Jemima Mensa, the woman who worked in the banking sector for 13 years became jobless in a twinkle of an eye after government's banking sector clean-up exercise.

According to her, to ensure that there was food on the table to feed her family, she signed on this ride-hailing app - Bolt.

The female bolt driver spoke on GhanaWeb Special programme in February this year.

Read the full story originally published on February 12, 2024 by www.ghanaweb.com.

A mother loses her job in the most unimaginable way after working in the banking sector for 13 years and being well aware that regardless of how unfair things were for her, she had to still strive and ensure she feeds her family.

Jemima Mensa, who is now a Bolt driver, explained that although her husband was still working, she understood the enormity of the economic burden that would be left on his shoulders, and so she had to be smart and devise a new way of also bringing in some income.

Speaking on GhanaWeb Special programme, Jemima Mensa said that everything started going sideways for her when the banking sector clean-up of 2017 hit some financial institutions in the country.

“It hasn’t been easy. For the past four years, I’ve been home without a job, and the challenges are more than words could explain for me, because for working for 13 years in the banking sector and all of a sudden, you come home with nothing, with kids and life must go on. How do I pick the pieces?

“The whole thing started in 2017, on 14th August. I used to work at Capital Bank, and our license was revoked and from there, we were working for GCB as they had taken over our company. We worked for them for almost 8 months – from 2017 August till when they gave us appointment letter on February 4, 2018.

“So, we worked for them, and then along the line, we were employed by GCB in 2018. I was transferred to Circle, and I worked for them for roughly 9 months. After that, I was never confirmed, so it meant that after 6 months, my confirmation was extended for another 3 months,” she said.

Jemima Mensa also explained that after a while, she got to work one day and got the shock of her life when her termination was handed over to her.

She added that although the letter did not state what reasons prompted the termination, she found out later that it had to do with her educational experience.

“Then, nothing happened, I went to work one day, and I was told to go home with a letter saying that they don’t need my services anymore. There was no reason on the termination letter but from the background; what I heard was that of you don’t have SS, 3 credits, as in English, Maths and Science, you are out.

“And some of us, we don’t even have the SS; we did matured entrance, so we went first. That was their policy and even if you have a Masters and you don’t have the English, Science and Maths – the 3 credits, you are out. It doesn’t matter how your higher level of education is. I was a teller and at the time, I was in school – I was in my second year at UCC.

“I can remember that day, how I felt because how do I feed my kids, the family, how was I going to tell my family and all that. I applied to various places, but nothing was happening… So, I registered my catering company, and with the help of friends and family… it took me two years to build and register the company,” she said.

Narrating her story further, Jemima told GhanaWeb’s Nimatu Yakubu that she had to do anything possible because things weren't getting any easier for her.

She said that she had to even resort to doing menial jobs, such as cleaning in people’s houses, on the blind side of her husband.

“I wasn’t working so how do I pay my fees and how do I finance the catering service. Today, my husband will know what I do when he goes to work because I felt that if I tell him that I’m going to clean somebody’s house to support the house, he wouldn’t encourage me to do that… so when my husband goes to work, I scarf my head and go from house to ask if people wanted to wash, clean.

“And then I’d go to corporate ladies in my area to ask and I’d do the laundry. Sometimes GHc100, GHc150. Other times, I got GHc50 for the cleaning and all that so, I did it for a while without my husband knowing because I’d take my kids to school and come and do it,” she said.

With time, Jemima said, she took up the job of driving because of two principal things: the need to ensure her family does not go hungry and the fact that she could just get lucky with a job offer on one of her rides.

“Actually, taking the decision was not too difficult because the motivation her is that I have to feed my kids, my family and take care of my dad. So, when you look around, that was the encouragement. When I took the decision two months ago, the main focus was to meet the daily economic needs, and then maybe, perhaps, God would permit my helper to sit in my car one day and get me the job that I’ve been looking for, but when I’m at home, who will notice me? Nobody,” she explained.

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