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Esther Ijewere

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In Inspiration By

Meet Londy Ngcobo, Global Ship Navigator & Africa’s First Female Dredge Master

When a 32-year-old South African lady becomes Global Ship Navigator and Africa’s First Female Dredge Master, breaking through as a Businesswoman and a Global speaker, the story is sure to make a headline.

Today we celebrate Londy Ngcobo with over 13 years of experience in the Maritime industry, which includes a background in Maritime Studies, International Merchant shipping experience, Advanced dredging from Netherlands IHC, and her current role as a Maritime Compliance Manager all which has led to her well-known title The BLACKMERMAID.

Londy is an award winner passionate about Women and Youth Empowerment.  Her wealth of experience has equipped her with the ability to focus on providing sustainable tools for women in leadership and all in walks of life.

She is also the founder of an organisation called Mamas Escape Club an Award-Winning Best Support Group providing tools for mothers to thrive through life challenges.

She encourages the youth to think outside the box, mentors the youth through her personal capacity, various institutional advisory boards and groups. Through her public speaking social events, radio/tv shows, blogs, podcasts. Londy has impacted lives by instilling bold global thinking and business agility to those who have had the privilege to see her in action.

Culled from Transportevolution

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In Career Gems By

Real Reason Sudan Criminalized Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Sudan has Criminalized carrying out Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), making it punishable by three years in jail.

According to UN, about 87% of Sudanese women aged between 14 and 49 have undergone some form of FGM. In Sudan it is not uncommon for women to get the inner and outer labia, and usually the clitoris, removed and FGM can result in urinary tract infections, uterine infections, kidney infections, cysts, reproductive issues and pain during sex.

Before now, there has been a global trend towards banning the practice. However, according to a Unicef report carried out in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East, the practice is still being widely carried out, despite the fact that at least 24 of these countries have legislation or some form of decrees against FGM. FGM was already illegal in some Sudanese states but these bans were widely ignored.

BBC Sudan analyst Mohaned Hashim notes that there have been previous attempts to ban FGM across the whole country but parliament under long-time leader Omar al-Bashir rejected the recommendations. Women were at the forefront of the movement that toppled Mr Bashir in April 2019. Campaigners accused the former government of discriminating against women in various ways – including preventing women from wearing trousers.

In November, Sudan repealed a restrictive public order law that controlled how women acted and dressed in public. The FGM amendment to the criminal law was approved on 22 April, Reuters news agency reports and under the amendment, anyone who performs FGM either inside a medical establishment or elsewhere faces three years’ imprisonment and a fine.

Source: BBC

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Inspiring Story Of Elizabeth Owusua – Lawyer By Day, Nurse By Night

Elizabeth Owusua has accomplished her childhood dream of becoming both a nurse and a lawyer as she now serves in both capacities, day and night. Elizabeth notes that during her childhood, she had hopes of becoming a nurse, lawyer as well as a fashion designer but says she never thought her dreams would finally become a reality because of her humble beginning and the hardship she faced.

She was, however, quick to note that her training at Mfantsiman Girls helped shape her entire being greatly.

She narrated:

“I went to the Nursing and Midwifery Training College at Korle Bu where I graduated with a Diploma in Nursing in 2008 and started working as a nurse in 2010 after national service”.

From there, Owusua noted she continued to Central University College to top up for a Bsc Degree in Nursing alongside work and graduated in 2013

In 2014, Owusua applied to Gimpa Law Faculty for an LLB and got admitted which she did along with working night shifts at the hospital and gained admission to the law school in 2017 after graduating from Gimpa and finally was called to the Ghana Bar in October 2019.

Talk about resilience and Grit! We celebrate this leading lady.

 

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In Career Gems By

Naomi Osaka Is Highest Paid Female Athlete In History Ranking $37.4million

22-year old tennis star Naomi Osaka is now the highest-paid female athlete in history, according to Forbes. She reportedly earned $37.4 million over the last 12 months from prize money and endorsements, setting a new all-time record for a female athlete that broke the previous record of $29.7 million Maria Sharapova earned in 2015.

Osaka surpassed 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams, who has been the highest-paid female athlete in the last four years with earnings from $18 million to $29 million. This year, Osaka raked in $1.4 million more than Williams.

In September 2018, Osaka beat Williams in a remarkable U.S. Open women’s final. It was one of her two grand slam wins to date, the other one was at the Australian Open in 2018.

Osaka, who was born in Japan and raised in the US, initially struggled with her shyness, making it hard for her to appear in interviews and interact with other people, players, and fans. But now, she is making the most out of her platform.

In fact, she has been receiving a number of deals with several sponsors. She currently has 15 endorsement partners and a lucrative apparel deal with Nike.

More than that, Osaka ranks 29th in the top 100 highest-paid athletes, joining Williams who ranks 33rd, making them two of the only female athletes in the list.

Source: Forbes

 

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In Inspiration By

Celebrating Maupe Ogun-Yusuf, The Inspiring TV Presenter & Producer

Currently, she is a Senior Presenter, Reporter and Producer at Channels TV, a nationally prolific independent television station and Nigeria’s 13-time TV station of the year.

She leverages on her experience, training and exceptional communication skills to deliver value in her capacity as a Supervising Producer and Anchor at Channels TV. She also produces and anchors the UNDP Dialogue Series and the programme- Hard Copy.

Among several other highlights of her career as a broadcast journalist, she led a team of young professionals in discussions with former United States President, Barack Obama and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

In 2014, she led the ‘Young and Restless’ session at the World Economic Forum on Africa where she moderated the plenary session. She is also the co-host of the most-watched prime-time news and current affairs breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily as well as an anchor for the station’s flagship ‘News at 10′.

Esther brings her dynamic personality to the fore in her ability to connect to a diverse audience and inspire trust. She has received several awards and recognition for her commitment to excellence and professionalism.

In 2016, she received the British Council UK Education Alumni Award for Professional Achievement and in 2019, she received the award of Excellence from Nigerian Institute of Public Relations for Outstanding Television Broadcaster in the FCT. She is also a recipient of the Sun Newspapers Women Leadership Award and was named to the Future Awards Best 100.

Beyond professional commitments, she is passionate about development and impact. She was an International Student Ambassador during her studies at East Anglia University where she assisted students from varying backgrounds to acclimatize to academic work in a new environment. She is intentional about advocacy and has twice volunteered as the anniversary anchor for the “Bring Back Our Girls’ movement. She strives to utilise her platform for the promotion of positive causes.

Esther Maupe Ogun-Yusuf is a senior professional within the Media and Communication Industry with well over a decade’s worth of in-depth experience within the industry. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language from the University of Lagos as well as a Master of Arts degree in International Relations and Development Studies from the University of East Anglia, UK.

Before her current position, she was a News Anchor at Minaj Systems Limited where she cut her teeth in the media world and took on stimulating projects in television content creation and delivery.

When not working, Esther enjoys world politics, travelling researching and running.

 

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Ada Osakwe Makes History As The First African To Address The Graduating Class At Kellogg School Of Management

On Friday, 19th June, Ada Osakwe, award-winning food entrepreneur & investor, and Founder of The Nuli Juice Company, delivered the convocation address to the Kellogg School of Management Class of 2020. She is the first African to be given this honour and fourth black woman; following in the footsteps of outstanding Black-Americans Edith Cooper, Global Head of Human Capital at Goldman Sachs in 2017, Roslyn Brock, Chairman Emeritus of the NAACP in 2012 and media titan Oprah Winfrey, in 2011.

With a critical phase of their lives upended by the ongoing global health pandemic, the class of 2020 completed the last few months of their MBA degree Program virtually, instead of on campus in the classroom, and they will receive their diplomas in the mail or on their phones. Recognizing the need to offer extra inspiration at this extraordinary moment in history, in her commencement speech, Osakwe praised them for their bravery, resilience and courage!

For Ada, it’s important to believe in yourself to make it through challenging times: “So in your quest to thrive, there will be curve-balls thrown your way and you’ll have to take risks, it’s a given. But you’ve just got to trust your journey,” she advised the graduating students. As a Black-African, in her speech, Osakwe said she will always speak out against racial injustice and urged the non-blacks to also find their voices on this issue as allies to ensure there is more equality, tolerance and acceptance for all.

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In Career Gems By

NBC Universal Cancels E! News, Staffs To Be Laid Off

After three decades of showcasing world-class entertainment since 1991, E! News has been cancelled by NBCUniversal.

Well, the station will continue to remain, just the news programming, E! News along with “Pop of the Morning” hosted by Lilliana Vazquez and Scott Tweedie, alongside Victor Cruz and “In the Room“, hosted by Jason Kennedy will be cancelled.

E! News has reportedly aired over 7,500 episodes since its inception in 1991 and has been hosted by personalities such as Ryan Seacrest, Giuliana Rancic, Terrence J, Catt Sadler and Maria Menounos.

Variety writes, “The cancellations will translate to layoffs within the New York-based production team, which is fewer than 10 people big. The extent of layoff is unclear, but a source familiar with the situation says that the company is trying to place some of those staffers in other positions within the network.”

Addressing the cancellation with an Instagram post on Wednesday, Lilliana Vazquez wrote:

See. I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. Revelations 3:8,” she wrote, adding, “Thankful for this incredible adventure and I will miss this team and crew beyond belief. Yes…even the 4am call time. Con mucho mucho amor.

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#WCW | Celebrating Ehime Eigbe Akindele , Founder Sweetkiwi Yoghurt

Ehime Eigbe Akindele is the founder of Sweetkiwi, a frozen yoghurt company, a go-to location for frozen yoghurt in Nigeria.

Ehime was visiting Nigeria from her station in Texas and needed to get frozen yoghurt. Unfortunately, there were no stores selling the product in the country.

That gave her a lightbulb moment: she decided to quit her job as a Bankruptcy Specialist at Citi Group, to start a frozen yoghurt company in Nigeria. That’s how Sweetkiwi was born.

She started off hosting a free tasting event and the reception was more than she expected. People were interested, and from then on, even before she began her plan to get a store and sell her products, she was receiving contracts to cater to events.

Her business began, and soon she opened her flagship store in Lekki, Lagos and then another, and then in 2018, launched its product offering in the US.

Her business started in 2011 and in 2014, the brand got its space to create the unique experience it intends to give customers.

Ehime is a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women scholar and holds a degree in Business Information Technology and International Studies from London Metropolitan University.

She also completed the Entrepreneur Management programme at the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan African University, Lagos and has certifications in restaurant management and dessert manufacturing.

Ehime is building two more brands – Beet Root and Činggis Mongolian Grill – to join SweetKiwi as part of her Your Way Foods.

Your Way Foods is “an International group of healthy food brands made with the best natural ingredients. We operate leading brands in the rapidly growing healthy-foods space, offering consumers great experiences with unique, innovative and fresh product offerings,” it says on its website.

Ehime is looking to kickstart her franchise program to grow the brand into other parts of Nigeria and the rest of Africa and we’re rooting for her!

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Tony Joy is Empowering Rural Women With Durian Nigeria

Tony Joy  is the founder of Durian Nigeria, a non-profit helping rural communities, especially women and children, turn waste to wealth and elevate their economic status.

Durian Nigeria trains women and children in a rural community – Imafon – in Akure, the Ondo state capital, to make jewellery, furniture cups, and cutlery from bamboo, as well as school bags, and packaging from waste clothes and water sachets.

Joy named her organisation after the Durian fruit, regarded as the “king of fruits” in some regions. The Durian has a very strong (odour) but tastes really good. Joy’s mission is to empower rural communities to see the beauty in what they call waste and transform it into a means of livelihood.

Durian is an offspring of Making a Difference Foundation which is a registered NGO in Nigeria that’s committed to using waste in creating solutions to social issues.

Joy started her journey in social development in 2015, by organising clean-up exercises in 8 states in Nigeria. She later decided that more could be done with wastes, and this drive led her to Imaafon community where she decided to spend time with the people and empower them.

Between 2018 and 2019, Joy has reached 337 people directly in the local community through trainings and grassroots outreaches with an operating budget of $30,000.

Over half of the participants of its training are currently earning 50% additional income every month, which translates to better livelihood for the women. More kids are now back in school because their parents now earn more to afford it and this has saved most girls from early childhood marriage, sexual abuse and drug abuse.

Durian has trained over 1,550 in vocational skills and through partnerships, has donated 100 back-to-school kits for the community. Because of the success of her work, Joy has been invited to replicate the process in 3 other communities across Nigeria’s south western states of Osun, Ekiti, and Oyo.

Joy, a rural development advocate was a nominee for the Prize for Community Action in the 2019 The Future Awards Africa (TFAA).

She is a Queen Young Leader (2015), an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society and a LEAP Africa SIP Fellow (2015/2016).

We celebrate Joy for indeed making a difference in the lives of rural community dwellers, and we’re rooting for her!

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