  • Madam Salma Salifu, a Ghanaian businesswoman and the Managing Director of Dignity DTRT, a garment factory in Ghana which employs over 1500 workers and is located in capital city Accra,  Ghana.

The amazing thing about the stories of these women is how they turned their factories into a production house for Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), to meet the demand for frontline health workers who are overwhelmed with fighting the virus and need as much basic protective gear as possible.

Let’s get to know these women, shall we?

Nora Bannerman

With a background in fashion, Nora is passionate about local businesses and has played a key role in the Ghanaian clothing and textile industry. Her company, Sleek Garments Export Ltd, is popularly known for exporting about 75,000 men’s shirts to the US under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) and has been described as one of the success stories of this Act established in the US in 2000. Her business has promoted the beauty of items Made-in-Ghana and she has had the opportunity to showcase her works on fashion platforms in different countries such as France and the US.

Every success story of course has a beginning, and Nora’s began with her mother’s sewing machine.  As her passion grew over the years, she worked with determination to develop her gift to make an impact and become a solid business, which she now runs with her daughter.

She loves to organize skill development courses for young and especially needy women, to equip them with skills to thrive in the fashion industry or go a step further to start their own businesses. She played a pivotal role in placing Ghana on the AGOA map to enable the nation export over 6,000 products to the US without duties.

Her business, Sleek Garments, now manufactures PPEs for Ghana including surgical gowns, 2 ply masks for medical personnel, scrubs, doctors’ coats, and reusable masks for public use, approved by the FDA. Locate Sleek Garments inside 47 Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, Ghana. Visit their website on www.sleekgarments.com

Adjo Asare

Adjo Asare is the face behind the brand Alfie Designs, based in Accra, Ghana. Through the manufacturing of clothes and  fashion, Alfie designs has created employment and has helped to improve the livelihoods of women and girls whilst  putting Ghana on the map in terms of African fashion.

According to Adjo,  her mother started Alfie Designs and through her hard work, put her children through school all the way to the tertiary level. Adjo started the fashion school in 2016 to enable her support other young women so they can also make a difference in the lives of of their families.

Adjo believes every individual needs to do what their passionate about, so that during times when it seems like things are not working out, one knows what’s motivating them to push ahead in order to suceed and realize their dreams. Alfie Designs is located at Awudome Estate Kaneshie – Accra and can be contacted on +233 244 208778.

Linda Ampah

Cadling Fashions started with Linda Ampah, a Ghanaian based fashion designer who had a passion to share the African print with the world and the passion to empower women throughout Ghana. Overtime she has transformed her small tailoring shop into a global brand which is still known for producing quality and one of a kind garments.

Her clothing line offers a wide range of unique outfits to suit both the sophisticated and modest woman’s taste and provides custom-made clothing. The fashion house has also expanded their production capacity in order to mass produce for other designers and companies.

Their clothing line gained more popularity after one of its masterpieces was worn by former United States’ First Lady, Michelle Obama when she visited South Africa.

To learn more about Cadling Fashions call or WhatsApp:+233272460825 Call:+13013321931  or visit their website www.cadlingfashions.com

 

Salma Salifu

Salma Salifu is a Ghanaian businesswoman and the Managing Director of Dignity DTRT, a garment factory in Ghana which employs over 1500 workers and is located in the capital city Accra,  Ghana.

The fashion house bridges the gap between what global buyers need and what Africa has to offer. They also offer customers a one-stop solution, delivering high quality products at extremely competitive pricing.

For more details on Dignity DTRT visit their website http www.dtrtapparel.com

Its encouraging to see how these women have nurtured their companies and contributing to the growth of the country through employment of staff and also coming through for us as a country during these times.

We say Ayeeko!

 

References

http://www.dtrtapparel.com/contact

https://www.usadf.gov/blog/2019/10/8/meet-the-young-woman-making-ethical-manufacturing-fashionable-in-ghana

https://cadlingfashions.com/

https://www.graphic.com.gh/business/business-news/cadling-fashions-ceo-points-youth-to-fashion-based-jobs.html

https://live.worldbank.org/experts/nora-bannerman-abbot

WeMompreneurs Feature: Mrs. Abla Quansah, Abbees Chillbox

This month on our Mompreneur Feature, we are joined by Mrs. Abla Quansah of Abbees Chillbox. She is a determined, hardworking woman with so much energy and positivity. Read on and be inspired by how she turned a hobby into a full time business and transitioned from the corporate world as a Chartered Accountant into  Events Management.

Q: How did you start off as a Mompreneur?

A: My entrepreneurship journey started at a very young age. My mum was a serial mom(entre)preneur and she introduced us to the world of entrepreneurship very early. As early as you could say ma!

Q: What inspired you to take that path in business?

A: I am from an entrepreneurial background and always had the passion to run my own business.

Q: Please tell us a little bit about your company and what you do.

A: I own and manage a drink solutions company,  Abbees Chillbox. We provide drinks and waiting services for all events, We are also into rentals of chillers, glases,  plates, cutleries, e.t.c.  

Q: Please share a little background about yourself.

A: I am Chartered Accountant (FCCA) by profession. I have worked in various accounting positions in the Corporate space for 16 years. Whilst in Corporate, I was running my current business alongside. I resigned in 2014 to manage my business.  

Q: How have you managed your day to day activities as a Mompreneur?

A: I am an early riser (this doesn’t go down well with my family because when I wake up, everyone else has to be up in no time), so I will say my day starts at 4am. After my quiet time and family devotion my day has officially begun. I send my kids to school by 7.00am then I settle for the day’s activities. My To-do-list keeps me in check of my daily routine.  l operate my business from home so I have to schedule between office work time and domestic work time.

Q: How are you able to manage taking care of your family and managing your business?

A: It’s all about planning. I am intentional about making time for both business and family, I try not to make any suffer. My work takes me away from the family sometimes for days, especially during the peak seasons but I make it up to them once I am done with the job. My family understands the nature of the business and their support is awesome.

Q: What are some of the challenges you face?

A: It’s been an interesting journey. My initial challenge was with the staff. They didn’t appreciate work ethics, policies and procedures. It was a frustrating transitioning period for me. I had a corporate background where policies and procedures worked.  I didn’t understand why my team couldn’t comprehend simple procedures.

The other challenge was people appreciating our services. Some people thought they could use their families and friends to handle their events instead of engaging the professionals.

We also had challenges with time management. A client can give you time for an event but they will start late and close very late.

Q: what are the processes and systems that have helped your entrepreneurship journey?

A: The business was birthed out of a hobby and it was operated as such for sometime alongside my regular office work. When I started running the business full time, I realized a lot had to change to sustain the business and also take it to the next level. I had to put structures in place. Even though I am a Chartered Accountant, I realized I had to learn more about managing the business as an entrepreneur. I enrolled in entrepreneurship programs, I joined entrepreneurship groups where I met a lot of seasoned entrepreneurs who share insights into running successful businesses. Training of staff has also helped in aligning the goals of the business. The seminars and courses helped me put in place business plans and other systems that will make the business grow.

Q: What’s your advice to any Mother who is passionate about starting their own business

A: Start your business out of your passion. Money should not be their initial motivation. Take your time to learn about the nature of the business. Allow the business to grow organically, Don’t be scared of making mistakes. We always learn from the mistakes and that makes us better.  Finally, Never forget the God factor. He is our Chief Director.

To learn more about Abbees Chillbox, visit their page on instagram at @abbeeschillbox or contact them on 0206000265.

To get feature on our blog and share your journey as a Mompreneur with us, reach out to us on mompreneurgh@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.

 

Father’s Role in a busy Mompreneur’s Life

For the past few days I have focused solely on how mother’s can balance their work life, de-stress themselves and as well manage time as mothers doubling up as entrepreneurs.
I haven’t forgotten the enormous role fathers also play in the life’s of these women behind the scenes to support them.
I have come across a lot of fathers who personally take it upon themselves to ensure the kids have their homework done every time.
There are fathers who also ensure the house chores designated to each child is completed by the child without excuses
Some fathers also personally support and motivate their wife’s in every business venture they decide to undertake,  financially, morally, socially.
It is healthy to have a discussion with the man of the house to help you manage both the work load and home duties. It becomes better when you have a man who understands this and is willing to be involved in both aspects of your  life as a Mompreneur.
Its great to be strong-willed and confident as a Mompreneur, but there is nothing as comforting as having a man who supports you both in your work life and duties as a mother.

Diaries of a Momemployeneur: Know when to Outsource or Seek Expert Advise

Sometimes in an attempt to cut down on cost in your business or your journey as an entrepreneur you may employ quite a number of Do-It-Yourself techniques. But sometimes this strategy may not work because eventually you realize you spent much more than you would have used if that task was outsourced. I had contacted quite a number of people to assist with a website but unfortunately the quotes were on a high side. One day whilst browsing online I chanced upon an advert which looked catchy “Build a website on your own for free in less than 48hours”.
“Wow I said that was my moment of saving some money”., I thought to myself.  I signed up on the site and went through the procedure . I chose my template , and started working on the interface design. But wait, now I had to choose a domain name and pay for hosting and that wasn’t free. But they never stated that in their ad. I went ahead to pay for the domain name and the hosting for a month to try it out first.
Went back to the website design but realized it was getting tough so I sought the advise of an expert to help and I made him aware I had my domain and hosting as well as template already. He went through the template I had chosen and checked out the package for hosting for a year.
Imagine my disappointment when he revealed to me the hosting alone cost much more than he was charging me initially for developing the website. Also getting plug-ins were going to be way expensive than the platform he had initially discussed with me to implement.

I tried to cut corners but eventually I could not even use the domain name and hosting site again. My money went down the drain.

Let’s check out some aspects of our businesses that play an integral role in its success and may function better when outsourced;

  • Graphic Designing:   Getting a good graphic designer for your business helps you to stand out in marketing campaigns and promotions. Especially for your blog and social media handles. It may be expensive to have a good graphic designer on retainer so usually small business outsource when they need to meet their graphic designing needs.
  • Book keeping: Book keeping is a commonly outsourced task for small businesses. It is essential to get an expert for this aspect for your business as it helps you manage your taxes, income statements and petty cash. All these help you to know how your business is progressing.
  • Website design: Your website is the face of your company online. Its essential to get an expert to handle this as it directly reflects on your brand image. If you are not a web designer you could outsource to a freelancer as this may sometimes be cheaper as compared to a website design company. As  business owners it is essential that we learn to outsource delicate aspects of your business which you do not have any expertise or seek expert advise if you want to Do it yourself. Eventually you are able to weigh the cost benefits. If it is something you can quickly learn on your own and work it out. Bingo! Then you are good to go

Author

Mary A.S.Sackey

HR/Operations Manager

NALO Solutions Limited.

International Women’s Day Feature: Matilda Serwaa Frimpong

Our Mompreneur Special Guest feature for International Womens Day is Matilda Serwaa Frimpong neé Sarkodie. She is a Logistician , wife , mother of two and manager of a restaurant  . She is a proud product of Holy child school cape coast and KNUST Business school alumni . She loves music , loves traveling and is a huge lover of foods .
Enjoy as she shares her Entrepreneur Journey with WeMompreneurs……………..

I started Fruggies granola as a result of search to find healthy yummy snack to back my healthy lifestyle after the birth of my first son . So I researched and boom 💥!!! I love oats , I love nuts and seeds then GRANOLA here we go . I never decided or thought of building an empire from granola . I got my inspiration from my lecturer on campus whom I gave a bottle to him and his wife on Val’s day when i was in the university. Then he kept asking me “Tilly when is fruggies granola hitting the markets ? You must consider selling this to folks who want to keep snacking healthy ” . So I told my husband who was already and still a fan of fruggies granola ! He gave and still gives me 100% support and invested in the business . Then we started 3 years ago .

At Palmat Fruggies Enterprise , we are a small batch homemade granola . Our granola is made of oats , nuts like cashews and almonds , coconuts and other healthy seeds with spices and syrups ! We are located in Kumasi but have suppliers in Accra , Tema, Kumasi  and make nationwide deliveries always . Officially I have one staff who is Very helpful ! But my husband is unofficially the quality control manager . He just love testing every batch ! You already know why ! *winks* we are the best no doubt ! We hope to employ more ladies and gentlemen on board very soon .

My typical day begins with God first then preparing the family for school and work.  I get into our mini kitchen or factory by 8 am with my assistant and begin mixing our batches of granola . By 11 am , I am off to the restaurant to make sure things are in place.  By 5 pm off to pick my toddler from school . Then mid week service  at church will be attended if any . If not , family time 😊.  As a wife , mother and also a worker else where , balancing is a huge issue . I need more than 24 hours in a day . Haha ! But on a serious note to be a super woman , you need to ask for help sometimes ! So I do ask for help when I need it !  Human resource is key to every successful business too ! It may sound cliche but trust me
that is it . That makes balancing good for me .

Some few challenges : work space , finances and human resource ! I pray to get a bigger space God willing but that comes with money haha ! I pray government gives more attention to small business owned by women especially mompreneurs.  What has really helped in to get this far ? Consistently making sure we produce Quality Granola and make customers happily healthy by serving them with great Customer Service .

Any lady who wants to do a business this is my advice to you . ” Do not sell products ! Sell solutions ! And make sure you give nothing but the best ! Start small . Start where you are and You can be inspired but do not copy . Be consistent, I repeat, be consistent and be focused “Our email is palmatfruggies@yahoo.com
Instagram: @fruggiesgh__
Facebook : Palmat Fruggies
Call: 0247509522

Feature Friday: AkobaMoxie, Crotcheting for Fashion.

My name is Sandra Amponsah Baidoo. My mompreneur journey started after I had my first son and I knew going back to corporate was not an option, as I did not have anyone I could trust to leave him with. Both my parents were late so grandparents were not an option. Praying about it I had ideas about what to do, because I wanted to be a hands-on-mom but be fulfilled doing other things as well.
My kids inspired me to be a mompreneur. I had previously never been business oriented  but ‘necessity is the mother of invention’. Out of this I taught myself how to crochet and bead using online tools.

 

Through I grew my business AkobaMoxie. AkobaMoxie for now makes baby and women’s accessories using yarn, beading,  fabric, ribbon etc. However we will be growing into a full accessory and clothing brand in the nearest future.
I am married with two boys. I hold an MPhil in Nutrition from UG and I am a public health professional and a past young professional of the West African Health Organisation. I am very passionate about child nutrition as well however currently I am currently founder and lead maker at AkobaMoxie.
I manage daily activities by planning every hour of the day, as I have to balance  caring for my sons and meeting orders. My husband is also very supportive of me so he supports whenever he is available.
Balancing can be stressful but you have to be determined to make it work. So I plan meal times, bed time,  homework etc and work around it or when the kids go to bed.

Personally, my greatest challenge has been moving beyond my previous dreams and ambitions and walking into new ones. Having people misunderstand my current path and choices, but the important thing is excelling in these new ones too. In Mompreneurship my greatest challenge is time management.

In business,  sourcing for quality materials in Ghana to make my pieces and pricing to suit the Ghanaian market has been challenging.

Getting expert advice on things you are not conversant with is key. You cannot do things in vacuum, so my team and I have meetings on pricing, buying materials etc. Separating personal profit from business profit, keeping records, maintaining good customer relationships all are essential .
Advice to anyone going into business, be specific about what you want to do, research your product, be self-motivated, start with what you have.
Follow AkobaMoxie on instagram on @AkobaMoxie . For enquiries and orders call or whatsapp +233558371723 or email on akobamoxie@gmail.com.

GMC, Inspiring and Refueling Mompreneurs

The much awaited third brunch meeting of the Ghana Mompreneurs Club came off last week Thursday September 21, 2017 inside East Legon as usual brought together amazing women from all over Ghana who came together to network, learn and be inspired.
This guest speaker for this brunch meeting session was Mamaga Abla Dzifa Gomashie, former deputy tourism minister. The MC for the occasion was our very own Mavis of Canada Ghana Nutrition Centre.

 Mothers were given the opportunity to come along with their kids, and they were well hosted with a loaded programme line up with sessions from Soronko Academy, Etiquette plus and powered by Junior Shapers Africa.

 The host for the interview session with the guest speaker as Mubaraka Salih ( Basaasha Bissap) . The guest speaker shared her journey with us from childhood through to her role as the former deputy minister for tourism. She touched on the need for women to be firm when they face the hard times in their entrepreneurship journeys.
She encouraged women to be keepers for each other and also support each others business as  she mentioned, “Killing your sisters shine will not make yours shine brighter”.
She also touched on the need to outsource business especially when it did not fall within ones products and services. With this she encouraged Mompreneurs to recommend their fellow Mompreneurs for business opportunities they could not handle as this would open up more opportunities.
The next session of the programme was led by Mompreneur Gloria Yankson from Cancer Connect GH. She spoke on issues related to cancer and touched on some causes of cancer, its treatment and some preventive measures mothers gathered there could take to stay clear of the deadly disease.
She touched on the need to  eat healthy, go for regular check ups and also minimize the usage of mobile phone especially with children. She advised us to put phones off especially in the night where most of us tend to sleep with our mobile phones.

 

 

After her session, the mothers gathered were allowed to ask some few questions relating to the discussion Mompreneur Gloria had on cancer.
 We also had a brief session with Ransford, CEO of Hover Consult. He educated us on the types of solar panels and how possible it was to get this set up for as low as GHS3,500. You can hit them up for all your Solar panel needs on  0240941991 or follow them on Facebook on hoverconsult.
From there the exhibition was opened for participants to have a feel of the wonderful products and services being made, produced and managed by the wonderful mothers.

 

Xtra five was on the grounds to give the mothers a beautiful make over, and we had our only lady photographer from Platinum Photography on the grounds to reserve the beautiful pictures of our beautiful make over.

We had food vendors Afrakuma Catering Services and House of Fast foods providing delicious lunch for everyone. Drinks were in abundance from Healthy bursts to Basaasha Sobolo.
Salon Cuties, owned by Mompreneur Ethel was also at the venue to make our little girls beautiful.
Rima Touch was also available to give the mothers a massage.

Our designers were not left out exhibiting their beautiful products. It was a wonderful gathering that brought Mothers and Children together.

The Ghana Mompreneurs Club was launched in February this year and currently has a membership over 150, the club plans to expand its territory as it continues to empower Mothers to make it in their careers and businesses.

Source : Ghana Mompreneurs Club

How my daughter made me an Entrepreneur- Story of Myda Foods

Today we share the story of a young lady who diverted her dreams of becoming an accountant to a food processor after she gave birth to her daughter…She is a Mother and an entrepreneur.

Erasung Hadijah, the CEO of Isshad Plus Enterprise, producers of Myda Foods- a local cereal made with rice, soya and moringa  was born on March 5, 1990.
She had her basic education at St. Andrews Catholic School. She then continued to Wa Senior High School and went on to the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).

Hadijah, from her childhood had a passion for selling. So even in primary school, she used to sell mangoes, toffees to her friends in class. But along the line, as she grew up , Hadijah developed an interest in becoming an accountant so she took a course in accounting at UPSA where she graduated with a degree in Financial Accounting in 2014.

Before her degree, she had taken a two year course in Diploma in Business. Just after completing her diploma she got married.

According to Khadijah she wanted to remain focused in life and she felt getting married will help her overcome so many pressures. She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl after marriage and that was when her entrepreneurial journey began.

The arrival of her baby turned her into an entrepreneur !

My journey into entrepreneurship is quite an interesting one, Hadijah explained. After breast-feeding her baby for about 3 months she observed something unusual about her baby. She realized her daughter was constantly reducing in weight. Her baby would not eat anything. As she explained , ” I tried some of the common baby formulas available in the market but I wasn’t seeing any positive results.”

Naturally this situation will cause every new mother to worry , even the experienced ones. That is when Hadijah decided to try her hands on something new for her baby.

” I decided to try my own baby formula. So I researched on the ingredients I had in mind to make sure it will be healthy for my baby to eat’ , she stated.

Then she tried out a mix of brown rice, carrots and sometimes added some eggs. After giving her the formula for sometime I saw some improvement in her weight. Then I was motivated to continue the formula till she was a year. I was really impressed with the way my daughters weight had become stable now. “She had become “obolo”, Hadijah stated.

Hadijah then saw a business opportunity in there. She reasoned that if this helped her child, then there could be other mothers out there facing the same problem. She decided to take this on as a business. She launched her first product in 2014 at the UPSA Auditorium. There were three brands namely
Morin Cart which is a mixture of rice , carrot and a little bit of moringa. The other product, B-Soya is also made with brown rice, soya bean and a bit of spices. The last product which is the super mix is a mixture of brown rice, soya, carrot and moringa.

 

HOW SHE MARKETS HER PRODUCTS

The uniqueness of Hadijahs product mix makes people wonder for the first time if it tastes good.  In view of this she has adopted a strategy to answer all who have such reservations about her products.

“When I go for exhibitions, I prepare a sample of the products and take it along. I pour some out for prospective customers n cups for them to taste.  After they sample, they realize how nutritious and tasty it is and the orders start flowing in.,”she explained.

Hadijah’s business is located at Madina, a suburb of Accra . Her distribution channels are mostly around that community and its environs.

Due to the health benefits of the ingredients, a health facility known as Herbal Technology takes some and recommends it to its diabetic and stroke patients.

Her cereals can also be found in some SHELL shops.

She also gives a lot of free samples to people to test .Even though the initial cost of that is high, she argues that it reaps benefits as people make orders after trying the products.

But she mentions also that no business goes without challenges, especially start ups…

CHALLENGES

The most common challenge which affects all start-ups is usually the battle with capital . Hadijah had to rely on her mother to lend her some money to start her business when she convinced her she would take it up.

But after her mother’s support sustaining the business financially has not been easy for her.

Hadijah also wanted her products to look very unique in the market, so she also put in a strategy to help her achieve that. She invested heavily in branding and used an attractive and quality package for her products.

I took time to visit the market to survey the packaging of some of our local formulas, and I also sampled products from the foreign markets and then decided to follow the foreign packaging. That appeared very attractive and neat. Her products have gone through several re-branding to arrive at its current look.

Another challenge she faced also was getting the right kind of cereal for her products. It was difficult making out the good ones from the bad ones.

Dealing with cereal was the biggest challenge I had to overcome. I didn’t know much about it, so it was difficult selecting the best ones. I always relied on Food research to help me and gradually I have been able to surmount that.

HOW EDUCATION HAS HELPED HER IN HER ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY

Many start- up businesses consider going through regulatory requirements as an obstacle which is there to impede progress due to some of the challenges that was faced previously. However Hadijah appreciates following regulatory requirements as an advantage for her business.

I have come to understand that some of these  guidelines and regulations are there for our benefit if we follow them. It shouldn’t be always just producing to sell.

This also helps you gain a competitive advantage in the market, especially in the industry I found myself, It was very essential to go through all the various regulatory processes before I introduced my product to the market.

She believes what is driving her product is quality in terms of content and packaging. To be sure whether she is using the best of ingredients for her products too, she reads about the health benefits of the ingredients and knows which one to select.

HER VISION

Hadijah wants Myda Foods to be a registered brand in every household and also export to the international market.
” I want my product to be in every household in some few years to come. I also want to enter the international market that is the more reason why I re-branded my products.”she mentioned.

HOW THE GOVERNMENT CAN SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURS

Hadijah believes a lot of young people have very brilliant ideas which have not materialized yet because of lack of capital. She is urging government to step up efforts in providing easily accessible capital to individuals who are interested in entrepreneurship.

She also advises that while regulatory procedures are important for businesses to meet, it would be helpful if those processes are made easy for businesses to follow.

To make more enquiries on Myda Foods contact Hadijah on 0544503479

Email them on mydafoods@gmail.com or erasung300@gmail.com