Fatouma Ahmed Abdallah
Fatouma Ahmed Abdallah is the founder of K.I.M Construction and Barito Consulting and Advisory Services which operates an eLearning platform for secondary school learners in Djibouti. A holder of a master’s degree in Strategic Management and Finance, she is currently studying towards an MSc in International Development with Economics through the prestigious Chevening scholarship. She is a Mandela Washington alumni under the Business and Entrepreneurship track and a One Young World peace ambassador representing Djibouti. Foutouma is currently also employed by IGAD, a regional organisation that promotes regional cooperation to achieve peace, security, and prosperity. Passionate about community development, peace, and women empowerment; she is involved in various charity activities across Djibouti and often does voluntary where she participates as a volunteer in support of these causes.
Her entrepreneurial journey started in 2017 when she established K.I.M, a construction company that provides repairs, renovations, and remodeling services for existing structures. Navigating the construction industry has not been a walk in the park with K.I.M being a small player in the industry; however, one project at a time, it continues to make strides in the right direction. She plans to grow the company and eventually take on innovative projects in energy-efficient home design and renewable energy. To date, the company has worked on [several]projects, and one of the most challenging but rewarding projects was the renovation of septic tanks. As a firm believer in self-development, Fatouma is always eager and ready to take on any opportunity to learn something new.
“Being an entrepreneur while having a full-time job is challenging, but what is driving me is the possibility of doing something more besides my job that I am passionate about.”
In May 2019 she founded Barito Consulting and Advisory Services; which was inspired the need to provide a digital learning platform after helping her nephew revise for the National exam. She noticed how it would have been more effective to use a laptop or phone as compared to writing on paper.The platform offers online educational and training support programs to secondary school learners, to help to bridge the gap between students, teachers, and parents while providing a cost-effective and convenient learning method. Through this platform, experienced teachers can easily provide lessons, tutorials and provide mentoring online at a reasonable fee to a wide range of students. The platform also provides convenience in that students can access these learning materials from home giving parents easy access to track their child’s progress and identify areas of improvement.
If anything, COVID-19 has shown the importance of such digital learning platforms to ensure that students can continue learning remotely while practising social distancing, in the comfort of their homes. The long-term goal is to continue growing the course offerings, partner with more teachers and introduce innovative teaching methods on the platform.
Branching into entrepreneurship was inspired by experience working the banking and finance industry; the experience gave her the courage to acquire an entrepreneurship patent and establish K.I.M. construction, despite having limited expertise in the construction industry. It is amazing what you can achieve when you decide to push boundaries and pursue new challenges.
“Do not let others define you or put you in a box. You can pursue as many passions and interests as you want. Do the things you believe in, as long as you are willing and able to put in the effort.”
Connect with Fatouma: LinkedIn | Twitter | Website | Whatsapp: +25377653035 | Email: fatouma.a.ahmed@gmail.com ; baritoconsultingbcas@gmail.com