Miss Taxi, an NGO to make room for women in the transport sector in Ghana
Audio 02:13
A view of the city of Accra in Ghana.
(Photo illustration) Getty Images - ruffraido
By: Marine Jeannin Follow
5 mins
In Ghana, the road is still mostly reserved for drivers.
But since 2013, Esenam Nyador, also known as Miss Taxi, has been fighting to make room for women in the transport sector.
Portrait.
Publicity
From our correspondent in Accra,
At the wheel of her imposing black SUV, which she calls her “baby”, Esenam Nyador does not go unnoticed in the streets of Accra.
The 43-year-old driver has cropped blue hair and a loud laugh.
She readily admits it: it takes a strong personality and stubbornness to find your place in this still very masculine universe.
“
After I graduated in 2012, I decided to become a dump truck driver,
” she says.
I looked around town for an experienced driver who could take me on as an apprenticeship.
But they were like, “No, it's not for you.
Find yourself something feminine to do. ”
So I decided to lower my ambitions and become a taxi driver.
At least I didn't need anyone's permission for that.
"
At the time, there were only four female taxis to drive in the capital.
Esenam Nyador then took the pseudonym of Miss Taxi and quickly established himself with a high-end clientele, despite the hostility of his colleagues.
In 2018, she decided to develop Miss Taxi, which became an NGO.
“
Miss Taxi's mission is to help increase the percentage of women in the road transport industry.
We take young women who have graduated from university, we train them as professional drivers, and then we put them in touch with progressive employers, so that their skills become a profession and bring them an income.
"
Hannah Nkum is one of Miss Taxi's newest recruits.
At 34, the young woman works as a cleaning lady for a wealthy family, and takes driving lessons the morning before her work day, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Thanks to her training at Miss Taxi, she hopes to be able to retrain soon.
“
I would like to be able to find a job as a driver, for a company or for a family, it doesn't matter.
When I was little, when I saw a lady driving, I said to myself:
"One day, I too will know how to drive."
I would like all women to have this chance,
”says the young apprentice driver.
In three years of existence, Miss Taxi will have trained 130 women by the end of the year in the profession of professional driver, but also of bus drivers and even of heavy goods vehicles.
A victory with the taste of revenge over those who said it was incapable.
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Ghana
Women
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