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In Fashion By

Kulukaya Sadiki  Is Making  Impact In Malawi Through Sustainable Fashion

The fashion sector is one of the most important sectors from a job creation and economic contribution perspective, and for Kulukaya Sadiki, founder of Glo-Ray Designs Sustainable Studio in Malawi, sustainable fashion is key.

 

Glo-ray designs

Her business approach is to incorporate fabric recycling and reuse into the production process to create timeless fashion pieces with minimal environmental impact.

Kulukaya Sadiki is a Sustainable Fashion Designer, Humanitarian and a Marketing Strategist by profession.
She selected as a Young African Leader for the ‘Leadership in Business’ cohort for her business skills by the Mandela Washington Fellowship, a USA program in 2020.

She started her sustainable fashion business in 2017 after realizing that it is possible to make a difference within the community and environment using an important aspect of humanity which is clothing.

Her clothing brand focuses on recycled and rejected fabric to create timeless trends thereby delaying disposal and minimizing fabric pollution. She works in the market with women fabric suppliers, inspiring them and empowering them with business knowledge.

Kulukaya is also the Founder and Chairperson of a registered non-profit organization called ‘Ladies of Influence’ which focuses on sustainable development in Malawi through humanitarian effort with the main focus being the girl child.

She launched into entrepreneur after learning from her late father who was an entrepreneur who had a studio with over 20 employees. He instilled a spirit of determination and resilience in all his children. He encouraged them and told us to go out and become whoever we wanted to be.

In 2011 Kulukaya joined her sister in her IT venture because it felt that her sister was the best person to mentor and prepare her for the business world and more.
She learned from her sister how as women we must work twice as hard to claim our place in the business world. Through her sister’s entrepreneurial venture, she learnt how to work for every penny.

Kalukaya started her business while she was working with her sister.
In her words, “Growing up in the environment I did, my entrepreneurial journey was inevitable.”

As her entrepreneurial advice to women who are planning to launch a start-up, she said:

“I know that life feels like an uphill when you look at the distance between where you are and where you want to be. I know there are voices pulling you from every side, some are encouraging and others are distracting. Invest time in knowing who you really are, so your NO will be firm and your YES will be particular.”

“Choose your circle carefully because this is one important aspect of self-development, move with the driven and ambitious. At the point you are now, I have been there before and I am still there in some parts of my life but child, God did not create us on earth for mediocrity.”

“You are special and the world needs you to use every gift you have to make it a better place. Fear is nothing but a feeling, it gets smaller with each step you take to climb up to your dreams. You are different because God chose you, you are special just the way you are.”

“Rise up and act on your dreams, don’t let the world drown your voice but speak up where you need to and be the one who raises a generation of fearless, driven, ambitious and action oriented young people!”

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Kofo Akinkugbe’s “SecureID” Smart Card Is Marketing Africa To The World 

Kofo Akinkugbe, CEO of SecureID Is Marketing Africa To The World With Her World-Class Smart Card Technology And Digital Security Recognised globally for her entrepreneurial success story and strong business track record, Kofo Akinkugbe is founder & CEO of SecureID Nigeria Ltd a market leader in smart card technology and digital security.

SecureID is a world-class manufacturing facility with the only smart card production plant in West Africa and one of only six on the continent. This company serves 16 countries across Africa and is fully certified by VISA, Verve and MasterCard.

Kofo is one of Africa’s thought leaders in the subjects of entrepreneurship and innovation in the technology sector.

After serving in the Nigerian Youth Service Corps, Kofo started her career in the banking industry, working with International Merchant Bank Plc and Chartered Bank Limited.  She remained in the financial sector for over 12 years until 1997 when she left to start Interface Technologies, a security management and biometrics technologies company.

With a mathematics major, and an MBA from the University of Strathclyde, she successfully ran Interface Technologies Ltd. (ITL) for nine years, before establishing SecureID Nigeria Ltd., an offshoot from a small department in Interface Technologies and the first VISA certified plant in sub-Saharan Africa.

Kofo is a business leader who recognizes the power of innovation as a vital factor for business success, something she not only encourages in all her employees at Secure ID, but in the many business conference speeches and presentations she gives around the world.

As the chief executive of SecureID, which is still a relatively young firm creating MasterCard and Visa and operating in 16 African countries, Kofo is an excellent example of a chief executive that is building a successful company based on innovation.

Create a working  environment that encourages creativity. Don’t be afraid to try new things.

Kofo urged business owners to build capacity that will sustain the creativity, that is, developing the capacity of employees.  She however cautioned against engaging only family members, urging the need to employ people with untapped talents.

Kofo Akinkugbe

She said:  “We need to create an environment that would drive creativity. Do not be afraid to test new things.”

Her company has succeeded by thinking ahead, developing a product that was not yet in demand at the time it was being developed.

She added, “We must be creative, ensuring we are a step ahead of competition,” also stressing the need to make it a company policy to encourage employees to be creative and to track returns on investment based on staff creativity.

She asked, “How effectively do you measure and track the returns on your investment. Does the way you innovate reflect your vision and appetite for innovation. Encourage staff to be innovative, do things innovatively.”

Today, Kofo’s company, Secure ID, is Nigeria’s leading Smart Card Manufacturing and Personalization Plant; providing comprehensive end-to-end payment, identity management and digital security solutions for the financial services sector, telecommunications, government, education, healthcare and private enterprises.

Located in Lagos, the company is fully certified by VISA, Verve and MasterCard, and operates a world-class production plant employing best practices and international standards.

The company’s client base spans over five (5) African countries and is the leading EMV certified card plant in West Africa, one of 6 in Africa and a member of the elite club of only 80 such companies in the world.  It’s vision is to be Africa’s leading smart card solutions provider specializing in payment, e-identification and security solutions company.

Her simple entrepreneurial advice to anyone who is planning to launch something new but is holding back because of lack of funds is this, “once you have a good plan and a good concept and you work through it, the funds will always come.”

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Sarah Boateng Is Investing In Girls Education Across Africa Through IGEA

British-Ghanian Sarah Boateng is a winning social entrepreneur investing in the education of girls across Africa.

She was recently named as a 30 under 30 change-maker.  Through her experience working at the United Nations and other international development organizations, she created IGEA Enterprise which has a mission to support girls in rural communities in Africa achieve their educational potential

The 25 year old advocate who grew up in south London is a  Psychology and Special Educational Needs Masters graduate.

She founded   Investing in Girls Education in Africa (IGEA), a non-profit organisation with a mission to deliver projects that support the quality education of girls in rural parts of Africa.

According to Sarah; “Our aim is to eliminate all barriers blocking girls in Africa from accessing quality education. These barriers can be physical, such as illness, menstruation, distance from school, or mental, such as cultural taboos and the social peer pressure that that creates on the individual. As we are currently at the beginning of our organisational journey, we are focusing our efforts on just one of these barriers to start with – period poverty.

Growing up, my own mother would often talk about her struggle to remain in education. Born and raised in rural Ghana, she left school at the age of 12 to sell oranges on the side of the road. It turns out she couldn’t afford menstrual products, and as a result she missed a large amount of school. As she wasn’t able to keep up with lessons, it made more sense for her to leave education completely and instead focus on making money to help support herself and her family.

Sarah  has  always believed that education is one of the most important investments a country can make in its people’s future, and the  best solution for reducing poverty, catalysing economic growth and increasing individual income.

We celebrate Sarah for making lemonades from the lemons life threw at her, with her lived experience.

Thank you for touching lives and intentionally investing in Girls.

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Blessing Okagbare Sets New 100m Meet Record in Slovakia

Nigeria’s track queen  Blessing Okagbare ran an impressive 10.98 seconds to win the 100m women’s event at the P-T-S Meeting in Samorin, the Slovak Republic. Blessing Okagbare’s winning time was a Meet Record.

Okagbare’s win was a historic feat as no woman has ever run under 11 seconds in the competition held in the Eastern European country. She was pleased after dipping within 11 seconds for the third time this season.

An excited Okagbare hinted that she was delighted to be the winner and also honoured to be the first woman ever to run under 11 seconds at the P-T-S Meeting.

The seven time Nigerian 100 metres champion ran  10.98 seconds to win in the race, smashing the 11.09 seconds meeting record set in June 1983 by Czech Republic icon, Jarmila Kratochvilova.

Blessing Okagbare Sets New 100m Meet Record in Slovakia

Okagbare broke the 11 seconds barrier for the first time in her career at the Crystal Palace Aviva London Grand Prix in London, on the 14th of July 2012; where she ran 10.99 seconds. In 2013, she broke 11 seconds thrice with two of them in a historic fashion. She started the season with a huge but wind-aided to 10.75 seconds in June at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, USA

Fast forward to 2015, Okagbare broke 11 seconds six times, her most in a single season and made it to the 100m final at the World Athletics Championship in Beijing, China.

She ran her first sub-11 seconds of the season at the USTAF invitational in Eugene, Oregon in April before scorching to a 10.90 seconds season’s best at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha, Qatar last week.

This feat marks the 21st time Okagbare has run under 11 seconds in her career.

Congratulations are in order.

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Tracy Batta Is Helping People Achieve Their Fitness Goals With Smoothie Express

Tracy Batta is the Cofounder of Smoothie Express. She holds a Masters degree in Communications  Engineering from Swansea University, U.K. and a BSc. degree in Physics with Electronics from the Bells University of Technology, Nigeria.

The journey to Smoothie Express started in 2014. As a young lady trying to maintain an ideal weight, Tracy Batta got on a smoothie detox routine by blending fruits to make smoothies that served as meal replacements. In a short period of time, she discovered that it was challenging maintaining her detox routine as the process of making the smoothies was often tedious and time-consuming. Realising that this was not a problem peculiar to her, she partnered with her friend Omowunmi to launch the idea as a viable business.

With a united and strategic mindset, Omowunmi Akande and Tracy Batta raised $10,000 from their savings, built a website, bought a motorcycle for deliveries and established Smoothie Express. Smoothie Express started operations in March 2015.

Smoothie Express is a healthy food and beverage company that supports healthy living by providing clients with healthy meals in the most convenient and affordable way possible. Smoothie Express offers an extensive menu with a wide range of over 30 different flavours of smoothies including Salads, Sandwiches, Parfaits and Ice teas to satisfy a variety of tastes.

Tracy Batta is a contributor to The Guardian Newspaper. She gives valuable business information, inspires and motivates small businesses in Nigeria.

Being among Forbes Africa’s 30 under 30 youths is no small feat but Tracy Batta shows no signs of slowing down. She plans to grow Smoothie Express to become an international brand with locations across Africa by 2025.

We ceebrate you Tracy Batta! Thanks for keeping us fit!

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Tessy Egonu Is Supporting Women In Underserved Communities Through “Queentrepreneur”

Every woman is a natural born Queen, and we must all be our sister’s keeper, fix their crowns and give them hope, that is what Tessy Nkechi Egonu is doing with women in underserved communities in Nigeria through her platform “Queentrepreneur”.

Queentrepreneur is a Women’s Foundation, and a non profit organisation serving women and girls  through training programs, exposure, and mentorship, Queentrepreneur Women’s Foundation empowers women to become socially conscious global leaders.

They also provide free legal assistance to female victims of domestic violence and human rights abuse and engage in human rights education and grassroots popularization of rights.

Their vision is to develop more confident women to be equipped and passionate about leading organisations, businesses, schools and agencies domestically to contribute to a society where women leaders are no longer viewed as the exception to the rule but as relevant assets and necessary additions to organisations nationwide.

Tessy who got the inspiration to start the foundation through her parent’s is convinced that every woman is born to “Become” and have a voice and identity in the society.

We celebrate the award winning changemaker for her contribution to the society.

Keep shining Tessy!

 

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#Interview| “God Deposited Seed Of Greatness In Every Human”-Olatunji Ifetayo

Olatunji Oluwadamilola Ifetayo is the founder of Lynas for the Needy, a registered charity.  She is an author and the CEO of Shantilove Nigeria Enterprise which deals in made in Nigeria home and office essential products. 

Her love for humanity  compelled her to organize free skill empowerment training every month to reach out to 1000 people per annum. A wife and a mom of two, 32-year-old Ifetayo on this interview with Women of Rubies, shares  how she balances it all.

Women of Rubies interview Ifetayo Olatunji

 

Childhood Influence

I can say my childhood prepared me in a way for what I do now because childhood for me wasn’t rosy . I came from a background where I met my two parents hustling to cater for myself and my siblings.

I was born in one of the ghetto’s in Lagos. Our house was a face me I face you apartment as it is fondly called. A house full of commotion and hawking was the order of the day. Virtually all the neighbour’s children in my house would hawk after school.

 We used to have a small kiosk outside the house where we sold provision and drugs too. One day I had to join the neighbour’s children to hawk too. The scorching sun spelled my name boldly on capital letter. I did it for 2 days  and paused the third day because my parent must not hear about it.

 The ghetto life is not a good place for growth especially when there is no positive influence in the environment. I could remember a lot of my friends were wayward ,some dropped out of school, some got pregnant at an early age and regretted it. I did my nursery school and part of primary school in this ghetto.

The only saving grace was, my parent later relocated to a better environment, maybe I would have joined my friends in the neighbourhood and peer group and that thereby making me make some regrettable decision that would have affected my future too.  I thank God for the parents I have, they might have had little, but were bent on giving us good upbringing.
Ghetto is a place where the number of bad children surpasses the good one. I can go and on. I thank God I came out unscathed.
Inspiration behind Lynas
Lynas for the needy foundation was birthed by my passion for humanity and the compassionate heart I have as an individual. The Holy spirit inspired Lynas for the needy foundation when i was alone asking for my God given purpose on earth and how I can be of value to humanity.
We cut across different state in Nigeria, donating to the needy, raising giants of tomorrow and helping them unleash their potential and letting go of their fears.
We go to orphanage home and destitute home to empower them with skills and also celebrate every birthday celebrant anytime we hold our outreach. We make sure they have a memorable birthday. We also rescue children from the street and put them in orphanage homes or children care centres for proper intensive care.  We have registered nurses and doctor among our team that helps us with medical outreach while others team  members also join for a successful outreach.
We sponsor education of children in rural communities and help with education material to enhance their good education. Our food donation on the street is also another way we touch lives every time.
Lynas for the needy foundation is a registered NGO that been touching lives since it inception since 5 years ago  and we are still on the path to put smile on people’s face.
About Lynas Free skill training
Yes I organize free skill training and empowerment to reach out to 1000 people yearly because i know how it feels to be jobless. I am a living witness as i  couldn’t get a job immediately after my NYSC. Many graduates of today are also looking for a white collar job whereas the industries available can not serve everyone a job and it is sometimes based on man knows man factor. I believe  these unemployed ones can keep themselves busy by acquiring a skill to forge ahead and be responsible and accountable. Through this more job can also be created resulting to industrialization in the society.
Lynas Impacts so far
My skill acquisition scheme has impacted many lives which includes graduates ,undergraduates ,single mothers ,drop out etc.
Over 4000 has been impacted since I started…I do both online and also train the less privileged in rural communities.
That when people mention my name they will be glad they made a start and were confident to stand up for themselves.
On Managing my company Shantilove Nigeria
Shantilove Nig Enterprise started small like every other company, I am vast on skills and that was what birthed the company. I started in Ilorin and with consistency and hard work, was able to pull through. We are into manufacturing of essential cleaning products and other craft to solve problems of poor sanitation, create job opportunities for youths and alleviate poverty in the society. It is a registered company under Cooperate affairs commission and been managed by me as the CEO and few staff for maximum production.
On finding a balance
Well I will say it has not been easy managing my responsibility as an author, CEO, striving humanitarian, mother and wife however time management has been the balancing factor and I thank God for an understanding husband who supports my career and gives me all the encouragement I need to keep pushing for my personal growth and development.
 Challenges
The challenges has been funds especially during lockdown period, money doesn’t come in like before,and travelling to other States to facilitate skills where I get paid has been on hold.
The 3 women who inspires me is
Mrs Folusho Alakija, Mrs idowu Awosika and Mrs Ngozi okonjo Iweala
These women have few things in common ,humanitarian, integrity and they are advocates for gender equality.
Advice to Women
My advice to women is that we should not be a hindrance to our greatness by making fear to mar our dreams of becoming, or give in to fear by not pursuing our purpose on earth.
Every woman is unique in her own way lets come together to make the world a palatable place for ourselves through genuine love, support, and collaboration because together we create magic with our magic wands.
Let all woman always stand for the truth and justice and be a pillar of trust, confidence and integrity. Let’s also be advocates for gender equality to enable us break the ceiling glass in various sectors.
Lastly do not let your poor background or challenges of life stop you from being MORE, because you are made for more to change narrative.
You can be whatever you want to be only if you believe in the power of your dream, believe in yourself, shun fear of known and the unknown, keep your head in the game and keep focusing on your focus because no one is a nonentity.
God deposited a seed of greatness in every human. Nurture your seed  and be a good tree for others to plug and get nourishments.
The world needs woman of great values to survive.
Every woman has in them greatness !!! Believe in yourself and unleash your potential!!
As a Woman of Rubies
What makes me a woman of rubies is that I am committed and passionate to giving back to the society, and my positive impact is felt in people’s lives. A lot of people talk about my authenticity, servant leadership, ingenuity, humanitarian service, and I count all this as a privilege to serve my generation.
Social media handle
Instagram-  www.instagram .on/ olatunji.ifetayo
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Meet Ommo Clark, Nigerian Techpreneur, Game-changer and the Founder of iBez Software Company

If there is one thing that women in tech love to do, it is to shake up the industry and to genuinely create things that are both entrepreneurial and innovative. Nigerian techpreneur, Ommo Clark, is one such industry game-changer, building a software house, iBez, that creates not only proprietary software products that help to solve local challenges, but also develops and showcases local tech talent.

iBez provides bespoke application development services and proprietary software products to businesses, and have quite a number of innovative internet based businesses offering various services to consumers. Some of their products include:  Schools Network Integrated Programme (SNIP), Project Management Integrated System (PMIS), Hotel Motel Solution, Handy Jacks, Lets Share, Exchange BBPin, and so on.

According to Ommo, “My entrepreneurial journey has been a roller coaster, full of ups and down, highs and lows. I didn’t know how to run a business when I first started out, even though I had been working in the corporate world for a while. I thought as soon as I built my systems, told people about the, and put some flyers out there  in the marketplace, that people would flock to utilise my services – the reason being that because I had a great product that is badly needed but it didn’t happen this way.”

Anybody can do whatever they set their minds to do.

After many months of struggling and living from hand to mouth she had to make some hard choices, either dust up her CV and go look for a job or keep pushing on. Ommo decided to give things another go after she heard in a TV programme that there’s no shame in retreating to re-group so she decided to take a few steps back to move forward.

Before starting in business, you have to research and plan – remember, not all great ideas make good businesses.

She had to learn how to plan and structure a business for growth because even though she runs a technology business, a business is still a business and needs to be structured properly.

She had to put the right processes in place, understand the financials and really put herself out there as an entrepreneur.

As part of the initial struggles she faced, Ommo said “As a technology person, its not easy for me to market and sell, but as a business owner, its expedient that I sell. Now we’ve turned a corner, though we are still working on getting our cashflow to where we want it to be. We have a number of clients and companies currently using our applications, and we are working on growing this user base daily.”

Knowing the difficulties women encounter daily, especially as it pertains entrepreneurship, Ommo advises women who are planning to launch a business to never conform to gender stereotypes. They should get rid of any self limiting beliefs they hold and do what they are passionate about.

In her exact words, “Don’t do something just because other people are doing it and making money from it – do it because you are passionate about it and are good at it.”

“Before starting in business, you have to research and plan – remember, not all great ideas make good businesses.

You should surround yourself with good supportive people that will always give you the best advice, support you, and push you to be the very best you can be.

Anybody can do whatever they set their minds to do.”

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#Interview |”The World Is Waiting For You To Unleash Your Greatness” – Odunayo Sanya

“The world is waiting for you to unleash your greatness.” – Odunayo Sanya.

Our ‘Woman in Leadership’ this week is Odunayo Sanya.

Odunayo is a Nigerian executive with over 23 years of experience in the corporate world. She currently serves as the Executive Secretary of the MTN Nigeria Foundation. Her work experience spans education, financial services, telecommunications and development sectors. She is a gifted writer who received widespread acclaim for her book ‘Alphabets of Leadership for Young Minds,’ which she published in 2019.

Odunayo is an International speaker. A Certified Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team. She is an alumna of the Lagos Business School and the Institute of Management Development Switzerland, with executive training from the Harvard Business School and Cornell University.

She is also the convener of the ‘Thrive Circle’ a mentorship platform which she describes as her ‘pandemic story’. The Thrive Circle is a platform for individuals seeking growth in life and career. Odunayo is passionate about youth empowerment, leadership, mentorship, and nation building. In 2019, she received the Marketing World ‘Customer Service Thought Leader Award’ in Accra, Ghana. She was the 2019 Global Leadership Program Speaker at Coventry University in the United Kingdom. She shares her inspiring journey in this exclusive interview.

Interview with Odunayo Sanya

Childhood Influence

First, I’d like to thank Women of Rubies for having me and for creating this platform to showcase and encourage women. My childhood was exciting with a disciplinarian as a dad. I was brought up to cherish family – I come from a close-knit family of nine; Dad, Mum, 2 boys and 5 girls.

 

My childhood was in Lagos. From a young age, my parents taught me (likewise my siblings) to embrace the world with an open mind, this found expression in the choice of schools i attended – F.G.G.C Akure (Ondo State) & New-Bussa (Niger State). The choice of the boarding house shaped me and strengthened my sense of independence. I learnt diversity and inclusion from my parents, they never discriminated. The boarding house helped my social skills, it opened me up to interactions with diverse individuals and great minds. I was brought up to be comfortable in my skin and to strive for excellence. At a point in primary school, my dad taught me maths after school. I learnt from my parents that “putting in a word for someone is easier when the individual brings value to the table.”

Adventure was a pastime for my parents as i was encouraged to take some bold steps – i recall my dad seeing an advert in the newspapers for a new university that is, University of Abuja and he encouraged me to apply though we knew no one in Abuja at that time. And yes! I got the admission and as they say, the rest is history. I spent my Youth Service year in a small village called Ukpa in Ogoja, Cross Rivers State. My first job was outside Lagos (my parents lived and still live in Lagos). As a child I had a prayerful Grandma who taught me about God.

I would say YES, my childhood prepared me in more ways than one.

 

Inspiration behind The Thrive Circle

I have a strong passion for people, and I get very excited when individuals realize their potential. Someone described me as a ‘serial mentor’ (lol!). I had a strong desire to birth a platform for sharing knowledge that will enable individuals to thrive in their neck of the woods. The perfect opportunity came with the COVID-19 pandemic, the fear in the air was palpable and the confusion was like we had never known, i had a conviction within me that this was the right time. The first session was tagged ‘Finding Strength in Adversity.’ It’s been twenty-two speakers and thirty-one sessions after, ‘Thrive Circle’ is still standing. We are a community committed to learning.

 

The Journey so far

I am grateful for the journey. It has tested my resilience. I have expanded my network of friends and acquaintances. My knowledge horizon has been broadened, topics such as; Entrepreneurship, The Future of work, Mental Health, Crucial Conversations, Strategy, Emotional Intelligence, Conflict Management, Ethics, Risk Management and many more have been discussed in the Thrive Circle. We have also played host to accomplished professionals as our speakers. The future for Thrive Circle is bright – watch out.

 

Impact of being an International Speaker, and Certified Coach 

My first international speaking engagement was borne of the need to affirm myself. I had a strong desire to share my thoughts with other professionals and enrich the discussions in the field of Customer Experience. Was i scared? Yes, I was. Did it go well? Yes, it did and opened more opportunities for me. We are all speakers, and our voices are gifts from the ‘Grand Overall Designer’ (GOD). The question is ‘How are we using it? I am also a John Maxwell Certified Coach.

 

 

Being a Coach and a Speaker has enabled my growth and depth. As it is said, ‘Sameness is the death of a speaker’ and since I don’t want to die yet (lol!) it keeps me on my toes to keep gleaning new knowledge and applying them to my life. In terms of impact, i am a much better individual, leader, team member, mother, wife and member of the society. It has helped me with the mastery of human relationships and excellent delivery people. The most important impact is the privilege of connecting people to their aspirations and potentials. Speaking whether as a hobby or professionally is 99% about the audience (listener) and maybe 1% about the speaker.

 

My Customer Thought Leader Award, 2021 Sales Ruby Influencer Award & recognition as one of the Top 100 Career Women

 

These awards came as surprises. I recall for the sales Ruby award, I was getting ready to retire for the night and I got a message from a secondary school friend that she had voted. I was at a loss, I asked her what for, she then laughed at me and sent me the link to nominations. It however feels good when one’s good work is recognized by others. It really is humbling. I see this as a call to do more and be more.

 

Challenges of My Work at MTN Nigeria

On a lighter note, I have been working from home for over a year now and enjoying every bit of it. One of the greatest challenges of WFH is the near loss of work-life-balance. I self regulate and try to keep to a time regime to prevent any form of burn out. My Organization also ensures we keep to healthy work regimes.Challenges are a constant part of life. These challenges are opportunities in disguise. My work keeps me on my toes and presents me with the opportunity to serve and innovate. Creating and implementing service experiences and engagement strategies for 75m customers is a huge responsibility. I recently, changed roles and I look forward to the opportunity of enabling people and communities through the MTN Nigeria Foundation.

 

Other Projects & Activities

I am an Author. My book ‘Alphabets of Leadership for Young Minds’ is listed in the United States Library of Congress, it is targeted at youth ages 10 – 16. I desired to give my oldest daughter a journal filled with my thoughts on various leadership topics as she moved into the boarding house. The journal was to help her navigate the new phase of her life and be a valued member of her community. The journal became the book.

My work with youths through the John Maxwell Team exposed me to the dearth of understanding of Leadership at that level – it has been positioned as the exclusive preserve of adults. The book is my contribution to nation building. I decided to put down my thoughts and make it available to every Youth. The book is listed in the United States Library of Congress and available on:

It is also available at Laterna Ventures, Oko Awo Street, Victoria Island Lagos

 

3 Women Who Inspire Me to Be Better And Why

My Grandmother of blessed memory – she taught me to love God.

My Mum – she taught me resilience.

Mother Theresa – She embodied the fact that Leadership and purpose are conjoined, when you walk in purpose you will Lead. Most important, her life teaches that you don’t need a position to lead. Lead from wherever you are.

 

 Advice to Young Women Who Wish to Be Trailblazers Like Me

 

1) ‘The world is waiting for you to unleash your greatness, don’t negotiate away your purpose in the face of seeming difficulties.’

2) ‘Dreams are free but the journey is not’

3) ‘You are limitless until you tell yourself otherwise’

4) ‘Let the quality of your work speak for you when you are not there’

5) ‘Be comfortable being you.’

 

Being a Woman of Rubies

Hmmm!! I should be asking you that question.

First, is that God says my worth is far above rubies – Prov 31.

Second is that I carry in me the seed of greatness and I am nurturing it.

Third is that I seek to add value to the people and environments I find myself in.

Maybe you should carry out a survey and let us compare the results.

 

 

You can connect with Odunayo Sanya through her handles below:

 

Linkedin – odunayo moritiwon sanya

Instagram – Odunayo.Sanya

Facebook – Odun Moritiwon Sanya

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Meet Dr. Victoria Kisyombe, The Tanzanian Entrepreneur Providing Micro-Leasing For Widows

Dr. Victoria Kisyombe is the founder of SELFINA, a company in Tanzania that provides micro-leasing to mostly widows and young girls.

Given women’s lack of collateral and resulting lack of access to capital, Dr. Victoria Kisyombe began pioneering micro-leasing as a solution. Her pioneering micro-leasing model as an alternative way to financing women has generated praise beyond Tanzania, and efforts are under way to expand the model to other countries in the region.

Dr. Victoria Kisyombo

Victoria’s incredible journey into entrepreneurship emerged as a result of personal tragedy and the unexpected death of her husband back in 1991. For her and their three young children, life was to change inexorably as she was left to deal with the resulting social and economic challenges facing them. An entrepreneurial approach to life thereafter provided the solution.

When Victoria faced the prospect of providing for her family alone in Tanzania, she was faced with some stark facts – under customary law, his family reclaimed all their marital possessions. She didn’t own property in her own name, she didn’t have any collateral, or indeed a personal credit history with a bank.

In fact, she had only one asset to her name – a cow named Sero. Being educated and resourceful out of necessity, she looked to make this sole asset work for her and become a critical source of income. She sold the milk produced by Sero each day and used the income to look after her family and accumulate some savings with which to rebuild her life. That precious cow, Sero, made all the difference in the world to the family.

During this time, Victoria found that her difficult circumstances were not unique, indeed she knew that many women find themselves in similarly tough circumstances, yet often without access to productive assets like Sero to help them through those tough times.

In 2002, she recognized that access to micro-finance for women could be a game changer in the lives of Tanzanian women, so she took on the challenge of redesigning the traditional model of micro-finance to make it work for women.

She launched a new business venture, SELFINA (Sero Lease and Finance Limited), named after her first asset, her cow Sero, and began loaning and leasing productive assets to Tanzanian women.

These leased assets provided a practical means of women being able to generate their own sustainable income, and over the lease term, eventually owning the assets in their own names. This not only newly empowered these women, but also provided them with critical collateral to qualify them to access traditional  bank finance in the future.

SELFINA has gone on to finance 27,000 women, create 150,000 jobs, with 250,000 people impacted and US$17 Million revolved.

She was also recognized as Regional Social Entrepreneur of the Year for Africa in 2010. In addition, and in keeping with her personal philosophy that the key to empowerment is through education, she raised money to build the Mukuza Girl’s Secondary School in Dar Es Salaam. The school has 129 students, and provides room and board so the girls can have their own space to study and learn.

Dr. Victoria is a leader who has used innovation, initiative, and determination to empower women in Tanzania to become economically self-sufficient.

“If I can change the life of one person it makes a whole difference because behind that person there is a whole family. It’s a family, it’s a society, it’s Tanzania”

 

 

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