Few women behind the wheel as Yango pushes for gender balance

By Christabel DANSO ABEAM

Despite growing interest in ride-hailing as a source of income, few women are taking up driving roles on Yango’s platform in Ghana. According to Public Relations Manager (PRM) Yango Africa, Bennet Otoo, the company currently has “just over ten women drivers”.

Speaking to B&FT after a media stakeholder engagement in Accra, Mr. Otoo acknowledged the gender gap but assured that Yango is pursuing proactive measures to tackle it.

“On this side, driving and delivery services are widely considered a male-dominated industry, making it difficult for women to believe they have the capability of taking on such jobs,” he noted.

To boost female participation, he said Yango has unveilled initiatives such as the SHE Conference – an initiative focused on women’s empowerment in the transport sector, aiming to inspire and encourage more women to become drivers and couriers on their platform.

Yango also organised events during International Women’s Day to raise awareness about the good work women are doing in the transport sector and encourage more women to join and drive on the Yango app, while providing a platform where women can earn income for themselves and their families – overcoming fears and stereotypes.

He further revealed that passengers’ choices on having females as drivers has influenced the need to engage more female drivers.

He said: “A lot of people feel more comfortable with women drivers. Recruiting more women is not only  about encouragement but also to enhance customer experience and satisfaction.”

Acknowledging the risks women could face while working as drivers or couriers, the PRM indicated that Yango has intensified security features and regular training for both drivers and passengers, while looking into female-specific protections

Restating that the Ghana market is a priority to the company even with its operations in more than 30 countries, he established that Yango is committed to encouraging more women into their space.

The Yango-media stakeholder engagement’s purpose was to explain Yango’s business model and clear some misconceptions about their services. Mr. Otoo explained that Yango is a global technology company and not just a ride-hailing platform.

“While ride-hailing is one of our major services in Ghana, we also operate delivery, cargo services, buying, selling and NaviGATORing,” he noted.

He further clarified that Yango does not work directly with drivers but instead, collaborates with independent Small ,Medium-sized Enterprises, whom they refer to as partners. These partners own and manage the vehicles as well as employ and empower the drivers.

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