It is noisy in Sirakoro: In the background, the muezzin is calling for prayer, young men are driving by on their mopeds, and children are playing in the shade of a tree.
Today we meet Famaka Bagayogo. We’re on chairs in front of his store. After 5 minutes the door opens and he walks confidently towards us. He has a big smile on his face and sits down in front of us on a wooden bench.
Famaka Bagayogo, like his father until his retirement, runs a small welding business. He repairs and welds anything made of metal for the villagers. Bicycles, trailers, pipes and everyday household appliances – his repertoire and his work are varied and Famaka always takes great care in his work.
He gets most of his orders from the farmers of Sirakoro. For their daily work in the fields, they use equipment and machines that often break down. Then Famaka is called upon. He inspects the broken equipment closely and repairs it within a few hours, depending on the workload. A kind of cooperation has developed between the farmers and Famaka. In addition to doing repair work for them, he also processes their harvest with his mill, which we are also allowed to look at. It is an enormous device that is quite noisy. We noticed that ourselves. But it’s not just the noise that bothers Famaka about the mill:
"For 10 years now I have been running my business without my father and still I have to use this old mill. Currently, I still run it with a diesel generator because there is no alternative. But the thing keeps breaking down. It's annoying! I hope I can get a newer mill soon."
For the future, Famaka is betting on Africa GreenTec. He wants to get solar power from us as soon as possible so he doesn’t have to run the diesel generator every day. Due to the many requests, he is also sometimes under time pressure. If the diesel generator then breaks down, everything is delayed and his customers become impatient.
"With the electricity from Africa GreenTec, I hope to have a more reliable source of energy than my diesel generator. Currently, I don't have enough equipment to complete my orders as quickly as possible. But once I have electricity, I'm also willing to invest in new technical equipment to become more efficient in processing orders."
Famaka is ambitious. He wants to push his business forward and make it bigger than his father’s. Back in the day, his father only repaired the equipment of the farmers and farm women in Sirakoro. Famaka therefore taught himself independently how to weld bicycles together, for example. So he not only repairs, but also makes new equipment, which he then sells in the village.
He is happy about his work and enjoys doing it:
"I was born in Sirakoro in 1976, have spent my whole life here. I have been doing this work for as long as I can remember. I looked over my father's shoulder from a young age and found it interesting. Of course, I took over the business for my father's sake, but I also like what I do. It's my passion."
For the future, Famaka wants to make more sales. He works with his younger brother and the two want to expand. To do that, they would first like to buy newer and better equipment so they can handle more orders.
They are happy that they can make the people of Sirakoro happy through their repairs and are proud that they can feed their families with the money generated by the repairs and the corn harvest that they also run. A win-win situation.
Hopefully, you’ll find out soon in a new #Impactstory what changed for them and their business as a result of the power of Africa GreenTec.
Until then, stay engaged and healthy!
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