Twenty-one-year-old Alice Ndau from Sonda Township in Mzuzu has defied age and gender barriers to become a successful Chief Executive Officer and owner of a solar energy company called Eco Tech Solutions based in Mzuzu.
The young lady, who is a graduate in Photovoltaic Installation from Solar Energy and Ecology Institute of Nkhata Bay, has told ProjectM that her secret lies in believing in herself.
She said after completing her secondary education in 2020, she decided to pursue a career in solar energy installation after seeing huge potential in the sector.
“I pursued studies in Solar energy installation at the Solar Energy and Ecology Institute through TEVETA and since then I haven’t regretted the decision I made,” said Ndau.
She added that at first, it was difficult to attract customers due to the deep rooted belief among some people who think women cannot do technical jobs.
“Getting customers was difficult because a lot of people used to doubt my ability due to issues such as age and gender, but now the situation has changed. People believe in me,” Ndau said.
She is hoping to employ several people in the next few years in a quest to reach out to more customers with solar energy services.
“I want Echotech to employ more people and become a leading solar energy provider in Malawi,” she said.
Meanwhile, one of Ndau’s clients, Robert Phiri has expressed satisfaction with the services from the company.
Phiri said currently, he is using a solar-powered irrigation pump installed on his farm by Ndau’s company.
