Computer technician Mujja Moureen. (Courtesy).

Mujja Moureen runs a thriving computer repair business in Juba and has earned the trust of her paying customers, many of whom have opted for her service over belief that women are honest, charge fairly and do not swindle spare parts.

Probably the only female computer technician in Juba, Moureen studied Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at the Makerere Business Institute in 2019, before dropping out due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The 25-year-old then later completed her studies in May 2023 and opened her computer repair shop in Juba town.

Moureen said she embarked on the computer maintenance business in a bid to take advantage of the lack of women in the profession.

In an interview with Eye Radio, the young woman said she finds it uniquely interesting to interact with her customers. But she has one challenge.

Some of her customers occasionally doubt her ability to repair their gadgets.

“When the male clients enter my workshop and see me, and when I ask them questions about their computers, they think the technician is somewhere else and start asking about my male colleague,” she said.

“Some of the clients find it interesting and amazing and others have doubts but when they find that I have resolved their issues, they gain trust in me.”

According to the World Bank statistics analysis report, 2019, women account for 50% of the total population in South Sudan.

But it is estimated that only 8% of women in South Sudan are literate, possibly the lowest female literacy rate in the world, says Education in South-Sudan report by U.S. international development agency USAID.

The report says low literacy is an obstacle for women to actively participate in the development agenda of their respective communities.

“Some of them tell me this is their first time to see a woman repairing computers in Juba. Others told me that I’m challenging men but for me, I found my job interesting,” Moureen said.

Meanwhile, the lack of women in painstaking and male-dominated computer repair business, Moureen sees it as an opportunity.

“I like technology, so this motivated me to study ICT, I looked at this opportunity as a huge one because there are a few ladies who are doing ICT in the department on networking and software engineering,” she said.

“I decided to go for computer repairing and maintenance and I looked at it as a big opportunity for me where I could come up with little capital and I start my own business to get more customers and clients.”

Sitting at the verandah of her shop, Moureen receives faulty computer gadgets on daily basis, then examine them and explain the diagnose to the owners.

“I first examine the laptop and then tell you the problem and the possible solutions. In most cases, they trust and believe after the problem is solved that they can keep coming to me in case of other issues.”

“Some customers also approach me because they think a woman is truthful and fair in terms of costs and telling them the exact problem. You know there is a belief that computer engineers take spare parts from machines.”

Moureen generates a sustainable wage from the self-employment and wishes to expand the shop. However, she said her business risks being crippled by heavy taxation.

“In the near future, I want to establish a big operating place but the challenges I face are the City Council, extorting security officers and the revenue collectors, you have to pay all of them.”

“As developing a business, is a huge challenge the amount of the money you earn you have to give it away.”