Story By: Evans Attah Akangla | ignewss – Ho, Ghana
Edited By: Daniel Yao Akpabli
For Madam Marceline Mawunya Kodzi, the sound of a commercial tricycle moving through the streets of Ho is more than just the noise of everyday transport. It is a reminder of a journey that has transformed her livelihood and given her a valuable asset of her own.
The 44-year-old mother of two has successfully completed her work-and-pay agreement and is now the proud owner of the commercial tricycle she once operated under a repayment arrangement.
Madam Kodzi entered the commercial tricycle business in 2019 through a work-and-pay arrangement with Somoco Company.
The agreement, valued at GH¢180,000, required her to make weekly payments of GH¢270 until the full amount was settled.
She observed that the decision to venture into the business was another step in a working life shaped by small-scale trading and determination.
Before taking up commercial tricycle riding, she sold footwear for about a year. Earlier, she had also been involved in the sale of bananas.
A native of Dodome Teleafe in the Ho West District of the Volta Region, Madam Kodzi has had to combine her work with her responsibilities as a wife and mother. She is married to a native of Dodome who works as a security officer at the Ho Technical University.
Unlike many commercial tricycle operators who may rely on hired riders, Madam Kodzi is able to operate the vehicle herself. She holds a Category A motor driver’s licence, giving her the qualification to ride the tricycle.
Her story also offers a different perspective on the growing presence of women in Ghana’s commercial transport sector, a field traditionally dominated by men.
According to her, however, “riding a tricycle is not simply about earning a daily income. It has become a pathway to ownership and economic independence”.
After years of making weekly payments under the work-and-pay arrangement, she has now completed the agreement and taken full ownership of the vehicle.
Her journey from banana and footwear trading to becoming a commercial tricycle owner illustrates how access to productive assets, coupled with persistence, can create new opportunities for individuals seeking to improve their livelihoods.
Today, as she navigates the streets of Ho behind the handlebars of her own tricycle, Madam Marceline Mawunya Kodzi represents a growing number of women challenging conventional perceptions about the kind of work they can undertake and the businesses they can build.
Her story is ultimately one of work, perseverance and ownership, a journey that began with a tricycle under an agreement and ended with the keys to an asset she can call her own.
SOURCE: www.ignewss.com