I met Kokou on 23 March 2012 and he told me that his business continues to flourish thanks to lendwithcare's partner microfinance institution, WAGES. He buys his parts in Accra, Ghana which is a two day round trip. He now employes 2 apprentices who are aged 18 and 20. I met one of his apprentices who told me that he enjoys his job and is happy to be learning a skill. I asked how many customers he has and how much profit he makes, Kokou said he gets 8-10 customers per day and the profit depends on what they want to buy. An average month's profit is around £133. When I asked about the challenges his business faces he said that not having the right equipment can sometimes be a problem. His hope for the future is to continue expanding the business and hopefully hand it on to his son.
Tracey Horner March 2012
NB: this update also appears on Kokou's first lendwithcare loan (id 235)