September 7, 2021
By: Dadson A. Musa
Mohamed M. Sowa is a graduate from one of the prestigious universities in Sierra Leone, Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM).
He was raised by a single parent (mom) after the death of his father. So life was never rosy for him coming up.
In JSS1 at Albert Academy he started something that became a livelihood skill for him 15 years ago. He was trained by an elder brother to be a barber and six month into that he had already honed the barbing skills.
He was a barber when he went through his secondary school and took his WASSCE exam which got him requirement into university. It was the customers who were satisfied with his barbing that suggested he opens a barbing shop. So with financial support from a brother he built a small barbing shop at the entrance of their family compound. But balancing this barbing and studying has never been easy but out of determination he soldiered on and got up to university and graduated with a degree in Business Administration which has helped him improve on his barbing business. In university he had to study hard at night and did his barbing day time.
Life was never easy for him growing up but he did not do otherwise, or get deviant or involve in drugs as a youth. In the center of Freetown he has established a fully furnished barbing shop and the business is earning him like Le. 3,000,000 to Le.4, 000,000 per month.
Asked if he will take an office job if such opportunity comes his way “… I am definitely prepared to grab one if it comes my way,” he responded.
But he has vowed to continue with his barbing shop even if his degree earns him a job. The only snag now is for young Sierra Leoneans who might be willing and able to be trained by him in this barbing business.
As a good portion of his college fees came from his barbing career. His mother offered to help but that was never enough so being the good son that he is he augmented his mommy’s help.
Mohamed Sowa has made attempt to train younger boys in this barbing business so that they can even take after him but some of them have shown negative attitude towards barbing. Others came and started nicely but they took to drugs and they left. Asked about why other young boys his age have taken to depending on politicians, or depending on government to give job or even getting involved in crime for survival he said ‘it should be a thing of the past’ If Mohamed Sowa can do it then so many other young men and women can. Skill job pays which is why World Bank and government have invested hugely into training our youths. With his degree and yet without an office job he has gainfully engaged himself in something gainful (barbing).
In the event he gets another job due to his qualification as degree holder he wants to ‘encourage young boys to avail themselves for training.’ So youths like these should be the ones government should support further in life.