Nabankema reaps from welding

It is a chilly Saturday and for Hasifa Nabankema, a metal fabricator and welder on Mityana Road, it is business as usual. Clad in an orange headscarf and a maroon hijab, she is busy preparing lunch for her employees who seem to be engaged with welding what appears to be a door.

They all welcome me as they put their tools aside to attend to me.

Thinking I am a client, one of the employees runs to call Nabankema (commonly referred to as Hajjat) to attend to me.  Due to the noise from the heavy trucks passing by, she ushers me to what seems to be an office.

In front of the office stands a display of welded doors, windows and gates facing the roadside. Besides the office is a huge container filled with steel metals.  As we sit to chat, I tell her how one of her clients had referred me to her workshop.

After graduation, she got a job with an overseas company (she prefers not to mention the name) where she worked for four years. But along the way, she felt the need to start a family, something that got in the way of her job.

“When I gave birth, I decided to give up on my job and instead take care of my family. But as a wife and a stay-at-home mother I still wanted to explore working outside the home, but this time not far from my family,” she recollects.

After months of contemplating on what business to venture in, Nabankema says her husband suggested she gets into metal work. Although they both had no knowledge about the business, they had friends who interested them in the business idea and convinced them that it was lucrative. 

Nabankema’s husband promised to connect her to some Arabs he said were training metal fabricators and welders with whom they would partner with in business at the end of the training.  The idea seemed viable but her worry was what each one of them had to contribute. 

“I had to contribute 60 per cent and the Arabs 40 per cent. I rejected the partnership and decided to do my own business, an idea my husband first opposed. He insisted I was new in the business and needed support and mentorship from the Arabs, who were already established,” she adds.

Giving it a shot

Nabankema had never run any business before, but was determined to do so.  With Shs5m, she rented the space, bought steel from Roofings Limited and hired two people she thought had expertise in the business.

 “Venturing into metal works was something new to me, but still someone asking for 60 per cent was too high.  With the market research I had done in 2015, I started up a metal shop and I would sell metals to welders. Along the way, I realised I could earn more if I added value to them. That is how I made a decision to venture into welding and metal fabrication,” says Nabankema.

 Buying basic welding tools and machinery, Nabankema was taught by her employees who she paid an extra fee for the training services. She says it took her six months to learn the artwork.

She says the initial experience of welding was characterised by loud noise, sparks and handling heavy machinery. After the training, she got used to the job hazards. Over the years, Nabankema has learnt the techniques of transforming large pieces of sheet metal into practical objects, such as beds, chairs, gates, windows and doors.

Not man’s world anymore 

Six years down the road,  Nabankema is practically involved in all business processes from meeting and engaging clients, taking site measurements, understanding their specifications, advising clients on trending designs, purchase of materials, fabrication, quality inspection, deliveries, and sometimes installation.

She says it took her time to prove to her clients that she was capable of all that as many kept asking her for her boss. “Your boss should be the one taking measurements, to avoid mistakes,” she recalls some of the comments from her clients. 

While at the start Nabankema found such statements offensive, she says this pushed her to work hard to rise above the stereotype, something she has overcome.

“Much as my husband believed in my abilities, my siblings, friends and clients could not believe in my work because everyone thought it was a man’s job. But one day, I was contracted to design windows, doors and a gate for my brother’s house, a job I did to perfection. This was my turning point,” she remembers.

Reaching for the stars

Nabankema’s determination towards welding has today turned into a career she speaks of with pride. Over the years, she has built trust with her clients and started gaining credit for her work. Her friends, who doubted her in her initial business years, are now reaching out to her with referrals. She travels from district to district to work on commercial buildings, homes and rentals across the country.

To women planning to step into welding buiness, Nabankema says, give it your all. “There will be struggles, but try to be better than you were the day before,” she says.

“My background in accountancy has also been helpful because running a successful business requires more than just technical skills. Business skills such as financial literacy, customer service, marketing, and business planning have laid a firm foundation for my business,” she adds.  

Nabankema says for each item sold, she ensures that at least 20 per cent of her profits is saved and the rest is invested in the business.  

High risk job

Welding and fabrication is a high risk job. The filings produced while cutting metal using an angle grinder are a health hazard when inhaled. Also, the blinding light from the welding torch is dangerous to the eyes.

‘’When working on construction sites, sometimes we have to work at raised levels to install windows, doors, or guard rails on balconies, and this is a risk.  Steel metals are expensive, some dishonest clients take finished products and end up defaulting,” she mentions some of the challenges.

From her business, she has bought plots of land, including one where her workshop is located. I no longer pay rent for my business. I have built rentals and I am creative enough to come up with different designs for my clients,” she adds.