Patricia Nzolantima, Founder, Working Ladies Hub | Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Patricia Nzolantima, Founder, Working Ladies Hub, Democratic Republic of Congo

This interview originally aired on The Fem Word Radio show on Rukus Avenue Radio, a Dash Radio station. 

Monika Samtani:

Hello everyone, this is The Fem Word and I'm your host, Monika Samtani. We've been in the midst of a pandemic for about a month now and we are feeling the affects around the world, whether economically, socially, or emotionally. The U.N. Secretary General has put women and girls at the center of the COVID-19 recovery He laid out a policy brief which details how the new disease deepens pre-existing inequalities, amplifying its impacts on the lives of women and girls. Today, I'm talking with Patricia Nzolantima who is doing just that. She is the founder and CEO of Bizzoly Holdings and International Working Ladies Foundation, which advocates for women's economic empowerment. Patricia, it is such a pleasure to have you.

Patricia Nzolantima:

Thank you Monika, the pleasure is mine.

Monika:

You are speaking with us from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where your focus during the coronavirus has been to train women in the Congo to start their own business. Tell us about the Working Ladies Hub and in particular, Women of the Future.

Patricia:

The Working Ladies Hub is an accelerator and incubator to help women not just become entrepreneurs, but help those who are already entrepreneurs to scale up their business. In my own experience, when I started a business, it was not easy to find finances, because at this time the bank did not believe in women. It was very hard for me, and I started the Working Ladies Foundation. We are helping many more women. We built a school for orphans and opened a hospital for women. It was a long journey. The Woman of the Future is a program to start our own women development bank. This is the goal. We give women the product to sell and we give them a very low price. They are like the big distributor; they don't pay anything, we give it to them. We give them tools and training so that they can learn how to sell products. Then the margin is for them; the more that we sell, the more money for themselves. We have our own Visa cards. The more money they earn means more cash flow for them. This pushes them to become a real entrepreneur when the Coronavirus ends. This work in Africa is not easy for many. After university, the youth can find a job, but the crisis will make this very hard.

Monika:

People all over the world are losing their jobs. In some communities, such as what you're talking about in Africa, the men are the breadwinners. If they're not bringing home any money, there's even more of a crisis. You are trying to make sure that women in those low income situations are empowered with their own businesses.

Patricia:

Exactly. I think if these women can help us, they can bring in money. They can continue to pay university fees for their kids. They can help their husband and the community and the family. With my team, how can we make those women become the next millionaire of tomorrow? That is why I call them “women of the future” because we are not just focusing on today. We are focusing on the next 10 years.

Monika:

So, women right now who are in this crisis situation may not even realize the opportunities that are available to them, which could completely change their future. And you're also talking about not only women with low income situations, but also women with disabilities who are marginalized by their families and receive no support from their communities. So you're talking about a whole range of women.

Patricia:

Exactly, because I can't discriminate against women, such as disabled women, because they already dissipate. They have many issues and people do not believe in them. My goal was to give them the chance that I did not have. If someone believes in me, I want to give back. I'm giving back to these women and then they will give back to all the women that need their help. 10 years from now, they will remember this woman who trusted in them and will want to give back. I want to do more for all people. That is why Women of the Future is the future of being a woman of tomorrow.

Monika:

It's the idea that they have that independence and develop that entrepreneurial mindset, making them the key stakeholder in their own success.

Patricia:

Exactly, by changing the mindsets of these women, they will also change the mindset of their kids. When you educate a woman, you educate the entire family, even the husband. I can imagine it is very scary and stressful for the husband to say what will happen after the next six months. Back in December, we were very happy to celebrate the new year, 2020. Nobody thought this would happen. I say all the time to those women: 2020 is our year. No matter what is happening right now, we will work hard, because I believe in the power of women. I know that women will change things when you give them the tools. How can we empower women if we don't give them the tools, if we don't give them the money? You can be clever, you can be smart. But when you have a dream deep inside, the only thing you are thinking is to have someone trust you.

Monika:

I want to make sure that everybody knows something really important here. You're not just speaking words, you're not just saying that you want to give women that mindset. You’re saying - I want to give them the tools. I want them to become millionaires and feed not only their families but communities. And then in the future help women. You've actually come up with a plan. Can you tell us a little bit about the cabs and the auto, the platform you've created where women can own their own business through these tricycles?

Patricia:

As Women of the Future, we created Ubizcabs. They are taxi cabs driven by women, the first one in Congo, and the first in the African French country. We opened an academy to train women to become drivers for the tricycle and the motorcycle. Here, the only women who drive are rich people because they have cars. Before, you could never find a woman as a driver. I wanted to change the perception of these African women. To me, there is no job “for men” or “for women”. We created this platform of the cabs, and then looked at where we would like to see the company 10 years from now. I decided I need to make women the owners. The idea behind the Ubizcabs is not to have your own cab, but to have good quality of product inside the tricycle. We give them a product from our own brand. We have water, toilet paper, pocket tissue, fashion t-shirts. So all of this is a credit we give to these women. 

Monika:

This is like a mobile store within that tricycle. Not only are they now becoming taxi cab drivers and earning money that way, but there are also products that they can sell from place to place.

Patricia:

Yes they can. We also have our own Visa prepaid card, so people can stop the tricycle and recharge the card. It is an electric tricycle, so you can also recharge a phone. The tricycles and motorcycles are all electric. Women become the owners of them because it is easy for them to drive everywhere. The product that we put on the market is a product that can sell easily. There is no need to fight over the product, as we have a membership list. We also have a call center so that they can call us. We provided them with a platform of communication and marketing that will help the women sell. The more they sell, the more money they have. 

Monika:

So, it is a win-win here; the platform is managed by the Working Ladies Hub, so not only are you helping them to create this business, model, and ecosystem, but you also have a GPS system to keep track of where they are for safety reasons. 

Patricia:

We have a big room, the monitoring center, where we all are. We have GPS devices and people inside the office. Now, since we are on lockdown, people need to go to the grocery but are unable to drive. So, all of the people that come say thank you. They say that we are really changing our lifestyle, this is what they call innovation. How can you be a change-maker in your community? It is more than just about money. It’s about changing people’s perception.

Monika:

They have to want to do it themselves. You're providing them with the means, and now it is up to them. This has been a fascinating conversation because you've created a model where women are empowered, not only to do something for themselves, but to create a business and become entrepreneurs. You're giving them the means to be able to do that and launch it for them. What I love about this is a renewed sense of hope and confidence as well as giving women financial education.

Patricia:

At the Working Ladies Hub, we provide coaching and mentorship. If we give them all this product, we need to teach them about finances and education, and how to manage. In the end, these women should become the models for society. They should train other mentees. We have many women entrepreneurs who provide free training and work with the U.S. Embassy to train more and more women. The Hub is also a platform where we provide free access to the internet. Women learn about coding because they manage the apps. They learn how to manage their own cash flow and scale their business. We have a good team, who are focused on training these women. If we don't give them these tools of financial education, even if they make a lot of money tomorrow, they can fail. In my own experience, I failed a lot because I did not have a mentor to teach me how to become an entrepreneur. I learned by myself, and today, we provide a mentor and coach for these women, and we can see they are very happy. 

Monika:

I want to use a quote that you said: “believing in yourself will make you unstoppable.” I want to tell the world that is your quote and that Forbes Africa named you one of the Top 100 Leaders of Tomorrow back in 2018. Today, you are empowering women to believe the African dream is possible. What does it feel like for you that you are actually true to your words and what's next for you in this journey?

Patricia:

Thank you. Every time I hear this, it brings me back in the beginning. Sometimes I feel sad because the journey was very long. I did this not for me, but for other women. This is what makes me feel very happy, because of this work we are changing people’s lives. And for what is next for me, if I'm not the first of women presidents, then we need to have our own bank. 

Monika:

Let me see if I heard you right, Patricia, could we be speaking to the next president of the Democratic Republic of Congo?

Patricia:

I am crossing my fingers. Even if it is not 2023, let's say 2030. We can become president two times, so I have nine years to think about it. I want to push women to go beyond the boundaries. I believe that women will change the face of the world. President Obama says that if women were put at the top of administrations, we will change the world. I believe that women have good management; they have this sixth sense to think not for themselves, but for the community

Monika:

Women have an inherent sense of community, I’d say, inside of us.

Patricia:

This is why I would like to have a women bank; the ones that control the economy, control the world. Women in Africa need to have control of finance. We need to have more women on the top management. We need to have our own bank. I really want to give more for my people, for all those women who trust in me and say, because of you, I did it. 

Monika:

How can people find out more about Ubizcabs and Women of the Future? How can we contribute and find out more about the women's development bank that you would like to create?

Patricia:

For Ubizcabs, we are open to shareholders because we need to go to the next level. Many companies in Africa are calling me to duplicate this same project, to empower more women. But at the same time, it’s not easy. I'm working with my own money and it is not very easy. We need more investors today during this coronavirus. If you invest in us, I promise you you will get more than what you put in. Today, we are looking for investors to support Women of the Future, because the women will sell a lot of products. We can become the first one in the African FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods market). We have a good brand, but we need to go on to the next level.

Monika:

Where can potential stakeholders, people who would be interested in investing or finding out more, find you?

Patricia:

By email. I will give my email so they can contact me directly. We also have a website with all our products and projects we are doing. I can travel anytime, after the coronavirus. But I can also do a Zoom conference because I really think that we can be the big deal for the next 10 years.

Monika:

Your email is patricia@comuni-cart.com, and we will have that on our website, as well. People can find you on Instagram as well, right?

Patricia:

Yes, you can find me on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. We try to be on social media, so that we can reach more people.

Monika:

Wonderful. Thank you so much for your amazing work, Patricia. You are changing lives. You are empowering women and we are right along there with you to support you. Thank you again for joining me from the DRC.

Patricia:

Thank you Monika. Thank you so much.

Monika:

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