• Subject priorities local premieres
• Specialist in making shoes, bags and accessories
• He deploys his brand WIFASH
Lhe “consume local” is a concept which consists of preferring local products to foreign ones. In order to initiate endogenous development of the country, the authorities adopted this concept by recommending that populations favor local products in their consumption. One thing is to want to buy local products, but another is to find good quality ones on the market. With the aim of making “consume local” a reality, Burkinabè people are committed to promoting products in several sectors of activity. Wendlassida Dominique Ouédraogo is one of them. In addition to his studies, he develops craftsmanship by making bags, shoes and accessories with Burkinabè raw materials. He has a brand he called WIFASH. A team from L’Economiste du Faso went to meet him to understand his job, his ambitions and the difficulties he faces. “It all started in 2017. I was repairing shoes. I glued the pierced cans. In 2020, someone let me know that I have talent. He suggested I learn how to dress shoes. He was also in this field. I had considered taking training on the profession which I unfortunately was not able to do. In 2021, when I came to Ouagadougou for studies, I first started simply dressing shoes and subsequently, I launched into tailoring,” confided Mr. Ouédraogo.
Wendlassida Dominique Ouédraogo is a second year student in the department of English studies at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, in Ouagadougou. Outside of studies, he does crafts. He makes bags, shoes and accessories in loincloth, leather and jeans. Although he has not benefited from professional training, he puts quality articles on the market. “I didn’t have any professional training. I learned on my own. I relied on my shoe repair experiences,” he hinted. He makes sandals, closed shoes, bags and other accessories in leather, Faso Dan fani loincloth and many other materials. Prices of items range from 5,000 FCFA to 17,500 FCFA. “We take a maximum of a week to make an ordered item. Depending on the availability of raw materials, we sometimes exceed this deadline. Leather sandals range from 5,000 FCFA to 6,500 FCFA. Closed shoes in Faso Danfani cost 15,000 FCFA. As for bags, it depends on the model and size,” he said.
Raw materials from Burkina
The soles for making shoes, as well as certain materials used in the manufacture of bags, come from Ghana. “But I work more with local raw materials,” emphasized Wendlassida Dominique Ouédraogo. The Faso Danfani loincloth and the leather, he continued, are local.
He is helped by four people. However, he is only just starting out in this profession, and there is no shortage of difficulties. “At the moment, I don’t have a store. I work with other people. But unfortunately, due to lack of materials and workshops, we are unable to work full time. It is when the need arises that I call on them,” he lamented.
“No adequate materials for making”
He faces a certain number of difficulties which hinder the development of his activity. These include, in particular, the lack of adequate materials for making the items, the lack of a workshop which prevents him from working full time with his collaborators and the lack of visibility of his products. “Our products interest people, but we cannot reach the general public. Everyone can find their item with us. The prices are affordable,” he added. In addition, he says he needs funding of 2,500,000 FCFA to acquire work equipment. “I have already gone to the FAIJ (Editor’s note, Support Fund for Youth Initiatives), but they told me that they grant funding by call for tenders. Afterwards, I went to AFP-PME (Editor’s note, Agency for financing and promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises).
There, I was confronted with a guarantee problem,” he confided. Also, he expressed the need for training support and advisory support from seniors who are already in the business to perfect his creations.
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The ambitions of Wendlassida Dominique Ouédraogo
«NOur ambitions are to be able to offer any Burkinabè, or even any African, accessories made in Burkina with African raw materials. We market the WIFASH brand. It’s short for WIBGA FASHION. WIBGA means eagle in Moore (local language) and FASHION which is fashion in English. So, that means eagle fashion. The eagle is an animal that has vision and patience. »
