Equatorial Guinea: Young entrepreneur using African fabric to make beautiful bags, shoes and jewelry

I am an introvert spirit full of creativity. My name is Agripina and I’m 30 years old. I was born in Ebibeyin, in the Kie Ntém Province of Equatorial Guinea. I’m one of my mother’s four children. My father has four wives and I am the 20th of his 53 children.

At the age of eight my parents divorced, leaving my brothers and I live with our mother in Malabo Island, where I still live to date.

I attended Santa Teresita High School obtaining my high school diploma in 2009. That same year, I enrolled for a business management course at the National University of Equatorial Guinea but did not complete my studies at there because I won a scholarship to study at the National Institute of Hydrocarbon Technology (ITNHGE).

At ITNHGE, I learned about mechanical engineering, processes, electrical and instrumentation disciplines, and obtained a diploma in February 2014. In May 2017 I acquired another diploma as a Pharmacy Technician at AFOREPFA (Academia de Formación y Reciclaje de Personal Farmacéutico) technical school still in Malabo.

My business

My business, AfrikChic by Ndoho, creatively uses Ankara or Kente materials to make shoes, bags, necklaces, tiaras, earrings, bracelets, hair ornaments and more. I have several apprentices at the moment.

To me, my biggest accomplishment is the acknowledgment and admiration I get from people every time I participate in an exposition. I have taken part in two of such events and I used the opportunity to promote my work. Many young people came to me asking for advice and support to be able to do what I am doing.

Challenges

One of my biggest challenges is getting the equipment that will help take my business to the next level. For now, I’m only able to line the shoes and bags we make with Ankara material. But I need the machines that will help me make the shoes myself.

I sometimes make the bags from hard paper used for making boxes, because getting the right material for it from Nigeria is a challenge. It has gotten worse with the closure of the borders with Nigeria due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These challenges have prevented me from starting my planned design and craft school where the youth in my community can learn to how to make different items with the Kente cloth and earn money to support themselves.

My message to youth

My message to the youth in Africa is, let’s stop waiting for others to find solutions to the problems we face in our continent. God gave us different kinds of talents to make our continent succeed.

Let’s use our talents to make Africa a much better place. Let’s do it with love, passion and strength.

We, the youth, are the solutions to our problems. We must take full ownership!

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Africa Renewal