By Sainabou Sambou
Fatou Jammeh, has made history by being, to our knowledge, the first Gambian female to own car wash business, a highly male-dominated business. Ms Jammeh recently shared with us her inspirational journey, the motivation and ambition. The CEO of CheFAB ( name of her car wash company) explained how the unique name of her car wash came about. She said she named it after her late dad and herself. Her nick name is Chepeh and her dad’s name is Fabakary. CheFAB is located on the busy Bertil Harding highway at Bijilo.
The young entrepreneur said the inspiration came when she watched a YouTube video of a Nigerian lady who owns a car wash. “After I watched that, I said to myself, I will create the same thing in The Gambia”. She added that in other countries females are venturing into traditionally male-dominated areas and that The Gambia should not be an exception. She went on: “I started watching different car wash videos because I did not have any idea about it. I used to drive taxi, and went to different car washes in The Gambia to learn how they operates. Months later I decided to open a car wash”.
She revealed that with her little savings and support from family and friends she was able to open a car wash in October, 2023. She said the business has changed her life a lot because she is able to take care of herself and her family. On how she dealt with stereotypes, Ms Jammeh said that she had prepared herself well before getting into the business. “When I started my business at first people always mocked me but I used to tell them that I was ready for the business and that I named my business after my late dad; with that God will help me through the journey” she said.
She said she has a TikTok and Instagram accounts where she posts videos of herself washing cars to be able to attract customers. This she noted helped grow the business. She said she used to call her friends and family members who have vehicles to patronise her business and that sometimes passers-by do come to patronise her. “I want my car wash to grow and to have many branches in The Gambia. I am seeking support from people so that I can employ lot of youths,’’ she asserted. Fatou said her target is to empower lot of ladies to venture into skill work and also create employment for the youth.
