Sie Lamoussa Christian Lavoisier Ouattara is a young entrepreneur who is one of the beneficiaries of Flare of Light capacity building program in agri-food-business. He stands out for his determination, his sense of responsibility, his professional experience in relation to agri-food production and processing (juice production), his managerial behavior particularly the attention he pays to management requirements. He was able to readjust and expand his company with a new name from Glanni to GWA Diyara SARL to respect rules on this matter and with additional activities from juice products to pure spices and dried vegetables (pepper, onion, tomato, ginger and chili)
Miss Risnata SABO, processor of cassava into bread, testifies to the positive impact of the training received: “The training that I received from Flare Of Light (F.O.L) project allowed me on the one hand to discover raw materials other than wheat for bread making (cassava, potatoes) and on the other hand to increase my production capacity which led to a significant increase in my turnover. My activity allows me to meet my needs. Furthermore, the F.O.L project, through training, made it easier for me to choose my research theme because I am a student”
“Dao Bintou ‘’I had already tried entrepreneurship without success, I am becoming more and more aware of my mistakes and the safeguards that I should have taken as well as the skills and abilities that I should have developed before starting my business. Today, thanks to this project, I vary the tastes of my juices with natural products such as Canel, cloves and customers appreciate them. Plus, I put my juices myself in the capsules”
Undertake differently
Introduction
A Clear vision; High determination; Learning by doing; Mobilizing human assistance; Being creative in finding solutions that protect environment and that is guided by the cost-effectiveness approach is the other way Zoenabo has chosen to undertake differently her agro-business. MRS MARE/ KONGO ZOENABO. A SOILLESS CULTURE ENTREPRENEUR.
Cellular phone: + 226 66 78 59 35, other phone # + 226 71 12 99 27
Cognitive Benefits
Mrs Mare/ Kongo Zoenabo, a soilless culture entrepreneur started by explaining: ‘The reason why I started my soilless culture activity was unemployment since after studying civil engineering, I tried to find job. I did internships in several companies. I, even did the public service examinations. Nothing did work. One day, I noticed a post on Facebook about soilless culture training. After some research on the websites, I found that to be interesting. That's how I signed up for the course. In addition, I had the opportunity to benefit from the training offered by Flare of Light in entrepreneurship. This training helped me a lot. I understood that entrepreneurship, in reality, is a passion and to live it fully, you have to set rules and often even work hard to achieve your goals. I started small and it worked out well. Today, I do not regret.
Professional benefits
Zoenabo used the information on contacts received in the training of other entrepreneurs. She pursued: ‘I went to explore the website of my deans, to see clearly how to make a greenhouse. Three elements are key: some plastic cans, an irrigation system and the substrates that are the fiber of the coconut’. I calculated the expenses that I will have to make to produce in my area of 200 square meters. I found that the fiber of the coconut is imported. The bag of 80 kg costs up to 8 000 FCFA. I would need at least twenty bags. The unit of cans costs 800 Fcfa while I have nearly 1000 cans. The total would be a huge cost of an initial capital’’. Without funds, but inspired by her determination and looking for other ways of doing, she continued ‘‘I couldn't afford it. I started asking relatives to find me empty 5-litre cans. These cans, I found them in garages. After collecting daily a quite number of empty cans in different places in the city, I go home to make a hole in the bottom of each can so that the roots are not flooded. I use coconut fiber as a substrate. It has good water retention capacity. It's not heavy as the earth. So, when you put the plant in, it's well ventilated and the plant grows faster compared to the soil’’..
Psychological benefits
I learned how to organize my time to reach the volume of production I want. I develop the soilless culture of vegetables (tomato, sweet green and red peppers….etc) from June to November. I suspend in March. In my village, I have mobilized dozens of women to collect coconuts. With the support of an artisan, I have now a machine to crush coconuts and extract the fiber. On my area of 200 square meters, I manage to produce 2 tons of culture and often 2 and a half tons up to 3 tons depending of the periods.
Such bio vegetables produced without chemical products are highly requested and are bought easily. That is my current revenue.
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Doing business differently
Miss SABO RISNATA, Entrepreneur in the pastry/biscuit industry in Bobo-Dioulasso.
Cellular phone # + 226 66 46 99
Learning how to use local cereals as raw materials and how to be ambitious is highly beneficial for Risnata, a young entrepreneur. It pays better. Cereal flours in Burkina Faso such as of millet, sorghum and manioc are less expensive than imported flours from abroad such as of wheat. This ensures that the selling price remains affordable for the majority of low-income families, thus broadening the clientele. It also open doors for export thus increasing income since she started exporting to two people in the United States of America.
As a a FOL follow-up on the impact of its trainings and accompanying measures, Mr San Clement Coulibaly, FoL Photgrapher (contact + 22676 23 47 68), met Miss Risnata Sabo, a young woman entrepreneur. Risnata belongs to a big family and lives in Bobo-Dioulasso at 335, 9 km from Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso which is located in West Africa.
´´RISNATA is a girl who is courageous‘´ witnesses her aunt. ´´She works well, she is serious and she likes her job. Since she started her activity, she was evolving little by little but constantly. She makes Birthday cakes, Christmas trees, Wedding cakes. She is always ready to learn to more. Really she is a brave girl. I am a cooker and I make cakes. Sometimes, Risnata sends me to taste cookies and cakes she makes and to evaluate whether they are good or not. Risnata’s brother adds:´´ She works hard and manage her time to respect the delivery times here in Bobo-Dioulasso, in Ouagadougou and in other provinces. Last months, she was able to make a delivery to two peoples who ordered from the United States.
Telling her success story, Risnata mentions´´ I benefited from a training with FOL during the month of December 2021. We learned, among others, the processing of fruits, cereals and vegetables. We learned a lot during this training which is organized by Flare of Light in Ouagadougou, at the Institute of Research on Applied Sciences and Technology (IRSAT) place. Personally, I was already making cookies and cakes but in the training we were taught to make them with cereals and local flours. I learned a lot from our trainers who allowed me to discover other ways of doing things. They also allowed me to think better and to know how to boost things in the days to come to improve further my revenue.
Risnata, said ´´As for the difficulties, it is not easy at all when it comes to entrepreneurship. Sometimes it’s with the customers and sometimes it’s with the raw materials´´. However, Risnata is happy to confirm the impact of the training she actively participated in, on her experience and financial gain telling:´´ we have a lot of problems with wheat flour whose price is increasing day by day, as well as oil and other raw materials. Indeed, the kits that we could sell at 500 Fcfa in the past if we continue at this price, we won’t be able to get by. Now, I initiate a lot with local cereal flours which increase my income´´.
A young business woman. Aicha Dembélé. Beneficiary of Mentorship Program.
My name is Aicha. I’m a mother of a child of 8 years old. I did not have a chance to go to the
high school after I got my certificate of primary studies. My father who live in rural area did not
have the financial resources to cover school and transport costs. Finding myself alone with my child I had to fight hard to find my way.
Today, I own a small business of a hairdressing salon. It was my dream when I was a little girl. I
was living with my stepmother who styled the village women at home. She used classic hair
style models. I wanted a modern business. Thanks to her teaching I acquired the basic capacity
to exercise this work in family which allowed me to cover my basic needs, to feel myself and
reach my independence. This is why the training on entrepreneurship and marketing and then
on information and technology communication helped me a lot to mature my business idea, to
learn, among others, what a business is, how to prepare a business plan, how to use social
media for marketing…..etc. In January 2020, I received a grant-loan which enabled me to buy
and install solar equipment. The aim is on one hand to improve the hair treatment and model
styling using energy through solar equipment and in the other hand to increase income.
I am so happy to have Mrs Akila Aggoune as my Mentor-business coach considering her
knowledge, talent and wide experience in international development particularly the promotion
of women’s rights to advancing their social and economic status. I expect my coach to guide
me, among others on how to retain customers, how to attract a wider clientele and how to
improve my salon services offer.
My story of Coaching. Ariel Zoungrana
Introduction
Early April 2020, I have been integrated in a WhatsApp group created by M.
Hakim Belembaogo who put me in relation with M. Bonaventure Barry for
coaching sessions. Since the relationship of trust and *complicity* with the
coach are essential, the 1st session was devoted to establishing a climate of
trust and a benevolent framework between us. These sessions also allowed me
to express my goal, which was further clarified in subsequent sessions. For my
part, I could compare the coach to a private *motivator*. A bit like having your
own sports trainer, but for your professional or personal success. Coaching
allowed me to progress in my interpersonal, behavioral and situational skills.
Cognitive Benefits
The duration of the coaching sessions varies depending on the objectives. The
multiple sessions allowed me to develop my analytical skills and regain
motivation to face targeted goals. Each session begins with defining the
objective of the session and ends with a new action plan. For example, my
coach M. Bonaventure advised me to get organized and write down my goals
on notes and it turned out to be handy because I can now manage my program.
During the sessions, the coach made me understand that I had to take a step
back, and be able to redefine my benchmarks and my goals. He also shared
some tips to help me communicate adequately and others tips for becoming an
actor in your life, ie acting rather than undergoing. This way of seeing things
that has helped me to surpass myself in certain situations.
Professional benefits
Regarding professional benefits, the coach encouraged me to develop my
interpersonal skills because it is very important in any company to keep good
relationships with all its collaborators. We also try to tackle subjects
concerning the agricultural project in which I am embarking in parallel to the studio.
Again, the coach advised me to delegate and empower people for tasks instead
of constantly trying to do everything and be everywhere at the same time. Not
only does this save me time, but it also saves energy so, I learned to identify
my values and priorities to optimize my daily life.
Coaching allowed me to go beyond my short-term goals to focus on developing
my team and everyone’s skills by *identifying potential and personal
resources*.
Psychological benefits
We cannot talk about coaching without addressing the psychological benefits.
Among other things, we discussed topics such as stress management, self-
confidence and many other aspects specific to my situation. I also learned from
these sessions that daily exercise and research are necessary to overcome my
shortcomings. Because it is with the repetition that I will be able to perfectly
master what I do and it has turned out to be really practical.
Several times the coach has had to share his own experiences with me to
motivate me in a certain way. Sometimes, it happens to us during the sessions
to bring up much more personal subjects. With the exchanges, we manage to
easily discuss our respective points of view to find concrete solutions.
Conclusion
We should not necessarily expect miracles from this formula. Coaching
remains ineffective in solving a problem of technical competence (mastery of a
tool or technology) and many others.
For my part, these sessions allowed me to assess the actions carried out,
analyze the results, what worked and what did not, identify the obstacles
encountered, the brakes and put in place new solutions.
In short, it helped me to clearly define my goals, to establish concrete
strategies to achieve them and to persevere in my entrepreneurial endeavor.