An entrepreneur, Mrs Unoma Okoye,has said she could make better footwear than most men who are into the same business. According to Mrs Okoye who designs and sells men, women and children footwear, belts and bags, a lot of people are surprised that a woman could engage in shoe-making.
“When most people come to my workshop, they ask where is the shoemaker and when I tell them that I am the one, they tend to ask, you, a woman? But when they see me get down to work, it seems to amaze them. In-fact, that factor that a woman makes shoes has become an advantage to me; because some patronize me to see if it is true. So out of their curiosity, I make money.”
Unoma said she finds joy in what she does and hopes that God will sustain and help the business grow in no distance time. “I attended Oko Polytechnic. But when I got married, I and my husband agreed that two of us need not do salary work. So, I opted to learn handwork. In the process, I learnt tailoring, bead making, catering and finally footwear and bags.
“I see a synergy between all of them, especially between tailoring and shoe-making. I look forward to collaborating with agencies, organizations and individuals who offer skill acquisitions. I can be their resource person. I also hope to supply my products to more renowned outlets because the products are of high quality and can compete favourably with the best products in the market. Aside making the products, I train people who are interested and open for agencies that want to hire me as resource person. I am in Commissioners’ Quarters, Awka, Anambra State, to be precise. We take orders from any part of the country.”
