BREAKING BARRIERS & CHANGING THE NARRATIVE.

   

Can you name a few Nigerian women who operate tractors in Kano State?

I’m happy to present you to Yelfa Abba, one of them; she drives a tractor for us.

When we made the decision to support and advance female trainees who demonstrated interest in the male-dominated disciplines, we did well to ensure that we developed a strategic routine that would propel them into greatness within each designated area.

We first didn’t think Yelfa Abba would be included in our empowerment program, but she ended up being the trainee with the greatest courage and perseverance.

Sadly, after these women were assigned to their various areas, there was no room left for Yefa. The only department still in need of staff members was tractor operators.

After that, we told Yelfa that we had already enrolled everyone and that she could not be included at this time.

The onboarding team tried to cheer her up by telling her that she did a great job in the interview. After that, she inquired as to whether any other departments, aside from the ones that were highlighted, were still open that she could fit into.

With bravery shining in her eyes, she made her question, which gave her another chance.

Fortunately for Yelwa, the only position that remained was for “tractor operators,” therefore our onboarding team chose to look into it further to see if there was anything else that she could fit in.

We were shocked to learn that Yelwa had accepted the one and only position when our Director mentioned it to her. We had no idea she would.

Yefa said that she doesn’t know how to drive when we asked. This was another challenging one for us, as driving proficiency is a prerequisite for becoming a tractor operator.

 

Then, when we started to worry and asked her how she planned to go about operating a tractor because she couldn’t drive, she gave us optimistic answers. “Yelfa stated that I am a quick learner and that I think I will pick up the tractor’s controls as soon as I am #instructed in them.

Yes, Yefa meant what she said; she overcame all fears that would have prevented her from succeeding and learned the skill of using a tractor on a farm. I’m happy to report that Yefa is our first female tractor operator, which is truly incredible.

How could this have happened?

Yelwa Abba received intensive driving and operation instruction from one of our top tutors at Sagadfarms. Direct instruction from professionals has always been a key to success, as Yelwa demonstrated. We also have to applaud her bravery since, in a field that has historically been controlled by men, she is now another trailblazing woman.

She thanked Sagadfarms for the recent improvement in her quality of life, saying, “Now that I have this new skill, I believe in a future that is full of opportunities, I can also foresee my children getting access to quality life & education, I am respected in my community and I intend to inspire and transfer this skill to other women whom are willing to take up the challenge to breaking the barrier in agriculture and agro processing.”