Gambia's female mechanic breaking gender stereotypes
Ida Faal, a female automotive technician is the founder of Fita Faal Autos an online vehicle solutions centre that provides repair and maintenance services to customers in Gambia.
Despite being challenged with the gender stereotype that comes with working in a male-dominated field like the automotive industry, Ida Faal has received recognition for excelling in her field. She was named in the Top 50 Rising Motherland Mogul 2023 by She Leads Africa.
She recently won the 2023 edition of the Youth Connekt Gambia pitching competition, an African Union (AU) endorsed initiative to enhance the economic transformation of youths in Africa.
She was awarded 100,000 Gambian Dalasis (about $1,500) to be used to finance her business start-up. Her business idea was adjudged as the best of the three contestants to have pitched their business ideas.
"We will use 50% of this fund to build our mobile van, 25% for branding and advertisement and the other 25% will go into buying new equipment,” Ida Faal is quoted by local media the Fatu Network.
“Men believe because we are women, we can’t do the work. But I can assure you that any woman you see in a trade, know that she mastered it and that you should support our business by hiring our services,” she added.
Some notable women from Africa who are also making strides in the automotive industry are Catherine Ama Wilson and Belinda Akaba from Ghana.
In 2021, their company Solartaxi Ghana, a green energy automobile start-up created a platform for a team of young female engineers to excel in the automotive industry by building solar and electric vehicles in Ghana
"Moving forward, I also want to stand on my own, have my firm that I will employ a lot of ladies into the engineering field," Belinda Akaba is quoted by Africanews.
