Barely in her thirties, Fatoumata Aguibou Barry already has several entrepreneurial experiences to her credit. The latest, a taxi company run exclusively by women … “I am an entrepreneur”. Fatoumata Aguibou Barry introduces herself in all simplicity. Her job, she explains, is entrepreneurship. Barely thirty, the young Guinean already has several entrepreneurial experiences to her credit. “I started entrepreneurship four years ago after a university course in sociology in Algeria, in Bejaïa. I decided to return to my country to work. I started with a first company, Guinea Facilities. With some social ambitions, namely to redistribute what little I have to my community. » Social ambitions What she does not say is that in the meantime, Fatoumata, a true jack of all trades, is multiplying professional experiences. After the Sylla Lamine high school in Guinea where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in social sciences, Fatoumata Aguibou Barry flew to Algeria and enrolled at the Abderrahman Mira University in Bejaïa in 2010. She spent four years there and graduated with a doctorate in sociology of organizations. Upon leaving there, she joined the professional world as a student intern at the Algerian Insurance Company (CAAT). For four months, she is in charge of collecting daily letters for transmission to the director of human resources. Returning to Guinea in October 2014, she joined the civil service, notably at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Guineans Abroad for nearly eight months. A fighter woman and thirsty for challenges but above all passionate about people, Fatoumata will happily leave the tranquility of the public service for the restoration. So, in September 2015, she was recruited as head of the supply chain at the restaurant « Le Bistrot Parisien ».
“There are still professions that women forbid themselves. »
Four months later, she launched Guinea Facilities, which provides services in the area of Facility management, notably in administrative assistance but also in assistance to investors wishing to visit and invest in Guinea. On the lookout for the needs of « her community », she subsequently developed another activity, in transport. “I decided to innovate and adapt the Uber model in my country. Knowing that the Guinean population is not banked, we had to adopt the product to our local realities. The result, a transport service with air-conditioned vehicles, with Wifi and GPS. “The business has been around since July 2017 and the company is called ZJ Taxi, orange and black taxis. Initially, I wanted these taxis to be driven exclusively by women. But unfortunately, the mentality of women in Guinea is still very ancestral. There are still jobs that women forbid themselves. Therefore, there is a lot to be done to encourage women to come to us and change mentalities. « Which involves more than incentive measures: »Today, if you work with us for two years, seriously, the taxi belongs to you after that period. »
“These are activities that I carry out alone, without external funding. »
Last but not least, since then, Fatoumata has also created ZJ Alliance, a company for transporting people and goods by road. Also specializing in management, organization and business development. And in December 2017, she created Zoemarket, a covered market that offers fresh produce throughout the year. “These are activities that I carry out alone, without external funding. « But with a real business sense and concern for a real socio-economic impact.
