Women of Rubies
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Women of Rubies

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Meet the 28-Year-Old Co-Founder of Agrinvestec, Pearl Gaone Ranna

Pearl Gaone Ranna is 28-year-old Botswana born Farmer, Agriculture & Global Food Policy Analyst, Social Entrepreneur and Gender Equality Practitioner.

She is the co-founder and CEO of Agrinvestec, Botswana’s leading private sector owned Agricultural Development and Consultancy Agency.

She holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Agriculture and Development from the University of Reading, a Master of Arts (MA) in International Development and Policy from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Entrepreneurial Studies from the University of Derby.

Ranna is passionate about alleviating poverty and hunger through empowering rural youth and women in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2018, she was the first winner of the Climate Hackathon Challenge, where youths had to address issues relating to adapting or mitigating climate change using various themes such as Agriculture, Health, Energy and Water basing it on the realities of Botswana.

Her solution in-comprised all the themes by providing a solar powered climate sensitive vertical aquaponics systems which works best in rural and urban areas of Botswana.

You can’t believe how hard it is to run your own business as well as raising a child,” says Ranna, who has firsthand knowledge, having experienced those challenges running a poultry operation while raising a daughter.

The program includes an early childhood development center for the children, so that while their mothers are receiving training and working on their farms the children are well cared for in a center-based learning environment. Revenues the women generate with increased productivity on their farms will go towards sustaining the program to provide training to new groups of women.

If the program is successful, as she believes it will be, she hopes it will contribute to policy changes that institutionalize such support for women farmers nationwide. “I am trying to advocate for policies for women and youth,” she explained. “To advocate effectively you need to be able to show something works.”

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#Interview | “My Creativity Has Helped My Journey As A Phone Product Photographer”- Eniola Opaleye

Eniola Opaleye is a phone product photographer and a law graduate. Her ability to create appealing product pictures with her mobile phone stands her out amongst several product photographers. She has shot countless images of products with international standard.

She currently has a telegram community of over 300 members where she teaches basic tips on product photography. Eniola doesn’t believe in giving up on her dreams irrespective of challenges faced. One of her product pictures trended on the bird app (twitter) and attracted the recognition of influencers and foreign communities. Asides taking product pictures she interns with a consulting firm.

She shares her journey with Women of Rubies on this interview;

Childhood Influence

I was very creative while growing up and it has helped my journey as a phone product photographer changing the way product pictures are shot in Nigeria. I was that child that loved hair styling and makeup so much that I would plead with my mum and sisters to practice with their hair and face, you know how last born can be? I pestered till they agreed to be my model. So I was sure I was either going to learn the art of makeup or hair styling, but then I kept procrastinating to take the step till I gained admission to study law and I just didn’t enrol to learn either of the two till date. I remember I had a mini doll I made hair for passionately (laughs).

My Inspiration Behind Photography

I was in a space I couldn’t continue with street photography I started with last year during the lockdown. Then I asked myself “what can I do?”. Immediately it struck me I could take beautiful shots of random product I have at home. Gradually, I improved and some pictures of small business owner’s product I saw on Instagram on a particular day made me realize there is a market that needs a solution. A lot of vendors don’t know how important good pictures help sell their product, I saw that and decided to proffer that solution with what I have.

The journey so far

It has been interesting. I started with little or no recognition to being recognised across several countries. I can recall lots of people didn’t understand what I was doing and they felt it was a child’s play. I started doubting my skill and said I would stop phone product photography till I get a camera but see who is getting paid for the skill she didn’t give up on. I’m also learning every day, using props that I wasn’t aware of and the beautiful thing is I come across products I haven’t seen or used before.  I’m optimistic about this journey and the opportunities lined up for me. 

Impact Of My Journey As A Law Graduate Currently Working In A Consulting Firm

It has been in several ways; the firm has helped improve my work ethic and client interaction. This is what I have also implemented in my business and life, how to engage with clients, communication and negotiation skills, and also maintaining good relationship with people. I have learnt to understand people differently and manage situations. Also, learning how to meet deadlines is also important in this business. Clients want you to deliver and you don’t want to be perceived as a lazy photographer who doesn’t keep to deadlines.

The Amazing Feat Of How One Of My Product Pictures Trended Recently

It was a dream come through and a perfect birthday gift. I have been posting pictures on the bird app but gained little recognition, however I didn’t give up. It was a win I deserved and it attracted influencers which opened up several opportunities that I had to turn down some. It made me realize I needed a community/group where I could help other aspiring product photographers with some tips on product photography. The amazing part of my work is, I inspire other phone product photographers who feel they can’t be recognised to keep creating and that makes me happy.

My Current Experience With Photography And What I Hope To Achieve In The Future

I am enjoying the ride, perfecting my skill, building my profile and ensuring client satisfaction. I see my brand creating appealing product pictures for top brands, teaching millions of small business owners across the world how to create eye-catching product pictures just from their home and hopefully in cooperate phone videography while building my profile as a seasoned legal practitioner.

Challenges 

Meeting demands and showing up with good content can be overwhelming considering it’s just me and the brand for now. Then investing in photography equipment can be expensive but gradually I will balance it up.

My Other Projects And Activities.

I love design, so it’s a skill I’m trying to perfect because I need it for my brand as well. It has helped me create simple graphics for my Instagram page and some other projects. I’m working on video content for small business owners but it is still in the works so when it’s ready it will be available for all to see. 

Three Women Who Inspire Me To Be Better And Why

I really admire Mazbricreative’s work, her product pictures are standard, colourful and she has worked with several known brands. I also watch her behind the scenes and see how creative she is, this helps me to get creative with all my pictures.

Amanda Campeanu is a commercial brand photographer based in Brisbane, I love her ability to teach with her Youtube videos and this has really helped my product styling.

Ty Bello is amazing and good at what she does, she has built her brand over the years and I aspire to follow that path. She gives me hope that being a woman in this line of work shouldn’t be a limitation but an advantage.

My Advice To Young Women

Don’t let anyone kill your dreams, you have the power to decide how you want your life to turn out with the help of God, so take charge. Always know what you want, it helps you to make specific decisions and if you don’t know what you want, go to God, watch that thing people are saying you are good at and build the skill till you perfect it. Lastly, have the right people in your corner they will always be there to lift you up when you feel discouraged and be prepared for the growth you desire. 

As A Woman Of Rubies

I am a sought after woman who possess value. I inspire other women to become better version of themselves through my consistency, discipline and desire for success.

 

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Meet Lozaria Lungu, Inspiring Zambian Journalist And First To Obtain A Degree In Her Family

Lozaria Lungu, a Zambian Journalist and Script Writer who recently obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Media and Communication from the University of Zambia, thus making her the first person to obtain a University Degree in her family.

According to her, “My childhood dream was to overcome the hurdles that surrounded my family for generations, I can handpick who attained an education, this one is a big WIN not only for ME but for my FAMILY and all the MEN and WOMEN who dared to believe in me,” she said.

“I remember when I made it to my 8th grade, how my mother was all over the place dancing and shedding tears of joy in gratitude to God. When I passed my Grade 9 and Grade 12, she danced and cried a lot more. My father is a great cheerleader who always said ‘Thank You’ every time I made it,” narrated Lungu.

“This path, however, has not been easy. I was denied admission to the university on my first try, and I was denied sponsorship 5 times when I needed it, but God saw me through.”

Lungu has worked and currently works as a freelance journalist. She has interned as a Public relations practitioner, and is a writer among others.

Her work revolves around women and communities, pointing out issues that are affects them as individuals in a society. She also has a Non governmental organization which focuses on advocating for youth empowerment, women programs in education, and health.

Her story is an inspiring one and a clear reminder that no win is too insignificant for you to acknowledge and celebrate because no one understands your journey and where you are coming from.

Lungu’s story is worth celebrating because it shines a beacon of hope on those who are on the verge of giving up on whatever dreams they have. Keep working hard and while at it, celebrate every win and enjoy the process each step of the way.

Even when you don’t have people in your corner cheering you and supporting you on your way to success, be your own cheerleader.

“To someone out there, your dreams are valid. One day, you’ll thank yourself for not giving up.”

Dare to dream!

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Meet Dr. Nomkhosi Luthuli, the Youngest Female Lecturer At the University of Kwazulu Natal’s Graduate School of Business and Leadership.

Dr. Nomkhosi Luthuli (PhD) is a 30-year-old South African born Academic, Corporate Speaker, Mentor and Advocate for Development.

She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Regional Economic Development, Agglomeration Economics & the Aerotropolis and Master of Commerce (MCom) in Regional and Local Economic Development from the University of Kwazulu-Natal, a Bachelor of Social Sciences (BS) Honours in Development Studies from the University of Cape Town.

Dr. Nomkhosi Luthuli (PhD)

She is currently the youngest female Lecturer and researcher at the University of Kwazulu Natal’s Graduate School of Business and Leadership.

“I’m driven by breaking boundaries and changing beliefs on how things should be in society. I want to change the perception that aviation and planning for airport cities is a man’s terrain, and I hope to consistently challenge the generalisation that academia is for old people. 

“I know for sure that a determined mind excels whether male or female, young or old in any space of influence, and that there’s no sector too male-dominated and barrier of entry too great for me to break through and do the best I possibly can,” she says.

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Meet Bathabile Mpofu, Awarding Winning South African Scientist and Innovator

Bathabile Mpofu is a South African born award winning – Scientist, Innovator and Social Entrepreneur.

She is the Founder and MD at Nkazimulo Applied Sciences, an innovative social enterprise that aims at helping young people become scientists, through their innovation “ChemStart” a portable science kit that makes science fun and come to life.

It provides hands on interaction with science concepts and their application in real life.

“At age 16, I realised how unprepared I was for university science education. I was capable but dis-empowered. High School didn’t prepare me for university education. I only got to do science experiments for the first time when I got to university, and because of that, I have made it my mission to empower and help young people become scientists,” said Mpofu.

“ChemStart makes quality science education accessible. Parents no longer need to take their children to private school in order for them to perform science experiments as part of their learning. Our product can be shipped anywhere in Africa as well, so you can be in the bush and still use the kit,” concluded Mpofu.

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Meet Dr. Snowy Khoza, Group CEO and previous Executive Chairperson of the Bigen Group

Dr Snowy Khoza, the Group CEO and previous Executive Chairperson of the Bigen Group.

She is a South African born seasoned executive, acknowledged strategist and development activist in the infrastructure development space.

In 2018, she received a Lifetime Achievement in Engineering from SA Professional Services Award sponsored by Sanlam.

She has been nominated to the G20 Business Women Leaders Taskforce. Also as one of the Africa CEO Forum Business Women Leaders Board members.

In 2017, she was recognized by the Standard Bank Top Women Awards for her leadership in Bigen Africa – receiving the Top Gender Empowered Infrastructure Development Award.

In 2016, recognized by Women For Africa Awards for being one of the most influential women in the continent.

In 2015, awarded the Top Performing Business Leader Award in South Africa.

In 2014, awarded the Lifetime Achiever’s Award in the Manufacturing and Engineering Sector and as one of Africa’s Most Influential Women.

During her tenure (2011-2016 and now since 2019 July) as CEO of Bigen Group, the company won over 30 business awards.

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Meet 14-Year-Old Stacey Fru, Africa’s Youngest Author

Stacey Fru, 14-year-old Africa’s youngest award winning Author, Education Activist, Philanthropist and Public Speaker.

At age 7, she wrote her first book; ‘Smelly Cats’ without her parents’ knowledge.

The book was approved by the South African Department of Basic Education as suitable for young learners from Early Childhood through to Primary Schools and won 3 awards.

She is the founder of The Stacey Fru Foundation that reach out to donate books, computers, food and other items to children and care homes across South Africa.

Through her foundation, she also honours other African children who are impacting their communities by awarding them during The Annual African Children of the Year Awards held every November in South Africa. Stacey Fru has written 5 best-selling books thus far and she is currently the face of the African Union (AU) and International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) 2021 International Campaign for the Elimination of Child Labour #EndChildLabour.

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Meet Beverly Mhlabane, Owner of Zapa Farm South Africa

Beverly Mhlabane  is a South African born Farmer, Agripreneur, Engineer, Founder and CEO of Zapa Farm, an egg production and vegetable farm, located in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa.

She started with a backyard vegetable garden in 2012, which was used for home consumption.

“One day I went to the shop to buy eggs and found the eggs to be very expensive so I decided to buy 10 laying chickens so we could get eggs for the house,” said Mhlabane.

“After about 6 months our neighbours requested that we sell them our eggs and thus we bought 165 layers and placed them in the garage. After a year we had 300 layers in the garage,” she added.

In 2014, Mhlabane bought two hectares of land and moved the egg production to the plot.

In 2018, she took a leap of faith and focused on her farm full-time, she went on to increase egg production and also started planting vegetables.

The farm has since installed two 30×10 vegetable tunnels and is planting on 1.5 hectares of land.

It also has 5,000 and 2,000 capacity layer houses and supplies among others, four Wimpy’s, Pick n Pay, a Holiday Inn hotel and local spaza shops.

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Meet Charlette Desire N’Guessan, 26-Year-Old Ivorian Award-Winning Software Engineer And Tech Entrepreneur.

Charlette Desire N’Guessan is a 26-year-old Ivorian born award winning Software Engineer and Tech Entrepreneur.

he is the co-founder and CEO of BACE Group, a Ghana based FinTech company that provides digital services to financial institutions.

In September 2020, she became the first woman to win the Royal Academy of Engineering’s prestigious Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, for her work building a system called BACE API.

The BACE API software uses Artificial Intelligence and facial recognition to verify the identities of African people remotely and in real time.

“We’re revolutionizing customer experience through our application programming interface (APIs) that secure client identity and KYC data with OCR and facial recognition technology. We aim to change the way cyber security functions and reduce identity fraud, which is a prevalent issue in Africa and across the world,” said Charlette.

Charlette Desire N’Guessan, Software Engineer and Tech Entrepreneur

“I’m happy when people are inspired by my story, being the first woman to win the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation and by my work as a woman in tech,” she added.

As her own way to encourage women entrepreneurs who are trying to make a mark in the STEM space, she said,
“I invite them to invest in their education because the way to success is the way of the continuous pursuit of knowledge. They need to be more confident and open to working with men in the industry. There is no competition, everyone has their place at the table. Learn, explore, and trust the process.”

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Meet Soliyana Gizaw Hunde The 10-Year-Old Coder & Winner Of AfriCANCode Challenge

10-year-old coder, Soliyana Gizaw Hunde recently won the inaugural AfriCANCode Challenge, after she developed a fun and engaging educational game named ‘Mathstainment’, to practice math and raise awareness of COVID-19 related health protocols.

Mathstainment was inspired by Soliyana’s love of maths and science and her strong community spirit.

“Being part of the AfriCANCode Challenge has been fun, and winning the national and overall competition was very exciting,” says Soliyana, who lives with her parents in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. “It has motivated me to do more and dream big.”

The AfriCANcode Challenge was introduced after the 2020 SAP Africa Code Week programme shifted to an all-virtual format in the wake of the global pandemic. The competition challenged youth aged 8 to 16 to develop a game using the Scratch coding language to reimagine school and education, or answer the question “How will your tech change the future of education?”.

Participants from 22 countries made it to the final round of the competition, and the winner was announced in early 2021. All of the top three winners were girls, with Soliyana crowned overall winner at a virtual prize-giving ceremony in February.

Soliyana says she was inspired to learn coding after seeing the projects her cousin, a software engineering student at one of the local state universities, was doing. “When I was eight, my cousin helped me take a short coding training course at a local centre. Since then, I have watched instructional videos on YouTube, and I have been motivated to keep practising.”

After the pandemic forced the Ethiopian government to close schools, Soliyana decided to apply her coding skills in the service of her community by participating in the AfriCANCode Challenge.

“When we started staying at home due to the pandemic, I heard how it was affecting people in our community and what we could do to protect ourselves and our loved ones. I decided to develop my Mathstainment game to create awareness about COVID-19 and offer a simple and fun way to practice maths.”

Mathstainment was built using the Scratch programming language. It asks a series of maths questions that lead a character on the screen ever closer to personal protective equipment (PPE) for each correct answer. After a few incorrect answers, the player has to start over. Maths questions are posed at varying difficulty levels, ranging from ‘Easy’ to ‘Difficult’.

Asked what lies ahead for the young coding champion, Soliyana says: “I want to be an astronomer. I want to know how the universe works.”

Alexandra van der Ploeg, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP, says:

The innovation and community-minded spirit displayed by this year’s participants point to a bright future for Africa’s citizens. It is also hugely encouraging to see the high ratio of female participants, whose ingenuity saw all three top place finishes claimed by girls.

SAP Africa Code Week and the AfriCANCode Challenge mobilises hundreds of partners in the public and private sector who rally around the urgent task of empowering Africa’s youth with essential digital skills. As we continue into an uncertain future, this investment into youth skills development will pay huge dividends over the coming years and decades.

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