#TEFALUMNICORNER: Omolara, Poultry Farmer in Abeokuta, Nigeria
Today on the TEF Alumni Corner, we are going to take a peek into the entrepreneurial career of Omolara Motunrayo, a poultry business owner in Abeokuta, Ogun state.
Q: When did you receive the grant?
A: I got the grant in December 2021
Q: Has the grant been able to help you achieve what you set out to achieve?
A: Yes, it has to a great extent.
Q: How has it been able to help you do that?
A: The grant has helped me in so many ways and I am beyond grateful for it. I am now a Poultry Farm owner; I wasn’t one the year before I received the grant. I now run a poultry business, I rear chickens and other birds, I also sell and distribute eggs and other poultry products.
Q: What challenges have you faced during this period?
A: The major issues I have faced during this period is the constant skyrocketing prices of items like feeds and other items needed fo run my poultry business successfully. Fuel scarcity is also an issue, the rise in price of fuel is alarming, it has also resulted to the increase in price of transportation fare and other things.
The constant unsteady power supply, some even total blackout for days is a huge problem when it comes to running the business.
Q: Sometimes, entrepreneurs think money is the only issue, but some end up facing bigger issues like government unfavourable policies etc. Have you been faced with any unforeseen problems in your entrepreneurial career?
A: Yes, I have been faced with several problems asides from funding related problem.
Q: What are such problems that you have faced?
A: During the height of scarcity of fuel, my workers suddenly stopped coming to work claiming they can’t find a means of transportation work and the one who finally showed up said she spent more money on transport and I had to give them stipends to compensate the increase in the transportation fare. Transportation fares keep increasing. Electricity supply in this area has been epileptic too.
Q: Would you say you have been able to make positive impact in your society?
A: Yes, I have in several ways.
Q: How have you been able to do so?
A: I have been able to make positive impact in my society by supplying eggs to inhabitants in the nearby communities, this was not easily accessible to them before now. It has reduced their need to travel to the main town to get this and has also reduced the expenses involved. Now, these inhabitants can enjoy good quality eggs, spend less and stress less.
~ Author: Chinenye Akandu
