In the bustling industrial district of Unzaki town in Kano State, a 60-year-old Rukayya Khalid is challenging stereotypes and reshaping Nigeria’s transportation landscape. Unlike conventional tricycle dealers who simply assemble imported parts, Khalid fabricates entire vehicles from raw metal plates in her modest workshop, a truly “Made in Nigeria” achievement.
Her unconventional journey began five to six years ago when she encountered a beautifully designed foreign tricycle. “I was like, ‘I can do this,'” she recalls with confidence that comes from years of innovation. Before venturing into vehicle fabrication, Khalid had already established herself as an entrepreneur in fertilizer production, transitioning from granular to liquid solutions.
Today, with support from a small team of welders, her workshop houses nearly ten tricycles, both electric and petrol-powered models. Each vehicle is meticulously constructed from scratch: cutting pipes, shaping metal plates, and welding components together. “We fabricate from the plates and irons. We cut everything. So it’s completely made in Nigeria. Proudly Nigerian products,” she emphasizes.
Initially focused on electric tricycles to address climate change concerns, Khalid shifted toward petrol-powered models due to practical challenges. “The light issue, it has to be charged,” she explains, highlighting Nigeria’s unreliable electricity supply. Battery replacement costs and import difficulties further complicated electric vehicle viability. Despite these obstacles, one of her tricycles already operates on Kano’s roads, proving the concept’s real-world functionality.
According to a TVC News investigation by senior reporter Ibrahim Isa, metal fabrication remains heavily male-dominated in Nigeria. The Briter Bridges report “Beyond the Noise” reveals that from 2019 to 2023, only 10% of Nigerian startups receiving funding were founded by women, with women-led ventures capturing merely 0.7% of $600 million in total deal volume.
The Kano State Ministry for the Environment recognizes Khalid’s contribution to pollution control and climate change mitigation. Government officials acknowledge that non-IT innovators like Khalid have historically lacked adequate attention and are now developing databases to identify and support such entrepreneurs across the state.
Khalid’s innovation addresses two critical challenges: reducing transportation costs and cutting pollution. As Nigeria grapples with import dependency and environmental concerns, her workshop demonstrates that local ingenuity can provide practical solutions. Her story proves that innovation knows no gender, age, or formal boundaries, only determination and creativity.
SOURCE: Heybee@1999