FARMER IN THE SOUL IN THE SAHEL: TRADER IN THE HEART OF GOLD COAST

The time was 5pm in Sekoukou, a village near La Tillaberi in the outskirt of Niamey, Niger. The sun was, as expected,  generously smiling at 42 °C. The hot semi-arid vast last stared at us with the absorbing heat from the graves of the sahel- soil, beckoning us into it's embrace. The indigenes, predominantly, sorghum and millet farmers had just returned from their respective farms, some, with the help of their camels or donkeys to till the land and to carry heavy loads. 

My mission was to do series of  impact stories of social interventions with beneficiaries of a green hydrogen project currently providing them electricity and potable water through solar installation and execution.

While you may think French is a given language  in Niger, the people of Sekoukou only speak Zarma and Hausa- the two most dominant  local languages . So, obviously I was bereft of my my hope to tap into  my elementary French to strike a conversation with them, and had to fall on my Nigerienne team to do the translations.  Then Adamou burst unto the scene and started speaking an Akan language with me.

It was a pleasant surprise to have Adamou identify me as the only Ghanaian among my team members. His scream from afar  in the twi language, and my spontaneous response began to draw the attention of his village folks. Within a twinkle of an eye we were lost in a conversation about Ghana. He is a fan of of Accra, but seldom comes there because of the  high cost of living in Accra.

"During dry seasons herein Niger, I come to Kete Krachi, Kumasi, Kintampo and environs to do buy and sell business until the weather here in Niger is conducive for planting or harvesting". Adamou spoke in twi.

Beyond his great proficiency in the Ghanaian language, I was also enchanted by his diligence and penchant for survival in the midst of the  climatic conditions of Sekoukou. We had a hearty chat and sooner our laughter matured into raucous proportions to the bewilderment of the onlooking village folks who watched us from a near distance speak in "unknown tongues".

Adamou is not moved by his circumstances. He is a go-getter. He is a real definition of a hustler. He has the audacity for survival, and the acumen for business. His adroitness for adaptability is a message to all Africans that we cannot continue to complain of our situations and sit idle, expecting manna to fall from heaven.

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