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One of the greatest feelings a woman can ever have is a man’s true love. Though your boyfriend may take time telling you he is in love with you, chances are he already has through his actions. That’s what happened to me. I knew my husband was in love with me by the way he paid close attention to all my needs. He genuinely cared to hear about my good days and my bad days. Moreover, I didn’t have to ask him to do something for me. He just knew. He loved spending time with my family and me. And he said “I love you” first.For the most part, women are quicker at expressing their emotions to their partners; meanwhile, men take a longer time. You may assume that your boyfriend is not in love with you because he has not verbally expressed his feelings or revealed the three words all women love to hear. But take a close look at his gestures, his mannerisms and how he looks at you. The love he has for you is in the tiniest details.

Here are five ways you can tell the man you love is in love with you, too.

  1. Shows interest

When your boyfriend starts to ask you in-depth questions about your likes, dislikes and future goals, he is in to you. He wants to learn everything about you. He sincerely cares.

  2. Delicate touches

He grabs your hand gently during a walk in the park or at a family gathering. He caresses your hair softly. He hugs you for no reason at all. He affectionately touches your face as he stares at you. Sometimes just sitting at home watching a movie and cuddling on the couch speaks volumes.

3. Spending time together

When you find your boyfriend spending less time with his friends and more time with you, he is in love. He is not giving up on his friends; he simply chooses to spend as much time with you as possible. His priorities begin to shift.

4. Does anything for you

He doesn’t care what it takes, but he will make anything possible for you. He may not necessarily be interested in the things you are interested in, but he makes the effort to take part. He doesn’t mock what brings you joy. Perhaps you love a particular musician, and he doesn’t. But he surprises you with two concert tickets – one for you and one for him.

5. Talks about marriage and children

If your boyfriend inquires about your feelings on marriage and children and expresses his thoughts on the matter, chances are he’s been thinking about a future with you. And if you both share the same feelings about marriage and creating a beautiful family together, love exists.

6. Says those three special words first

He tells you “I love you” before you do. It doesn’t matter when or where he says it. All that matters is that he wants to say it first.

Again, it’s easier for a woman to share her innermost thoughts compare to most men. Many men have a hard time verbalizing their feelings even though they do love you. However, through their positive actions and attentive ways, you will know he is in love. Give him time and you’ll hear “I love you.”

Written By: Colon  Mayra for Familyshare

 

 

Do you know what you want in a life partner? At some point in your life, you will ask yourself this question. If you never have, and you are looking to settle down soon, then you are headed for trouble.

It is simple to assume that you know what you are looking for. Tall, dark, handsome, financially stable, Godfearing… coming up with the perfect adjective to describe your future partner might not seem like that hard of a thing to do. But are you looking for what you want or what you think you should want? Let me give you two examples that inspired this article.

Deborah is a very good friend of mine, I have known her since secondary school. We hang out a lot and of course, often had discussions about men, relationship and all. The guys she dated, she never asked them for a dime. Some offered and some didn’t but Deborah was determined to not be the ‘materialistic’ girl.
A few years ago, she met Fred. Fred was just about to conclude a post-graduate course. Fred was a dreamer. He hoped to build and run a successful business one day. He was completely disinterested in working for anyone. Deborah saw his passion and was drawn to it. She was his rock while they dated. Even though he didn’t have it all figured when he proposed, she agreed because she believed in him.

She believed that even though he was not where he should be in terms of finances, he would get there. She believed her patience and -for lack of a better word- investment will pay off someday. It sounded noble and like Deborah often repeated to me whenever I asked her why she would want someone who could offer her less than what she grew up with, “I am a good girl. Good girls don’t go after the money.

Things were perfect for a few months after their wedding. Sure, they struggled since they mostly had to depend on her income but it was okay. She had her man’s back.
Then a while later, resentment started to build. She found herself envying her friends’ marriages where the men took the reins financially and showered their women with gold and trinkets. She looked at her struggling husband and started to even doubt that he loved her. She once told me, “how would he say he love me but cannot buy me ordinary birthday present?” I said, “well, you never minded when you were dating.” “Yeah, but it’s been four years,” she said, her voice quiet.

To Deborah, hanging in there with her man had an expiration date. Underneath it all, she wanted the fancy things but she could not bring herself to admit it because she feared how others would interpret it. So she got into a marriage with someone who was struggling. She figured someday, she will get returns for all her ‘hard work.’

Maybe he will make it, maybe he wouldn’t. But one has to worry how badly the resentment would affect their marriage. Her man could begin to feel insecure. And even if he becomes a multi-trillionaire someday, there may be way too much damage done to their marriage to survive.

Then there is Olu, one of my husband’s closest friends. He could not wait to get married. He was nearing 35. Most of his friends were either married or close. He and his buddies would hang out and the subject of an ideal wife will come up. I was hanging out with the guys one day when they seriously bashed one of Olu’s ex-girlfriends for being unable to cook. ‘What was the point in her being a woman,’ they wanted to know.
So Olu continued on his quest for a great cook. And he found one in Dolapo. Dolapo was beautiful, respectful and brought it in the kitchen. His buddies patted him on his back. Olu had found the perfect woman, they thought.

One day, a year after they got married, Olu did not go home after work. He came over to our house and asked to speak to my husband. They both went out to a nearby bar to talk. They were out for hours and I knew it must be big.

It was nearly midnight when they both returned. I asked no questions while I set up the guest bedroom for Olu for the night.

After he left for home early the next morning, my husband revealed to me that his marriage was in trouble?

From what I gathered, while Dolapo, to everyone, was the perfect wife, she was not fulfilling the biggest need Olu had. There were complaints about how she would not upload his photo on her social media, she did not notice when he got a new haircut, clothes and so on. Even though she cooked his meals, took care of his home, was respectful and mostly minded her business, Olu did not believe she loved him because she never held his hand in public or gave him random words of admiration and affection. Whenever he tried to bring it up, she shrugged it off. She grew up with a certain idea of what it meant to be a wife and as long as she did all she had learnt, then Olu had no reason to complain.

In fact, the night Olu spent at our home, he sent her a simple text message saying he was okay but was not coming home. She replied with ‘ok.’ No questions asked, no suspicions or query. Olu showed my husband the text as proof that his wife did not care.
“I would pay someone to cook the meals and clean my house if that meant I have a wife who gives a damn,” I was told he said at one point.

These are two people who were sure they knew what they wanted oblivious of the fact that they were subconsciously letting other people’s opinion make the decision for them.

So, again, do you know what you really want in a partner or do you want what you have been conditioned to want? Have you subconsciously allowed society, your friends, the media tell you what you should want?

The choice of who you spend the rest of your life with is one of the most important choices you will make. Stand in your own truth. Want what you want. No apologies.

If for instance, you want financial stability, then find that. Do not settle for less unless you know for a fact that if he never reaches that goal of big mansions and expensive cars, you will still be perfectly okay. A man is not a business investment. Stop listening to those that say, “hang in there, he will make it someday.” This puts a clock on your marriage and pressure on your partner. This ruins you before you even begin.

If emotional and physical connection is more important to you than a woman who makes the best meals, then be true to you. Because at the end of the day, it’s you and your partner in that room, figuring out your marriage, reaping its benefits or wallowing in disappointment.
This is one decision no one can make for you. There are no perfect traits. Find what works for you and stick with it
Do you know what YOU want in a partner? If you have no idea, you shouldn’t be getting married.

ABOUT MINA

Mina is the writer alter-ego of a very introverted woman filled with dreams of changing the world. She is a wife, mother and cupcake lover.
She can be reached via Email: Minamartins13@yahoo.com

Source: Bellanaija

Singer, Waje, took to her Instagram page to pen some sweet words to celebrate her industry colleague and best friend, Omawumi who turned who turned 36 today. She wrote:
‘I met her in 2009 and we connected immediately, so many years, many fights, many tears and laughter, yab and hailings…husband, children and so many beautiful things I thank God for cos you are an example of that virtuous woman who burns her candle while everyone is asleep.
I learn daily from you. Never afraid to tell me the truth. You’ve taught me so much and i love you more than you KNOW. My sister, ore, enyim. Welcome to the new phase of your life, the Lord has lifted you. Sing and dance cos the gates of hell shall not prevail against you, the Lord shall keep his angels charge over you.
Happy birthday to you my sister. I love you darling. Friends till the end!

Hello WORriors! Today is #WomanCrushWednesday and our Woman Crush is Deola Sagoe.

Deola Sagoe is a fashion designer and founder of Deola, an African haute couture fashion. She is from Ondo State in Nigeria. She has a Masters in Finance and Management from University of Miami and University of Lagos. Deola has been at the cutting edge of high fashion since 1989 and became the first black woman to present a collection at AltaRoma, Rome’s celebrated fashion week, back in 2004. Her globally appealing style has earned her an enviable clientèle that ranges from Africa’s first ladies, to society girls like Lydia Hearst, top model Alek Wek, and famous personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith. She frequently exhibits her couture collection at Cape Town Fashion Week.

In 2000, she was nominated by the influential US Vogue Editor, Andre Leon Tally, for the M/NET Anglo Gold African Designs Award and she won. She was selected as one of four designers from Africa to show their work at New York Fashion Week in 2000.  What got her noticed was the fact that she was the only designer to showcase designs using authentic African fabrics from antiquity, but incorporated into contemporary designs.  This was the launchpad for her haute couture business to gain global recognition.  Her fashion collections have since been modelled around the world at some of the biggest and most prestigious events.

Deola Sagoe has a glamorous flagship store and headquarters on Victoria Island, Nigeria which was completed in 2008 and which houses the brand’s offices, production facilities and showrooms.  Around 20 people are employed there, working on unique runway collections and bespoke haute couture pieces for individual clients.

She is Nigeria’s representative to the United Nations World Food Program ‘Catwalk the World: Fashion for Food’ with the goal of raising money towards halving the number of hungry people in the world, particularly children, by 2015. In 2014, she made a cameo appearance in Kunle Afolayan’s film October 1as Funmilayo Ransome Kuti. The 51 years old mother of three is fondly referred to as ‘Ambassador of ‘Blacks Don’t Crack’

 

Women Of Rubies celebrates you, Deola Sagoe!

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, has designated children’s rights activist and Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai, as a UN Messenger of Peace with a special focus on girls’ education.

Guterres, at a ceremony at UN headquarters in New York on Monday, praised Malala for her contributions to girls’ education even in the most difficult places.

“You have been to the most difficult places, visited several refugee camps. Your foundation has schools in Lebanon, in the Beka’a Valley. You are a symbol of perhaps, the most important thing in the world, ‘education for all’,” the Secretary-General said.

Guterres, while conferring the highest UN award on her, said Yousafzai’s life was “a remarkable example of solidarity”.

“Yet, Pakistan was also such an example. We live in a world where so many borders closed; so many doors are closed. But Pakistan has received seven million refugees with open borders, open doors and hearts – open a symbol of generosity,” he said.

Guterres said he hoped “this spirit can serve as an example that it is not by closing doors that we will all be able to move forward”.

Accepting the conferment, Yousafzai, 19, underscored the importance of education, especially education of girls, for advancing communities and societies.

“Bringing change starts with us and it should start now. If you want to see your future bright, you have to start working now and not wait for anyone else,” she said.

UN Messengers of Peace are distinguished individuals, carefully selected from the fields of art, literature, science, entertainment, sports or other fields of public life, who have agreed to help focus worldwide attention on the work of the UN.

Backed by the highest honour bestowed by the Secretary-General on a global citizen, these prominent personalities volunteer their time, talent and passion to raise awareness of UN’s efforts to improve the lives of billions of people everywhere.

After her designation, Guterres, Yousafzai and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, conversed with youth representatives from around the world on the theme of girls’ education.

Malala Yousafzai and UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed. Photo Credit: UN

Malala, in her remarks, said the most difficult time she faced had been from 2007 to 2009 in the Swat Valley.

“Because we were at a point of making a decision about whether to speak out or remain silent. And I realized that if you remain silent, you are still going to be terrorized. So speaking out, you can help people,” she said.

Malala,  who was shot in 2012 by the Taliban for attending classes, is the youngest-ever UN Messenger of Peace and the first one to be designated by Guterres since he assumed office in January.

She said while recovering from the Taliban attack, she realized that “extremists tried everything to stop me and the fact that they didn’t is clear evidence that no one can stop me.

“I have second life for the purpose of education and I’ll continue working on this issue”.

Malala went on to say that brothers and fathers must also support women and girls in the global effort to ensure education for all and, more importantly, “be who they want to be”.

According to her, her father always told people not to ask him what he “did for Malala, but ask what I didn’t do – I didn’t clip her wings”.

Source: Bellanaija

Pastor Nike Adeyemi is a year older today!

Renowned photographer TY Bello shared a couple of Nike’s beautiful portraits on her Instagram page captioning them:

PASTOR NIKE ADEYEMI: THE BEAUTIFUL COLORS OF FIFTY
I remember my first encounter with the ministry of @nikeadeyemi and her husband Sam Adeyemi of @daystarng. I must have been about 13 years old at the time .. It wasnt called Daystar at the time ..but I remember going to the Casino cinema in Yaba for their conferences.It was there.. I saw for the first time …the Greek language being used to further break down scripture . It was so over my head at the time .. but it stuck.. I’m constantly looking at new ways to understand words better.. it’s made me somewhat a little ‘breaker-downer’ when I’m studying.

About Three decades later ..say about six years ago ..I remember bumping into her at the airport . I mustered up the courage … and whispered .. My Name Is TY Bello .. I wonder why I’ve never photographed you.. I’d be so delighted to ..she was so pleasant and we exchanged numbers .. Nothing dramatic happened as a result of my bold move .. well .not until these many years later. The timing was perfect .. I was so happy to see her in front of my lens just because I took a bold step and made conversation. A seed was sown for sure .
Many times we take risks..Go out of our way to learn something new or introduce ourselves to someone .. and we don’t feel like we walked away with anything .. We actually did something more important .. we sowed seeds into the future.. into our learning experiences.. and those seeds become something.. ..well ..eventually.

@nikeadeyemi was worth the risk. She was a joy to photograph.. a beautiful woman in every way and absolutely inspiring too . The words and prayers she spoke over us during the shoot are so priceless .and I’m so happy we made images that truly represented her essence . Happy 50th birthday Ma. May every day of your jubilee year be filled with rejoicing .Thanks for bringing your refreshing colors to our lives .Im grateful #tybellophotography #50thbirthday #portrait #beauty #hairby @bernardsmiless and our God sent @hairwearenig.. # makeup by meekness for @ravishinmakeup #styled by the amazing @s_b_youme.. Girl you did magic once again. Hope you’re enjoying Thailand . Thanks for moving your flight for this .

See photos below!

Photo Credit: Instagram | @tybello

A facilitator/management trainer, she is also a consultant on non-profit management and strategy. A Sustainability Expert and Speaker, she is the founding curator, Global Shapers Forum Nigeria. Owing to her experiences, Osayi sits on the board of several organisations that includes Immediate past Chairperson Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), House of Tara, Chairperson Zapphire Events, Culinary Academy and Global Dignity, an affiliation of the World Economic Forum in Norway impacting the lives of over 100,000 students over the last five years. In this interview with TOBI AWODIPE, she talks about juggling several responsibilities, why women are not doing well in business and her plans for the future.

Tell us about yourself briefly
I am Osayi Alile, CEO of ACT Foundation, a subsidiary in partnership with Access Bank. I have been doing this for 18 months and before taking up this position, I was CEO at FATE Foundation for nine years. Before joining FATE, I worked at Junior Achievement where I was the Vice-President of programmes. I have always been in this sector: non-profit community development and it is something I have enjoyed doing over the last few years.

I had my primary school education in Lagos before moving on to FGGC, Warri for my secondary education. For university education, I have a degree in Sociology from the University of Lagos and a master in Public Administration from Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA. Notwithstanding, I have done several courses and executive programmes at Yale Univeristy, Harvard Business School, Stanford and so on. I believe it is necessary for everyone to try as much as possible to always continually take themselves to the next level and that is what I have been trying to do in the last few years.

Do you think that is where you are now? The next level?
Life is a journey and you never know where you are going to but I just feel I am practically just starting my life; it’s still at the beginning stages and we will see how it goes from here.

How has your journey been like, getting several educational qualifications, sitting on the board of so many companies and industries?
It has been very eventful and interesting and I have learnt a lot, faced a lot of challenges, and had some successes and quite a few failures as well along the way. I have never told myself, “This is exactly where I want to go,” but when the environment throws different things to you, you learn to cope. Gathering knowledge and education I believe is necessary. I was once asked at a conference if it was necessary to keep getting and education and learning and my answer is: learning is continuous, it doesn’t stop. No matter how much you think you know, there is always something new to learn. I have been CEO of a company for nine years, but this is a new challenge and there are new things to learn here. Education and knowledge is constant.

You mentioned challenges you face; how do you handle them?
I always take a step back. In the past, when things happen, I rush around, trying to find solutions, but now I take a step back and think things through. Challenges would come and you have to be ready because things cannot go smoothly forever. In my mind, I know they will come, I might not know which challenge or where it is coming from but my mind is prepared that if it does happen, how will I manage it? You also need strong people around you and I always employ people that I think are smarter than me, a bit more knowledgeable than I am so that when challenges come, you can have the right people around you to get ideas from.

Also, it’s always good to have a strong board that you can go back to and mentors that can help so you can run to them for help. Even on boards I sit on, we are always available to help because we are not in the grind constantly and they can come to us for another perspective.

You talked about mentoring and truthfully, a lot of women going into entrepreneurship have mentioned the difficulty in getting good mentors. How can female entrepreneurs access good mentors and how can it help them grow?
Mentoring is key and I cannot talk about my success today without talking about all the wonderful people that have walked with me and held my hand. Of course, the major foundation for me is God but there have to be people around you that guide you along the way. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t have people guiding me. With FATE Foundation, I had Mr. Fola Adeola and he was such a great mentor to me and he still is. So many things happened in my eight year journey with him, so many mistakes I could have made but he guided me and pushed me to do things I never thought I would be able to do. It is essential, especially if you want to get into leadership position, to have someone you can speak to. You need to have a critic and a coach at all times. A critic would tell you what you’re doing wrong and your mentor can be both to you. However, you must be mature enough to accept correction and work with them and plot the direction you want to go.

After your exit from FATE Foundation, is it still serving the purpose for which it was set up?
Yes. I am still close to FATE and still relate very well with the founder. The present CEO is someone I talk to constantly. I believe it is one organization that has pushed itself out there, constantly working with entrepreneurs. This has been my field in the last few years, building businesses, working with entrepreneurs and helping businesses to be sustainable long term.

Tell us about ACT Foundation and the purpose it is serving?
We just started recently and it is my new baby. We are working in four major areas of health, environment, leadership and entrepreneurship. We are trying to work with communities, give them grants and see how they can improve the communities they’re living in. in a few months, we are hoping to expand and push it out more, work with other NGOs and other community based outfits and see how we can improve communities based on those four pillars.

You’re a facilitator and management trainer as well, what does this aspect entail?
It is not my full time job but something I love to do. In a week, I teach at one or two places, schools, conferences, seminars and so on. I would describe it as a calling because I believe there is so much to share with people and also an avenue to learn. There is no way you can sit in a room with thirty people and you’re speaking to them about something and not get something in return.

How do you joggle all your responsibilities: sitting on several boards, being a full time CEO, teaching and mentoring?
(Laughing) I am a very organized person and like to plan everything. Also, I have a passion for small businesses and once you have a passion that you feel obligated to, it becomes easier, doesn’t feel like work. I sit on several boards and enjoy seeing them grow, I enjoy seeing them enjoy what they do and this doesn’t feel challenging. I will put it down to organization, preparation and time management. Relationships are key as well; I can’t work with you or sit on your board if I don’t have any form of relationship with you. We don’t necessarily have to be best friends but we need to have some form of understanding, the same values system, be on the same page to some extent. It is necessary and easier because when you’re saying something or trying to make changes, they know it is coming from a good place.

A lot of women are going into businesses now but several fold up quickly. What do you think they can do differently to change this?
I believe there are several factors responsible for this. I have been involved with small businesses and enterprise for 14 years now and I am happy to say many women are going into businesses and from my observation over time; women tend to enter businesses from passion or a hobby. Most don’t realize that though it is a small business, the foundation has to be in place from the onset. Just like building a house, you have to ensure that the foundation is done properly. Even if it started out as a passion, once it becomes a business, you have to do things properly. A lot of women don’t know how to handle the financial part of their business, taking it day by day. There are no defined structures or plans in place and it is difficult for an investor or bank to take this kind of business serious.

Also, women find it hard taking risks and so you see a business a man and woman started at the same time with the man’s own doing better after a while. However, I wont say it is all bad because things are changing steadily. You sit in a room with ten women, seven are running businesses and at least four are doing exceptionally well with strong foundations in place. Any woman that wants to venture into business must realize that every business is a risk but must ensure the foundations are in place from the beginning.

The ratio of women to men taking advantage of available opportunities like loans, grants and the likes is still very lopsided and poor. In your experience, why is it so?
It still boils down to the risk factor mostly when it comes to loans. Out of 10 people looking for loans or grants, eight would be men with two women. Women are sadly averse to taking risks and it is sadly being passed from generation to generation. Women can take loan from friends and family members but when it comes to structured loans, they are absent.

Regarding trainings, sometimes it is lack of information; women are not following and reading what they should be reading. When I was chair at WIMBIZ, we had so many opportunities available but we had to consciously make noise about them to get the women to follow through. Even with the YouWin programme then, I can tell you confidently that 85% of the people that applied were men and the government was puzzled. This was free money, there was no repayment needed and still women didn’t apply. They had to do another programme for just women alone and WIMBIZ had to get involved to ‘force’ women to apply. I tell women that the same force they use in bringing up children, they should apply it to their businesses and the difference would be clear. Happily, the younger women coming up are pushing and trying to change the status quo.

You’re affiliated to the World Economic Forum (WEF), tell us how it applies to Nigeria and what benefits can be derived from it?
It is an international body and I became a member and Young Global Leader several years ago. It is a platform for coming up with suggestions on how the world should be run. In it, you find private sector, government, non-profit, everyone is there, coming up with different solutions with issues and it affects every single country. Nigeria hosted the WEF Africa four, five years ago. I started the Global Shapers Forum here in Nigeria and it is mostly for youths, to come up with unique solutions to issues peculiar to them. We have a few YFGLs and Global Shapers and everyone is doing their own thing. I have a forum, Global Dignity and it has held in 13 states, reaching over 100, 000 students in the last six years. This is my pet project and it is affiliated to the parent WEF.

What has been the impact of Global Dignity so far?
Global dignity is all about dignity of labour, of life, and trying to push the students to think outside of the classroom. We try to open their minds to think big, to think beyond where they are presently. We teach them on the dignity of working to fend for themselves, to be independent and innovative. We have set up clubs in different schools called Global Dignity Club and we now have ten in the different schools we work with.

How do you think we can make the economy more appealing to foreign investment?
The world has become a global village and no country can work in isolation. Over the last few weeks, some changes have been happening and I’m hoping it continues like this. It is a slow process and everyone is feeling the pinch. There are opportunities out there and despite the recession, people are becoming billionaires daily, new businesses are taking off and doing well. Things are hard but there are opportunities and we have to remove our eyes from problems and think on managing available opportunities. This is where foreign collaboration is good because nobody can do it alone, you never know what can happen.

How can SMEs and startups be encouraged in doing business, as the environment and present infrastructure is not exactly favourable?
I believe this government has started making little efforts in this regard. The amount of days to register a business has gone down and things like that. The process would take time and there are several new policies in place now to help SMEs; the government is thinking in the right direction and we need to remain patient but insistent on what we want.

What can be done on the issue of double taxation, which is crippling a lot of startups?
Not to support the government but when you go and find out, a lot of people re not getting their information from the right places. Someone says he has six taxes to pay and the next person beside him says the same thing or even increases the number. If you do diligent checks, it is not as much as people claim they are. I always tell entrepreneurs to check everything for themselves and not depend on word of mouth. Once you pay all necessary and legal taxes, anybody that comes to you asking for extra money, bring out your phone and record the transaction. Ask questions, find things out for yourselves, do your own research so that you don’t fall victim to thieves.

On another note, how do you relax?
I’m a spa addict, I like massages and going to the spa. Every person has to take time out to wind down. Lagos is stressful, Nigeria is a stressful country and you wont realize until you leave the country and come back. I either go to the spa or watch series all day; it helps me de-clutter my mind.

What legacies do you want to be remembered for?
I am a helper; I don’t believe that because one door has been opened to me I cannot now take other people along with me. One of the things I want to walk away with is looking back and saying to myself that along my journey, I helped X number of people and they themselves helped others. I want it to be like a ripple effect and I tell others this as well. When my time is up, I want people to be able to say I was gracious to them and I opened doors for them and their lives and businesses became better by virtue of meeting me. In another ten years, I might think differently but at the moment, I believe God has called me to help and to work with people.

For women that look up to you, what would you tell them?
I haven’t started yet so they shouldn’t look up to me (laughing), I’m just starting my life. This generation thinks things must be immediate and fast but it is a journey, there is no easy way to get things and we all have to work hard to get what we want. Of course, there would be challenges but always put your best foot forward and do the best you can. I will tell women: life is a journey and as you journey along, enjoy the process, enjoy every moment and live in it. You don’t want to look back and begin to have regrets of what you wanted to do but were afraid of doing.

Culled from : Guardian

 


The New African Woman magazine has released the nominees’ list for the second edition of its New African Woman Awards.

We are so excited with this list because it’s another opportunity to celebrate women who are making a positive impact in their various fields of endeavour… and because our Founder/CEO Uche Pedro was nominated in the New African Woman in Media category. YAY!

Uche and CNN‘s Zain Ejiofor Asher were among the nominees in that category.

Chosen in 12 categories, 68 groundbreaking women made the final list which will now be adjudicated by a special panel of judges, and the winners in each category will be announced on April 12, 2017 at a Gala Dinner in Dakar, Senegal.

The second edition of the New African Woman Forum (NAW Forum) is scheduled to hold in Dakar, Senegal, on the 12th and 13th of April 2017.

The new UN Deputy Secretary-General, Nigeria’s Amina J. Mohammed, nominated in two categories – Politics and Woman of the Year, Executive Director of UN Women, South Africa’s Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Somalia’s first female presidential candidate Fadumo Dayib, Gambia’s doyen of democratic change, Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, South African former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, first female FIFA Secretary-General, Fatma Samoura (Senegal) are some of the names that made the final list from the thousands of nominations received.

Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o, South African Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya, Nigerian comedy prodigy Emmanuella Samuel also made the nominees’ list.

Organised by the pan-African bi-monthly, New African Woman magazine, the Awards – which celebrate and honour exceptional African women who have made a positive impact and contributions in their communities and the continent at large, in the past 12 months – will take place on the eve of the New African Woman Forum, which takes place at Dakar’s Terrou-Bi Hotel on April 13 2017.

The New African Woman Awards and Forum, first held in London in March last year, under the theme “Changing The Game”, were born from the ethos that launched New African Woman magazine nine years ago: to boldly and positively highlight, share and represent African women’s issues, on the premise that women are an indispensable element in Africa’s growth story, and to celebrate the women contributing to that change.

See the full list of nominees below:

New Africa Woman in Business

Jennifer Riria – Kenya

Madjiguene Sock – Senegal

Dr Nathalie Beatrice Chinje – Cameroon

Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch – Morocco

Tabitha Karanja – Kenya

Phuti Mahanyele – South Africa

New African Woman in Politics

Fadumo Q. Dayib – Somalia

Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang – Gambia

Nayé Anna Bathily – Senegal

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka – South Africa

Monique Mukuna – DR Congo

Amina J. Mohammed

Nigeria New African Woman in Education

Noëlla Coursaris Musunka – DR Congo

Oley Dibba-Wadda – Côte d’Ivoire

Graça Machel – Mozambique

Tsitsi Masiyiwa – Zimbabwe

Prof Unoma Ndili Okorafor – Nigeria

Rapelang Rabana – South Africa

New African Woman in Science

Anne Wanjohi – Kenya

Prof Aminata Sall Diallo – Senegal

Dr Helena Ndume – Namibia

Jessica O. Mathews – Nigeria

Dr Ola Orekunrin – Nigeria

Dr Tebello Nyokong – South Africa

New African Woman in Finance

Binta Touré Ndoye – Togo

Bola Adesola – Nigeria

Lamyaa Gadelhak – Egypt

Stella Kilonzo – Kenya

Viola Llewellyn – Cameroon

Evelyne Tall-Daouda – Senegal

New African Woman in Agriculture

Mame Khary Diene – Senegal

Maria Andrade – Mozambique

Kambou Lydie Rachel – Côte d’Ivoire

Rahab Kariuki – Kenya

Rose Funja – Tanzania

Tumusiime Rhoda Peace – Uganda

New African Woman in Media

Amira Yahyaoui – Tunisia

Eloïne Barry – Guinea

Gina Din-Kariuki – Kenya

Uche Pedro – Nigeria (YAY!)

Zain Ejiofor Asher – Nigeria

Rokhaya Diallo – Senegal

New African Woman in Sports

Caster Semenya – South Africa

Diknesh Tamiru – Ethiopia

Fatma Samoura – Senegal

Isha Tejan-Cole Johansen – Sierra Leone

Tegla Loroupe – Kenya

Vivian Cheruiyot – Kenya

New African Woman in Arts & Culture

Aïssa Dione – Senegal

Esther Mahlangu – South Africa

Lupita Nyong’o – Kenya

Olfa Terras Rambourg – Tunisia

Sophie Zinga – Senegal

Joan Okorodudu – Nigeria

New African Woman in Civil Society

Theresa Kachindamoto – Malawi

Francine Furaha Muyumba – DR Congo

Hadiza Bala Usman – Nigeria

Salimata Lam – Mauritania

Theo Sowa – Ghana

Zainab Hawa Bangura – Sierra Leone

New African Woman on the Rise

Botlhale Boikanyo – South Africa

Emmanuella Samuel – Nigeria

Rebeca Gyumi – Tanzania

Ndeye Fatou Njie – Gambia

Vivian Onano – Kenya

Sonia Mezzour – Morocco

Warsan Shire – Somalia

Jaha Dukureh – The Gambia

New African Woman of the Year

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Nigeria

Fadumo Dayib – Somalia

Fatoumatta Jallow-Tambajang  – Gambia

Madjiguene Sock – Senegal

Thuli Madonsela – South Africa

Amina J. Mohammed – Nigeria

Achenyo Idachaba is an entrepreneur, computer scientist, and business analyst born in United State. She moved down to Ibadan, Nigeria, in 2009 to set up an environmental consultancy, and discovered a specie of weeds called ‘Water Hyacinth’ (Eichornia crassipes). This aquatic weeds pose a major challenge to local communities and have been a target of government initiatives to stem the damage they cause for some years. Their extensive, knotted root systems tangle together and and clog waterways, which are a key transportation network to inland populations. They also deplete nutritional resources in their surroundings, leading to a drop in the fish population, which impacts food supplies and livelihoods for riparian communities, who are reliant on fishing.

Having read a book about how communities in southeast Asia afflicted by the water hyacinth had harvested the weed and transformed it through weaving into marketable products, she determined to make this method work in Nigeria also. She visited a community in the city of Ibadan and moved close to a couple of artisans who had experience in weaving doum palm and rattan. She worked with them to develop the company’s first products – a table tidy and a wastebasket: two fitting products to make from a tangled weed! She collaborated with local craftspeople to set up a range of products that were woven from the dried plants. The company was called Mitimeth. She developed products such as a waste basket and a table tidy which were made from plants that are usually only known for being invasive. In 2013, she won a grant from the government and employed seven staff. The weeds are harvested, dried and then made into rope which can then be made into products.

In 2014, her creative initiative was recognised when she was given the Cartier award. This was the women’s initiative award for sub-Saharan Africa. She has been featured on CNN and her TED talk in 2015 achieved over a million hits.

Water Hyacinth

According to Wikipedia, ‘She has taken an environmental problem and turned it into a win-win solution for her business, local communities and the country’. Each hand-crafted piece is created from the weeds which are harvested from the local waterways and dried out in the sun before they can be used for weaving into highly intricate and beautiful finished products such as baskets, tableware and even jewellery