Women of Rubies, Author at Women of Rubies

In self development March 21, 2022 By Women of Rubies

Grace Agada:Don’t Confuse Being Busy with Being Productive

One of the questions I get asked all the time is “how do you achieve so many things at the same time? What do you do to become more productive?”

I used to be a busy and overwhelmed workaholic. I worked hard on my job but I also gave people a lot of my time. The more time I gave away, the more my productivity dropped. It was not until I read the book No B.S Time Management For Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy that I changed all of that. I realized I was losing valuable time and I created structure and discipline around my time.

The better I became at managing time, the more valuable and wealthy I became. If you are not yet a multi-millionaire, chances are high that there is still a lot you can do with your time.

The Reality of a Busy Life

Perhaps you confuse being busy with being productive. They are totally different, and if you want more financial success in your life, you must move from busyness to productivity. Productivity is simply the ability to get the right things done in good time. It is the ability to focus on the 20% activities that produce the 80% result. Productivity helps a person turn time into money and live a balanced life. Spending the day in a ‘time treadmill’ where only a few unimportant things get done and pending tasks abound is a terrible way to live. Few things are sadder than a person who knows what to do but cannot muster the energy to do it. People who live like this are the least likely to succeed.

How Time Affects Productivity

You can become more productive when you pay attention to how you are using time. Time is the most valuable resource in the world. It is also scarce and irreplaceable. Time lost is life lost and all of Dangote’s money cannot buy one minute of yesterday’s time. Yet, time, on its own, carries little value. What gives it value is the productive work attached to it. Time invested in meaningful work is what leads to peak productivity. In short, becoming more productive is about mastering the act of giving meaning to time. Productive people know what they want and how to get it. Their energy, feelings, thoughts, and actions are congruent with one another, and their inner congruence leads to inner strength, meaning, and happiness.

How then can you become more productive?

Have an overarching purpose

Human beings take action for a reason and no one becomes more productive in the absence of a purpose. Having a purpose motivates you. It gives a person the ability to take action and push through obstacles, and this is the key to success. One of the ways to arrive at a strong purpose is to answer the following questions: Why do you want to be successful? What is the meaning of your life? How significant are the things you do every day? What makes life worthwhile and valuable for you?

Having clear answers to these questions is the secret to peak productivity and financial success. If you live life without a purpose, you cannot achieve productivity.

Set clear success goals

Setting clear goals is the key to bringing purpose to life. Purpose, on its own, does not lead to success. It is the ability to express purpose by achieving your goals that creates wealth. Achieving peak productivity is about setting clear goals and taking timely and purposeful action to reach those goals. What are the ultimate goals that would make a difference in your life? Are you investing time to achieve them or are you wasting time on trivial things?

Achieve the goals in the right order of importance per time

All goals cannot be achieved at the same time. While they may all be important, not all of them are important to the same degree per time. Since we have several goals and limited time and resources, we must rank our goals in order of importance. What goals matter for your success? Which goal is important per time? How do you achieve these goals and what do you do to your minor goals? These, and many more, are important questions to answer. Answering these questions is the key to achieving peak productivity.

To experience a truly productive life, you must give purpose and meaning to time. You must also set productive goals and achieve them in the right order.

To learn more about how you can achieve peak productivity and become more financially successful, send an email to info@createsolidwealth.com to get the Peak Productivity Formula, a free training program that will transform your financial life.

In lifestyle March 26, 2022 By Women of Rubies

5 Reasons Why Keeping a Mood Journal Is Best for Your Mental Health

You know there are days when you’re so happy and feel you can take over the world while there are other says you feel like everything is crashing around you.

It is human to shift moods every now and then and it is okay to allow yourself feel every emotion rather than hide or suppress them.

It is okay not to be okay.

It’s important to know that every mood you feel influences the way you act.

You may not be able to dictate how you feel at every given moment. However, you can take an extra step to know what each emotion means to you and how you can assess yourself while in that state of mood.

Why It’s Important to Track Your Mood

Have you ever noticed how you make bad decisions when you’re angry? Or how you can’t think straight when you feel downright sad?

It’s not surprising that the way we think, or the decisions we make sometimes heavily rely on our mood. This is why we need to keep track of it.

One of the best ways to do this is to write down your mood in a journal. Writing things down will help you understand and manage yourself better. You’ll be able to recognize what triggers your moods and find out how you can take actions that best serve your highest self.

A mood journal is a great way to identify personal factors that affect your mood daily.

Not only does writing in your journal build self-awareness, but it also helps you figure out how you can avoid triggers from happening altogether.

5 Reasons Why Keeping a Mood Journal Is Good for Your Mental Health

Tracking your mood is a helpful way to improve your mental health. If you don’t control your emotions, your emotions will end up controlling you and if you asked me, that is a recipe for disaster.

Here are the top 5 reasons why you should start mood journaling.

1. It Helps You Determine a Course of Action

When you’re aware of how you’re feeling, you can better understand what you need.

Think about the last time you found yourself spiraling emotionally. Did you feel like you could make a decision at that moment? Probably not.

When you are overwhelmed, you feel paralyzed to take action.

A mood journal will help you take notice of your day-to-day emotions so you can figure out the best ways that you can respond to them.

2. It Helps You Express Your Emotions

If you are someone who is prone to overthinking and worrying about everything, it’s imperative that you express your emotions through writing.

A mood journal is a safe container where you are given the space to feel without judgment. It’s a process that is both therapeutic and empowering. You don’t have to worry about how someone may receive your words because you’re having a dialogue with yourself.

Trust me when I say that you don’t have to carry around the weight of your feelings for one day longer. You deserve a break, so give yourself the gift of self-expression through journaling.

3. It Will Support Your Healing Process

Mood journaling allows you to sort through the difficult events that have occurred in your life so that you can start making sense of them.

More importantly, this therapeutic process allows you to come to a deeper understanding of yourself, which is a core piece of the healing process.

Healing is your birthright. If you have been struggling to make sense of the trauma you’ve endured, I encourage you to start writing your way towards better mental and emotional health.

4. It Helps Reveal What Your Triggers Are

We all have emotional triggers. It’s a part of being human. Someone will say something that triggers an emotional reaction that throws you off your game.

Emotional triggers are people, words, opinions, situations, or environmental situations that provoke an intense and excessive emotional reaction within us.

When you don’t do the work to figure out the root of these triggers, your emotions will get the best of you.

Use a mood journal to write down moments when you feel triggered. Take note of how you felt and what your reaction was. As you write, you will start to bring awareness to your triggers and start noticing patterns between how you feel and behave.

5. It Helps You Find the Silver Lining

When negative emotions get the better of you, you can’t help but flounder in negativity. In this state, it can become near impossible to be positive. This is where the mood journal comes to play.

The more that you write, the more that you feel in control of your emotional state and the less stressed you feel. Negativity feeds off of stress.

Journaling presents an opportunity for emotional catharsis, which thereby helps your brain regulate emotions. In turn, when you encounter adversities in life, you will be more inclined to find the silver lining.

When you start to witness the changes that occur as a result of the inner work you’re doing, you will feel more empowered knowing the impact you have had on your own mood. These are the silver lining moments that you want to pull upon when you’re having down days.

How to Write a Mood Journal

Personalizing your prompts according to your preference will help you form a deeper connection with your inner self.

Make a table of three columns. The first column should be for the emotions you feel.
While the second should be for the possible reasons you think affect your mood.
The last column should be for the actions and steps you took as a result of how you felt.

Or you can get a customized mood journal templates online.

When you become aware of a shift in your mood, write down what the change is in your journal. At the same time, observe how you feel in your body when you’re writing.

Also, make note of what you were doing when this mood shift occurred and who you were with. Equally as important is to reflect upon what was going on with your internal world. Name the emotion or thought that was going through your head.

Conclusion

Tracking your mood through a journal will help you organize your thoughts better and give you more understanding as to why and how you feel certain emotions

In Editor's Choice March 12, 2022 By Women of Rubies

#Interview| I Started Safe Pregnancy Africa To Curb Maternal And Child Mortality Rate- Emmanuella Inah

Nurses are unique, they have the insatiable need to care for others, and that is their strength. Caring is the essence of nursing and midwives . These words describe Emannuella Inah , a registered Nurse and Midwife who is touching lives, and changing narratives through her work.

She is passionate about seeing that women of African descent go through pregnancy effortlessly and are armed with information relevant for maternal and child health. Through her initiative; Safe Pregnancy Africa, a community of black women which she founded. Emmanuella dedicates her time to teaching and mentoring women through the trimesters of pregnancy, contributing to curbing maternal and child mortality rates in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

She is also the founder of the Preggy pidgin podcast, a platform that gained global recognition after emerging as one of the 35 best pregnancy podcasts in the world in 2021. She uses the platform to reach the inner cities of Africa, educating people on successfully transitioning from pregnancy to delivery without complications using the Nigerian pidgin, a language as old as Nigeria and spoken in several countries of the Africa continent.

In 2020, Emmanuella was listed as one of the 100 outstanding women Nurse and Midwife leaders in the world. A list which was compiled by the World Health Organization, International Council of Midwives, Nursing Now, Women in global health and UNPFA.

She has three books to her name, one of which is titled “The PREGGY workbook “ . It is a simplified guide to going through pregnancy and labour with concrete information and a space for the pregnant woman to journal her experiences using prompts and questions from the book. The book is written with captivating content laced in stories that catches the human’s heart and attention.

Emmanuella is a force to reckon with and a visionary. She shares her inspiring journey with Esther Ijewere in this interview.

Growing up

The thought of being a Nurse or midwife never crossed my mind until a school Nurse said I acted like a real Nurse. This was in primary school, many years before I became an adult but her words never left my mind. I would later ask my mother if I truly behaved like a Nurse. It was all exciting, I took her words as a compliment, dear compliments. What nobody realised was that She planted a desire in my heart. I read books because my mother said Nurses read big books and solved hard mathematical equations because papa says it’s what Nurses do. My uniforms were neat and ironed because I didn’t want Nurse Joy to take back her kind words. The foundation for the Nurse I am today was laid years before I realised I would someday be a Nurse.

I grew into loving the profession, I had access to beautiful videos and pictures of Nurses , my mother made them available, she told me lovely stories too. Those stories infiltrated my subconsciousness and made me long for the day I would wear the Nurse’ white gown and the Nightingale’s cap. So, it wasn’t difficult to choose Nursing when I got two admission letters to either study Nursing and Chemical Science.

Inspiration behind my initiatives; Safe Pregnancy Africa and Preggy pidgin podcast

In 2018, I and three other midwives were posted to a community in Nigeria to serve for a month. In those few weeks, my eyes were opened to the large knowledge gap amongst pregnant women. The things I considered simple and expected everybody would know were things many of the women didn’t know. In that community I saw that women got pregnant by chance, there was never preparation for the health of the woman, the finances of the family, education on recognising danger signs in pregnancy and generally poor knowledge on how to successfully transition from pregnancy to puerperium.

My colleagues and I did a good job in educating the villagers, we took health education to the village squares and markets, and held meetings with the Chiefs on how to get funding for the Primary Health care centre.

When I got back home, there was unrest in my spirit. I knew there were other women in several other places with zero knowledge about their health, body and pregnancy. So, I went online and created Safe Pregnancy Africa, a community for women of African descent where I would educate on everything that bothers maternal and child health. A platform where I could answer questions and give guidance to as many women as I could reach.

In 2019, I realised my message was better understood when I taught in Pidgin English. I got many women asking questions for more clarification and many others speaking out. It bridged the language barrier I never knew existed. I was able to break down compound topics like Preeclampsia/eclampsia into understandable bits teaching in pidgin. This gave birth to the Preggy Pidgin Podcast. The listenership has grown from Nigeria to 38 other African countries with positive feedback every week.

Preggy pidgin podcast nominated as one of the 5 best pregnancy podcasts in the world

Consistency made that happen. It is one thing to take a step, it is another thing to remain consistent. I understood that for my message to penetrate the busy online space and get to my core audience, I have to remain consistent.

The journey so far

So far, so good. It may sound cliche but that is how it’s been.The feedback has been great, the love and positivity are some of the motivation that fuels my conviction and consistency.

Why I pitched my tent in the nursing and midwifery sector

Becoming a Nurse was easy because I believe life prepared me for the profession, but specializing in midwifery came as a result of an event that happened in 2012. It happened on a Sunday when many people had gone to church. A young lady from the village had come to stay with her husband in the neighbourhood. It was just her third week in town but she was almost due to deliver. That morning, her scream stormed the yard. The lady was in labour and not just that, the baby’s head was already in the vulva. I still don’t know if she attempted to deliver the child herself but the child’s head was trapped between her thighs and it was already turning blue. I was the first to rush into her room before other women joined in. That sight has never left my head. At that moment I wished I could do something, something to help the woman and her baby whose eyeballs were already swollen. She lost the child. Later on, I would come to learn about precipitate labour but I still wonder what happened to the dear lady. That was the first time I wished I were a midwife. Also, the growing rate of maternal mortality inspired my decision to become a midwife. I wanted to contribute my quota to the noble course of ensuring that women especially of the African descent go through pregnancy ready, healthy, and knowledgeable.

Challenges of my work

Trust! I am a petite midwife and often, women in labour would like midwives who look physically competent. Funny right? But I have had a few challenges proving myself.

Other projects and activities

I am working on funding and distributing birth packs to 3 communities in Nigeria under Safe Pregnancy Africa. Also, I am looking to partnering with international organisations to carry out health centre renovations and sponsor training for health workers.

What I enjoy most about my job

It is the satisfaction. Nothing compares to the peace of welcoming a child into the world. Midwifery is a ministry. My hands have touched and handled purity. From the first time a newborn takes their first breath and lets out that loud cry, I am there. I think it’s right to say, I stand by the gate of life. Hahaha.

3 women who inspire me and why

One of the women that inspire me is my mother. She is very resilient and confident. Once she sets her mind to do a thing, wink an eyelid and you see the results displayed. She is focused, determined and loving.

Remi Owadokun is another woman that inspires me, she is smart. Remi utilizes resources within her environment and her reach to achieve goals one would think are farfetched. She is smart.

Ugochi Obidiegwu is a focused woman. She inspires me. I have seen her take up projects that seemed complex and accomplish them in a moment of time.

These women play huge roles in my life and I am blessed to have them.

Women’s awareness on maternal and child mortality rates

Not many women realize that the mortality rates are high. If we share these details with more women, they will be more interested in knowing details about their health before even falling pregnant. That is why The Preggy Pidgin podcast pushes this information through pidgin English, trying hard to ensure that more women understand the process of transitioning from no pregnancy to pregnancy and everything in between.

What can we do better as a society to educate women on mortality rate and safe pregnancy

It starts from the grass roots. If we could dedicate more time to teaching during Antenatal clinics in health centres. Answering questions without the terminologies and creating a warm setting for women to be free to express themselves. Also, training or educating the Traditional Birth Attendants ( TBA). Most women in our communities trust the TBA, if we could arm more TBAs with correct information, then they would know what to say to the women who trust them and such information would correspond to global standards.

One thing I wish to change in the midwifery sector, especially in Nigeria

Remuneration of staff!

Being a Woman of Rubies

I am teachable, smart and loving.

In Interviews&profile March 10, 2022 By Women of Rubies

How Veronica Lucy Gordon Broke Into South Sudan’s Male Dominated Industry To Establish Her Radio Station

Veronica has been speaking out since she was a child. As a secondary student, she noticed a gap between what women were doing in their communities and what was reported in the media. To address this, she did research in her community, wrote up her findings in a school newspaper—and pinned her work to the walls for the other students to read.

Veronica went on to become a pioneering journalist, radio broadcaster and producer.

As a producer, Veronica created educational programs on family planning, reproductive health, childcare and other topics of importance to women. More recently, she founded theAssociation of Media Women in South Sudan and established her own radio station.

Her work is critically important in this newly independent country. South Sudan sank into civil war last December, less than three years after gaining independence.

In South Sudan, men own most private media companies and the majority of reporters are men. Most female journalists work for state-owned media companies where men also have more decision-making power, and where political bodies censor the content. As a result, there is very little space for women’s voices in South Sudanese media.

Veronica’s organization aims to add more balance to the news by increasing the visibility of women’s issues and offering support and training to female journalists. Veronica’s radio station also gives women in rural areas the opportunity to learn about government policies and services, and to express their views on local and national issues.

“It is very important to have women in media and women as civil society,” says Veronica. “I had to take the initiative of establishing an association for media women in South Sudan so that we fill the gap of having balanced information and to advocate for the rights of women through and in media.”

WATCH Veronica Lucy Gordon speak about the importance of women in media

Credit: Noble Women’s Initiative

In Inspiration March 10, 2022 By Women of Rubies

Meet Queen D.Tardoo,The First Woman From Benue State To Study Aeronautical Engineering

Queen D. Tardoo who hails from Benue state, is said to be the first lady to study Aeronautical Engineering from the state.

In an interview with Wisdom Nwedene, Igbere TV & 9news Nigeria editor, Tardoo shares how she became first lady from Benue State to study Aeronautical Engineering.

She narrated the challenges she experienced studying the course in Philippines. She also revealed that she studied Computer science at Benue State University before she traveled to Philippines to obtain her second degree.

Read excerpts below,

How do you feel being the first girl to study Bs Aeronautical Engineering from Benue State?

“I am overwhelmed with joy. It hasn’t being am easy journey. I also feel blessed, honoured and accomplished. I was always told aviation especially aeronautical engineering wasn’t for women. But I have had to opportunity to prove that wrong. It is also a responsibility to motivate other women, especially from benue state and make them understand that they can do even greater things regardless of their gender.”

Which part of Benue State are you from?

“I am tiv, from Ushongo Local Government Area”

Can you tell us about the University which you studied this course?

“I studied in two different schools. I started my course in the year 2014 at PATTS college of aeronautics, paranaque, Metro Manila Philippines. Studied there from 2014 – 2017. Then I transferred to Holy Angel University, Angeles City, Philippines. Studied there from 2017 – 2019.”

Wow! That’s nice. Did you study in any university in Nigeria before travelling to Philippines?

“Yes. I studied in Nigeria. B.S Aeronautical Engineering is actually my 2nd Bachelor’s Degree. I took up B.Sc Computer science at Benue State University, Makurdi.”

That’s very great. You look pretty young. Can you tell us about your age? And having studied both in Nigeria and Philippines, is there any difference in the system of education?

“I am 28years old.”

“Yes. There is a difference. The Philippines has adopted the American system of education which is quite different from the system in Nigeria. Both systems of education have their pros and cons.”

What made you to achieve this feat?

“Determination, perseverance, hard work, support from my family and friends (most especially from my mum) and most importantly God’s mercy and blessings.”

Does your mom live in Philippines or she is in Nigeria?

“She lives in Benue state, Nigeria.”

Can you tell us about a project that you worked on in school. Did you run into any difficulties? If so, how did you handle it?

“I worked on a few projects while in school both academic and extra curricular ones. Hence, I am the reigning Miss Holy Angel University, Philippines. I am always involved in one project or the other. But, the one project I am most proud of is my final research work. I worked on a birdstrike prevention project for my final research in 5th year. A project feasibility study which had to do with the use of laser lights to prevent bird-aircraft crash.(birdstrikes). And this particular project won me a medal as the best thesis of the year 2019 in the Aeronautical engineering department of Holy Angel University, Philippines.”

What challenges did you encounter in the process of achieving this feat?

“There were alot of challenges, being a black person in an Asian country isn’t always great. You experience a lot of racism and it affects you as a student. Also, being female in a field that is considered to be for the male gender is also not easy. You have to prove yourself all the time, you are always stereotyped to be not competent enough. Aeronautical engineering itself is very challenging. You have to study extra hard and make a lot of sacrifices, but it will always be worth it in the end.”

What motivates and inspires you?

“My mother has always been my inspiration. She is the strongest person I know and everytime I think of the sacrifices she makes for me. I want to be a better person not just for me but for her. I have also cultivated the habit of turning my challenges into motivations. Whatever challenge I face at a particular time, I try to extract some positivity from that situation, make sure I learn from it and build myself into a better human being.”

What are your hobbies?

“My hobbies. I am an athlete as well so I like athletic events, I like to play volleyball, go bowling, watch sports channels, especially football. I also like to read, dance, listen to music and taking a walk on the beach with my bare feet.”

Who are your mentors?

“My number one mentor will still be my mother. She contributed alot in molding me into the person that I am today. I find myself looking up to her and learning a lot from her. I have always wished to develop myself into the kind of woman that she is and by God’s grace even better.”

Do you have plan of coming back to Nigeria since you have finished your study over there?

“Nigeria will always be my home and I can return at anytime. But the goal right now is to further my studies, obtain alot of licences and also work at the same time. Hence, there isn’t any university in Nigeria that offers a master is aeronautical or aerospace engineering. I will not be returning home immediately. But, I will visit from time to time.”

Source: yabaleftonline

In Inspiration March 10, 2022 By Women of Rubies

Meet Olutoyin Olakunri, The First Nigerian Woman To Become A Chartered Accountant

Chief Mrs. Olutoyin Olakunri is the first female Chartered Accountant in Sub-Saharan Africa.

A woman of many firsts, Olutoyin was born on November 4, 1937. She attended primary school in Nigeria and completed her secondary and tertiary education in the United Kingdom.

In February 1963, she qualified as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales.

She became a foundation member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria in 1965. In 1978, she served as the Chairman of the Society of Women Accountants in Nigeria.

She was also the first female President of the Institute of Directors in Nigeria, former member of the National Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Policy Commission, Vision 20:2020 Committee, and Council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Olutoyin was a member of the Constituent Assembly that generated the 1979 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

A former president of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. She was on the Finance Committee of Nigerian Institute of International Affairs and the Board of Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited for 8 years.

She also served as the Chairman of the Education Trust Fund, now Tertiary Education Trust Fund for two terms.

Chief Mrs. Olutoyin Olakunri received many local and international awards for her contributions to the profession and societal development. One of which is the Officer of the Federal Republic [OFR] of Nigeria.

Credit: womenafrica.com

In Career Gems March 10, 2022 By Women of Rubies

UK Nigeria Tech Hub And Future Females Empowerment Initiatives Empower 80+ Nigerian Female Entrepreneurs Through Pilot Women Trade Scaleup programme

In November 2021, Export Expansion Facility Programme (EEFP), UK Nigeria Tech Hub and Future Females Empowerment Initiatives launched a new and exciting partnership to support local female entrepreneurs who are ready to trade beyond Nigeria’s borders. Three months later, the pilot Women Trade Scaleup programme has concluded and has supported local female entrepreneurs with the skills and strategies to build globally thriving businesses.

Nigeria currently has the largest market in Africa with a population of over 200 million, and with the world becoming more interconnected, having a business that meets customers across the globe is becoming increasingly essential.

Through the three-month Women Trade Scaleup programme, 80+ Nigerian trade-ready female entrepreneurs accessed training through three intensive bootcamps, and were supported with expert coaching, expert mentorship, accountability forums and community engagement sessions, to unlock their entrepreneurial spirit, and see tangible growth in their businesses.

The three intensive bootcamps provided participants with a wide range of knowledge from trade experts. November kicked off with the first bootcamp where participants were taken through the fundamentals of trade, trade policies and tariffs, trade strategies, market research for trade and market entry strategies. The second two-day bootcamp in December supported members to prepare their businesses for trade. Some key areas included digital marketing & sales, business model & operations for trade, and cross-border payments.

The last bootcamp in January focused on different strategies to finance a trade business. Financial strategies and revenue models for trade businesses are among the topics that were explored.

The programme brought exceptional feedback from the members with 100% reporting that their trade knowledge and technical skills have improved, 70% increased their revenue, and 73% saw an increase in customer numbers since joining the programme.

One of the graduates, Elizabeth Nwankwo, founder of Oklan Best, increased her revenue by 20%, almost doubled her customer base and has now listed her products on Amazon which are being sold in Canada!

Throughout the programme, Judith Idialu, founder of Bigfarm foods reported a revenue increase of 40% and 40 new customers. She is now exporting to new markets including the UK, Kenya, Ghana.

Elizabeth and Judith are not the exceptions. As the programme concludes, graduates only have brilliant wins to share; from winning grants worth millions of Naira, being featured on national media, to being nominated for prestigious awards; these women are ready to embrace a new global market.

The programme had remarkable coaches and mentors who are experts in their respective fields. Programme expert mentor, Adetokunbo Adewoyin, is the principal consultant of Fortress20 Commodities, a foremost agricultural exports management and consulting firm in Nigeria. She is the programme’s Sourcing and Logistics Expert Mentor with over 13 years of experience in agricultural commodities and containerised exports.

Coach Titi Ojo is the founder/CEO Agrochains Consult Services Ltd, a company that provides strategic services in the agriculture value chain and non-oil export sector. She consults in the international development space with a focus on building a thriving non-oil exports sector through enabling trade policies, capacity building for exporters and market access development.

Commenting on the Women Trade Scaleup pilot programme and bootcamp, Maureen Ideozu, Programme Coordinator of EEFP said, “We are very pleased with the take-off of the Women Trade Scaleup programme. It is one of the important inclusion interventions at EEFP to enhance the capability of Nigerian women to participate in the non-oil export sector. By design, EEFP is a short-term intervention to stimulate and invigorate the non-oil export ecosystem. To achieve wide scale high impact results within a tight timeframe, we adopted a collaborative approach, working with credible and reliable partners. The benefit of this approach is aptly demonstrated by the progress made so far by the Women Trade Scaleup Programme. We thank our partners UK-Nigeria Tech Hub and Future Females Empowerment Initiatives for their commitment and professionalism, as we look forward to increased participation and survival of women owned businesses in international trade; attributable to the quality of expert training, mentorship and access through the programme.”

“Trading across borders is a key ingredient for economic growth and prosperity,” comments Adaeze Sokan, Director of UK Nigeria Tech Hub, “Entrepreneurs leveraging innovation are the ones that will catalyse poverty reduction and inclusive growth but they must think scale from idea conceptualisation and adopt the concept of glocalisation in their business planning – i.e. grow business locally but aim to expand to global markets. This is why we endorse this project and applaud the EEPF/NEPC in their efforts to encourage women entrepreneurs to be ambitious enough to go global.”

“We are delighted to partner with EEFP and The UK-Nigeria Tech Hub to support women in Nigeria to trade internationally! Many women go through our Future Females Business School with physical products, implementing technical tools and capabilities to grow their business, but the support to help them on export principles, requirements, knowledge and access to expert mentors and coaches have been missing. Women are creating beautiful products, building amazing businesses, and being able to help them scale in market size and geography excites us so much! We are learning more about the export requirements and how to support women in this space even more.” says Cerina Bezuidenhout, Future Females COO and Cofounder.

With the calibre of coaches and mentors in the programme, the success of the pilot Women Trade Scaleup Programme comes as no surprise. It looks like 2022 will see more women accessing and thriving in Nigeria’s export market.

In Career Gems March 21, 2022 By Women of Rubies

Meet Zulfat Suara, The Nigerian Woman Who Is The First Muslim Lawmaker In Nashville, USA

Nigerian-born Suara made history on September 12 , 2019 after becoming the first Muslim in history to be elected to Nashville’s Metro Council.

She was elected to fill one of the five At-Large council seats.

Here are a few things to know about her.

Zuarat Suara attended The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Nigeria from 1985 – 1990 where she obtained an HND in Accountancy.

2. She came to the U.S. in 1993 but settled in Tennessee as her new home in 1998 when the opportunity for her husband to do a fellowship at Vanderbilt presented itself.

3. She founded an accounting firm that has worked with county governments in Hardeman, Haywood, Lake, and McNairy counties.

4. She is currently the Assistant Controller of a local university in Nashville.

5. She started the Hardeman County Chapter of Junior Achievement in 2004 and continues to advocate for children and young people as a board member of the PENCIL Foundation.

6. Suara has served in a number of leadership positions, including the chair of the American Muslim Advisory Council.

7. She has supported women, serving two terms as State President of the Business and Professional Women, a century-old organization promoting equity for all women in the workplace, from 2009-2011.

8. She is active politically as treasurer of the National Women’s Political Caucus and chair of Day on the Hill, a joint legislative day for several women’s organizations on issues affecting Tennessee women and children.

9. She has also been a speaker at the Nashville Women’s March each year since 2017.

10. She has been recognized with the FBI Directors’ Community Leadership Award and featured in the Jackson Sun’s Twenty Most Influential Women in West Tennessee.

11. She was named the 2018 Muslim Policy Advocate of the Year by Islamic Society of North America, and The Tennessee Economic Council on Women inducted her into its Tennessee Women Hall of Fame in 2015.

12. She recently received an award for Outstanding Service to Human Rights from the TN Human Rights Commission and currently serves as a board member of the Nashville Metro Action Commission.

13. Suara has been married for 27 years to Dr. Rahaman Suara and they are blessed with five amazing children.

Credit: fabwoman.ng

In Inspiration March 4, 2022 By Women of Rubies

”I Learnt The Importance Of Giving And Caring From My Parents“-Lydia Okojie, Miss Ecowas Nigeria 2021

Lydia Eseoghene Okojie is an Entrepreneur who holds a BSC. Ed in Accounting education. Being raised as a Christian and a lover of God, She is a worker in the church serving God in the Choir department as a Praise leader and the media unit.

As a Youth in the Church, She supports the ministry of Jesus Christ in her best way. Having gathered experience in Events planning , red carpet hosting and Experiential marketing as a HAWKER, she now coordinate Event Staffs She founded her own company.
Lydia Okojie Tv, this is a company that trains and provides professional individuals on skills regarding to hosting, Red carpet and becoming masters of ceremonies. Lydia okojie cakes and event and she holds certificate of training in Catering services.

As a beauty queen, Current MISS ECOWAS NIGERIA 2021. she began her modelling career in 2016 after winning Miss Photogenic, then Edo state Next Top Model, then Miss Motivational in 2018, she made her way into Entertainment industry, where she’s now into content creation( skit making).

She believes in giving and impacting lives and this has made her to be known as a humanitarian, this gives her so much joy.

She shares her Ruby Girl story with the team.

1. Tell us about your childhood, Lydia. What was growing up like for you?

The part I enjoyed more in my childhood is falling in love with God at a young age. I spent most of my time being in God’s presence, attending choir rehearsal and my parents were very supportive. I think it is what they wanted because they would prefer that I go to church rather than visiting anyone both in good and worse times.

One thing I learnt from my parents while growing up was the attitude of “giving and caring for others.” I can recall how my mum would cook and give to our neighbors each time there’s harvest in the church and plenty rice was shared my mum would share it among the neighbours.

This happened during my childhood and I adapted, I could recall sharing my foodstuff with friends in school that didn’t have and sometimes giving out cash in my little way.

2. ‎Have you always had a flair for catering and modelling from a young age?

I love good food, I love to cook and being the eldest child I’ve learnt the skill of making nice meals for my younger ones. I learnt baking and catering after graduating from school.

There are no specific requirements though, the question is, is modeling your passion? If yes that means you have these qualities: intelligent, smart,bold, beautiful, self confident and lastly you need to trust God for the process and put him first.

3. What motivated the launch of Lydia Okojie Tv?

Well, I got passion to always be in front of camera, interviewing notable people and guest, I love hosting shows.
The feelings were true that I couldn’t resist it. As a reigning beauty queen, I knew I can do a lot using LYDIA OKOJIE TV platform.

4. ‎How was your decision to pursue modelling and aspiration as a Beauty Queen received by your close contacts?

It was quite interesting but only few persons associated themselves with me because of my family financial status most of my classmate saw me hawking in the market and sometimes won’t want to talk to me. I began hawking while I was in primary school.

(Smiles) Yes, my family is my biggest fan, and few friends, my dad & mum have always supported me as long as I don’t make them regret it, at the earliest had no contacts, I had no sponsor but I had God.

5. ‎What are the challenges young entrepreneurs in the fashion, modeling & entertainment world face and is there any specific one you encountered?

There are so many challenges that if you aren’t strong enough and determined in your career you could give up easily so, I’ll advise that whatever the challenge may encounter stay strong, focused, seek and accept positive counsel, believe in yourself and pray.

Some of the challenges I’m facing as an entrepreneur are:
Mental stress: Being a young entrepreneur and managing a growing business is hardwork. It is not really easy coping financially and employing people to relieve you stress of managing social media, attending to people calling for enquiries, graphic designing, etc so do all these myself…Yes, I do everything myself for now and it’s really stressful you know.

Office space: This is a major challenge that I really need to sort as soon as possible because it’s affecting my business growth. Most people appreciate you more and feel safer to do business with you when they are able to meet you at a physical place that is comfortable and not just online meeting.

6. An accessory you can’t leave home without?

(Smiles) My wrist watch.

7. ‎What are the services Lydia Okojie Tv provides?

Rendering of hosting events, providing of well trained professional models for brands, video shoot and adverts.
Providing of well trained Event Staff i.e Ushers, Bouncers, cartoon characters, interview session with kids on the street sharing their experiences interview session with mentors and coaches.

Handling of experiential marketing for brands for creating awareness and increase in sales making.

8. ‎An unpopular random fact about you.

I love having a pretty hair do and makeup on but I seldomly have them because I would prefer to look my simple way.

9. ‎ If you were to contest for Nigeria’s presidency, what is the major change you will present in your manifesto?

Ensure that those who hawk for their parents
are given scholarships from primary to university.

Those street kids who can’t read nor write will be taught a skill and empowered.

Women will take lead role in government position and make decisions. I could make women become governors in each state of Nigeria.

10. Mention 3 women who inspire you and why?

Mrs Florence Okojie, that’s my mom.
She is a virtuous woman, if you meet my mom you can’t help but call her mother because she will treat you like her own child. She is a mother that every child would want to have, shes so strong, shes independent, she’s beautiful in every aspect. I love you mum.

Second woman that inspires me is Mrs Oprah Winfrey, her story tells alot about me and my background. She is kind. She makes ugly memories beautiful, you will appreciate Oprah Winfrey in your life, I admire her so much she’s my mentor, she manages her roles excellently, I hope to meet her soon.

The third woman that inspires me is a famous Mitchelle Obama. I love her for her simplicity and support she gave her husband right from the time they met.

11. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

(Laughs) In the next five years, I see myself fulfilled.

12. If you were given the opportunity to address a group of young girls just setting out in their modelling career, what will be your advice to them?

My advise to them is they should not be desperate, be patient with yourself, always tell yourself you’re beautiful and you will succeed, learn a skill if you’re not schooled even if you’re, they should ask to learn more (seek counsel) don’t cut corners take one step at a time, seek God first in everything, be a good woman for yourself, your society and your generation unborn.

In self development February 23, 2022 By Women of Rubies

Ayo Adeyemi: 9 Guys You Should Never Marry

Nobody’s perfect. But some men you should just avoid entirely..

As you look for Mr. Right, you try to look past some of bad traits so you can see all the good ones. This is good. It shows that you’re not shallow. But, despite how shallow it might seem, there are some guys you should just leave in the dating pool. Here are 10:

The commitment-phobe

Finally locked down the guy every girl’s been chasing? Well, I got news for you. Just because he finally decided to knuckle down and commit, doesn’t mean he’s committed. If he used to be a commitment-phobe, he may still be and you’ll always wonder how invested in the relationship he really is.

The mama’s boy

You’ve heard that how a man treats his mother is how he’ll treat you. So you look for a guy who is close to his mom and spends a lot of time with her. But be careful, if he’s too close you’ll find yourself married to his mother, too. So you better get used to hearing, “My mom doesn’t do it that way.” And you better get used to his mother being your marriage counselor, too.

The manly man

This guy talks about sports, beer and hunting all the time. Sure, he’s rugged but you better be prepared to change all the diapers and do all the housework. And forget about him getting you something nice for Valentine’s Day because real men don’t do that mushy stuff

The rebel

A lot of women are attracted to the bad boy. There’s just something mysterious and romantic about him. But a lot of times the rebel in society is a rebel in marriage. And pretty soon you’ll find him rebelling against you, too.

The narcissist

Narcissus was an ancient Greek mythological figure who was so beautiful that he fell in love with himself – but because he couldn’t leave his own reflection in the water, he eventually drowned. A person who is a narcissist is so convinced of their own greatness that they don’t see their weaknesses. Marrying a narcissist is a very one sided relationship. They’re always trying to vaunt their own greatness – often at the expense of others.

The control freak

Everybody likes to have things their own way. Unfortunately, because men are socialized to express hostility and anger when they don’t get what they want, a man who is a control freak can often become intimidating and even abusive (physically or mentally).

The I-know-more-than-you

It’s a good thing to marry a person for his brains. But be careful because you might end up marrying a know-it-all. And you’ll always feel like you’re wrong – even if it’s just an opinion.

The pushover

As mentioned before, everybody likes to have their own way. So when you find a guy who lets you do whatever you want and doesn’t complain about it, you want to grab him up. But after a while you’ll find yourself making all the decisions. And then you’ll find yourself complaining because he doesn’t pull his own weight.

The fitness freak

Who doesn’t want a guy with chiseled abs and nice arms? But despite all his good (physical) traits you may soon find that the gym is taking up an exorbitant amount of time in your family’s life. And you’ll find yourself using phrases like “did you beat your PR today, honey?” But more importantly, a man who lets the gym run his life has let the servant become the master and you’ll soon find that he has other priorities out of whack, too.

Yes, there are bits and pieces of these personality traits in every Prince Charming. But just make sure they’re only bits and pieces or you’ll find yourself married to a frog instead of a Prince.

Source: Familyshare

Women of Rubies