Woman making strides in a male-dominate phone repair business

Ms Mustafa, who holds a certificate in computer studies from the Dar es Salaam-based Data Star Training College, has defeated all odds to make a name for herself in the male-dominated mobile phone repair profession.

In Tanzania, just like in other typical African setting, the belief is that men are the ones created to perform works such as carpentry, mechanics, construction and other complex duties.

These assignments include those to do with computer software, such as smartphone repairs.

But with her office at Rufungulia, Mwenge in Dar es Salaam, Ms Mustafa is a go-to name for those with faulty mobile phones.

In an interview with The Citizen, Ms Mustafa, 26, said she developed a love for technical projects while she was still a little girl.

In 2007 when she was still a primary school student at Mzinga Primary School in Mbagala, Dar es Salaam, she was only 10-years-old, when she started repairing electronic devices like televisions and irons for her parents and neighbours whenever they had technical faults.

With a keen interest in mobile phone repairs, Ms Mustafa had no time to waste upon completing her ordinary level education in 2015 at ToaNgoma Secondary School in Temeke, Dar es Salaam.

She immediately joined Data Star Training College to pursue a two-year course in computer studies with a specialty in Information Technology (IT).

With the ability to multitask, it was easy for her to kill two birds with one stone, with Ms Mustafa saying she used to go for studies while also repairing mobile phones and other electronic devices.

“During my field attachment, I went for practical training at Zantel and focused on programming and network. Upon completion of my studies in 2020, I landed a job as a mobile phone and computer repair technician at Inauzwa Company which deals with repairing Apple devices,” she narrates.

With the job, she got the opportunity to master the art of repairing Apple devices, including mobile phones and computers.

Ms Mustafa says what she's earning from her work is big enough as she has been able to move out from her mother’s house and now has her own place.

She also started a beauty salon which is run by her mother though she also helps there sometimes, noting that she also pays school fees for one of her siblings.

“This job has changed my life,” she said, detailing the support she gets from her mother, other family friends and colleagues.

Despite the achievements, she faces several challenges including mistrust by some individuals who harbour feelings that she is working in a male-dominated field,

“Some people bring their phones and laptops here, but they do not trust that a woman will do the best job for their devices. The only thing I do is to repair them to the best of my ability and knowledge,” she explains.

She was of the view that women should trust in themselves and shun the belief that they cannot make headway in male-dominated professions.

To the government, she said it was about time to support those women who try their luck in activities that were traditionally being done by men.

Having tasted the fruits that come with mobile phone and laptop repairs, she is now eying to upgrade her academic credentials by going for a Diploma in Computer Studies.