Yussuf Yucubu, TradeAgent, Ghana

Greater Accra, Ghana
In the Upper Eastern Ghanaian town of Bawku, along the border with Burkina Faso, it is not uncommon to see young boys taking their family’s cattle into the bush. Armed with just a stick, a few young boys manage to keep dozens of cattle together and moving in the same direction, despite their proportional disadvantage. Yussif Yucubu was one of those boys, and for as long as he can remember, he’s been taking cattle into the bush on the weekends, after school, and during school vacations. As a young man, Yussif made the decision to leave his hometown and move to Accra to attend computer school, and a few years later, when TradeNet Ghana was interviewing for the position of a TradeAgent in Ashaiman Cattle Market, he was the first to sign up. This TradeAgent would need to know about livestock, understand the ins and outs of the market, and be able to use a computer and a mobile phone with ease. A 28 year-old energetic and bright Yussif was an easy choice. He now works as a TradeAgent, registering traders in the market, uploading offers to buy and sell cattle, sheep and goats, and connecting sellers in his market with traders he finds online. He also takes trips outside of the city to smaller villages so he can register those rural traders and transporters on TradeNet as well. Yussif speaks 6 languages, all of which he uses for his work. He says that when he left his small town for Accra his family thought he might abandon the family trade, and although they were concerned about the legacy, they pushed him to move forward and learn new things anyway. But now, as a TradeAgent in Ashaiman Cattle Market, it looks as if he’s found a way to seamlessly combine his new life with his old one.