womenofrubies Archives

In Career Gems January 20, 2017 By Women of Rubies

“I COULD HAVE BEEN THAT COMMERCIAL WORKER WITH NO HOPE”- SINGER, WAJE

Nigerian singer, Aituaje Iruobe a.k.a Waje, in a bid to create awareness about societal issues and how to they can be overcomed, shared an inspiring story tagged #MyFreedomStory on Instagram.

According to the ”Omini knowest” crooner, she could have been a commercial worker battling with several sexually transmitted diseases(STDs) but instead she used the opportunity given to her to become an award winning song writer and musician.

She wrote:

”I could have been that commercial sex worker with no hope for the future, living in the slum and wondering if the next STD I contract would end my life BUT because of the opportunity given to me, I have become an award winning vocalist and songwriter and a voice for generations, leaving an indelible mark in the music industry and my country.This is

#MyFreedomStory

”Together we can transform more lives in our communities. Visit www.freedomfoundationng.org to help transform a life. @freedom_fdn #TransformAlifeToday”

In Career Gems January 20, 2017 By Women of Rubies

MELINDA GATES VISITS AISHA BUHARI IN ABUJA

Wife of the President, Her Excellency Aisha M. Buhari has commended the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for their global interventions to improve the wellbeing and livelihood of the poorest people in the world. She made the commendation while receiving Melinda French Gates, the Co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who paid her a visit at the State House, Thursday, January 19, 2017.

Aisha Buhari spoke on the need to have stronger support from the Foundation as well as more productive and enduring partnerships with relevant bodies in Nigeria to implement the Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH). She affirmed her commitment to continue to advocate and mobilize resources to improve the lives of women and children in Nigeria.

On her part, Melinda Gates expressed her satisfaction with Aisha Buhari’s Future Assured programme for the way it is touching the lives of the poor and vulnerable in the society, and said efforts like these count in the individual lives of the beneficiaries of the programme.

She highlighted the need for role models like Aisha Buhari, in the society like, because, “it is girls that grow up to become mothers and these girls need role models to emulate”. She extended her commendation to the wives of state governors who are doing everything possible to reduce negative health outcomes in their various states. She urged them to use their voices as the President’s wife is using hers to make a difference.

Earlier, the Hon. Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole had commended the progress of the Future Assured Programme and the leadership of Her Excellency especially in the area of malnutrition through her direct support and advocacy and called on Gates to leverage on the platform provided by the wives of the governors in order to achieve faster, the targets of the foundation.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Lanre Tejuosho, in his goodwill message promised that the Senate will continue to provide necessary legislation for effective health service delivery in the country.

The meeting was attended by wives of the state governors, and other relevant stakeholders.

See more photos below:

Source: Bellanaija.com

In fashion&style January 20, 2017 By Women of Rubies

KELU OGUNLEYE : THE AFRICAN GELE

Africans will need no introduction to the colorful and versatile world of gele. However, for those not so familiar with the word, it is called “head gear” in English. It is a type of head wrap adorned by Nigerian women of West Africa. Typically used as a head gear majorly by Igbos and Yorubas. However, it is more common among Yoruba women. It has become a culture and a wardrobe staple. A woman can wear her traditional outfit commonly known as Iro and buba in Yoruba language (which means blouse and wrapper ) or any form of outfit as long as long it is made with an African fabric; be it lace, Ankara or aso oke, the look is incomplete without a head gear. So basically, the gele completes the look. From 2010 to now, the rise of creative forms of gele is incredible. It is so prominent that even Lagbaja (a Nigerian Musician) wrote a song about it; “onigele yi, skentele…..onigele, skontolo” and at owambes, local drummers (mainly a group of Yoruba men in dashiki or Ankara) would walk up to women with beautiful geles; beating their talking drums and singing “ewo gele gen gen lori aji gbotoko” (loosely translated as look at the beautiful head gear on the woman who respects her husband) and as tradition, these women will then spray the drummers some Naira notes. All these show that gele isn’t just a wardrobe staple; it is also a culture that is well appreciated not just by women who wear them but also by men.

The gele is usually adorned during weddings and special events. It is used to complement the traditional attire and is an ultimate stunner and statement maker. It can be tied using different fabrics such as damask, brocade, aso oke or singele. These fabrics come in a wide array of colors, patterns and textures all contributing to the unique beauty of the gele. The tying of the gele is an art in itself and it requires creativity, dexterity and skill. Some women prefer their gele to be moderate, others like elaborate and flamboyant styles and if you are one of those wedding guests who don’t like turning up in a conventional look, you can simply tie your aso oke as a turban. Whatever your preference, the gele would definitely add more glam to your look. Do you know that there are names given to different kinds of gele? There is asake gele avant garde, onile gogoro, take a bow, abebe gele, oleku gele and so on.

It has also become a money making venture as we have certain makeup artiste who specialize in the art of tying gele such as the famous segun gele, whos based in the United States and our very own Lagos-Nigerian based Ojulewa. These people tie gele for a living and also train interested persons to become expert in the field.

We do hope you get inspiration and ideas from the beautiful collection of gele styles.

By: Kelu Ogunleye

Email: keluspecial@gmail.com

Photo credit:@ojulewastudio (Instagram handle)

In food and fitness September 2, 2020 By Esther Ijewere

#FOOD: BIG OLADUNNI CHICKEN STEW RECIPE-DOONEYSKITCHEN

You will need
2 canYou will need
2 cans of Plum tomatoes
2 medium red onions
Ginger – amount depends on your tolerance, but you should be able to smell the ginger in the uncooked pepper mix, otherwise you haven’t added enough
A sprinkling of thyme – emphasis on sprinkling
A sprinkling of curry powder
3 – 4 pieces of ata rodo – scotch bonnet/habanero pepper
3 pieces of tatashe
Sunflower oil – or your choice of veg oil
How To
1. First things first, blend your pepper mix + ginger. Take out a quarter of 1 of the onions and set aside. Make sure you keep your nose out for the ginger. Very important, but carefully ensure that you do not go overboard with it. Boil the pepper mixture to reduce it until it becomes thick. Also be on the look out for the colour. Big Oladunni’s Chicken Stew is a feast for the eyes and palate.
2. Boil your chicken with chopped onions, ginger, salt and seasoning cubes. Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: To boil chicken, you start with steaming it first in its own juices, decanting that first batch of stock, adding a little extra water, and put back on the heat again. This is how Mummy does it. She always stressed that you should never end up with more than 2, cups of stock, per whole chicken, otherwise you have just adulterated the flavour of the chicken by boiling it with too much water. Advice drilled in my ears over time. Mummy would get quite upset with you if you boiled chicken with a lot of water. Fry or grill after boiling and set aside.
3. By now, you should have your aromatic and sweet smelling reduced pepper mix. When you get to make this and you leave feedback, I really would be expecting comments about the aroma of the pepper.
4. Heat up sunflower oil in the same pot you boiled the chicken with, so as to caramelise as much of the chicken bits left behind. Chop the last quarter of the onion from step 1, add to the oil and let it fry till it softens.
5. Add the reduced pepper and let it fry. See what I as saying about the pleasant to the eye colour. Yeeeeees, once you can achieve this, you are on to something fantastic. Allow it to fry for a bit until you start to see bubbles appear in the pepper.
6. Sprinkle in a little curry powder and thyme. Emphasis on sprinkle because these spices are just flavour enhancers, and should not over power this stew
7. Allow the pepper to fry till it absorbs the oil and takes on a glossy kind of look. This is key.
8. Big Oladunni’s stew is not fried for ages like Buka stew (recipe click HERE), or else you lose the flavour of the ginger, so keep an eye on the pepper. Once the pepper has thickened further from Step 7 above, add the chicken stock, and fried or grilled chicken. Stir and lower the heat. Now, this is where the magic happens.
Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: Lowering the heat is vital. You forget and you will hear her screaming from the living room “shey o ti yina e lole”. English for have you turned down the heat. I know some may be wondering if my mother speaks any English at all, not to worry she has a BA in English from University of Ibadan and was an English teacher for years before she left to setup her own schools. Some of my memories of cooking with her just happen to be in Yoruba.
9. Allow it to fry until you start to notice oil patches on top. Once you start to notice a little oil layer above the stew, take it off the heat, and as Mummy does, just leave it to sit on its own for a while, to allow the flavours to develop before you serve.
This is a bite your fingers, crush all the bones to smithereens kind of chicken stew. Its flavour is light, delicious, flirty on your palate and tingly aromatic on your nostrils.
You will enjoy this Chicken Stew, trust me.
Your Sunday Lunch Rice and Chicken Stew will never be the same
This stew is quite flexible, in that you can use leftovers for Peppered Chicken, which is exactly what I did yesterday. Step by step recipe for peppered meats, click
HERE
2cans of Plum tomatoes
2 medium red onions
Ginger – amount depends on your tolerance, but you should be able to smell the ginger in the uncooked pepper mix, otherwise you haven’t added enough
A sprinkling of thyme – emphasis on sprinkling
A sprinkling of curry powder
3 – 4 pieces of ata rodo – scotch bonnet/habanero pepper
3 pieces of tatashe
Sunflower oil – or your choice of veg oil
How To
1. First things first, blend your pepper mix + ginger. Take out a quarter of 1 of the onions and set aside. Make sure you keep your nose out for the ginger. Very important, but carefully ensure that you do not go overboard with it. Boil the pepper mixture to reduce it until it becomes thick. Also be on the look out for the colour. Big Oladunni’s Chicken Stew is a feast for the eyes and palate.
2. Boil your chicken with chopped onions, ginger, salt and seasoning cubes. Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: To boil chicken, you start with steaming it first in its own juices, decanting that first batch of stock, adding a little extra water, and put back on the heat again. This is how Mummy does it. She always stressed that you should never end up with more than 2, cups of stock, per whole chicken, otherwise you have just adulterated the flavour of the chicken by boiling it with too much water. Advice drilled in my ears over time. Mummy would get quite upset with you if you boiled chicken with a lot of water. Fry or grill after boiling and set aside.
3. By now, you should have your aromatic and sweet smelling reduced pepper mix. When you get to make this and you leave feedback, I really would be expecting comments about the aroma of the pepper.
4. Heat up sunflower oil in the same pot you boiled the chicken with, so as to caramelise as much of the chicken bits left behind. Chop the last quarter of the onion from step 1, add to the oil and let it fry till it softens.

5. Add the reduced pepper and let it fry. See what I as saying about the pleasant to the eye colour. Yeeeeees, once you can achieve this, you are on to something fantastic. Allow it to fry for a bit until you start to see bubbles appear in the pepper.

6. Sprinkle in a little curry powder and thyme. Emphasis on sprinkle because these spices are just flavour enhancers, and should not over power this stew

7. Allow the pepper to fry till it absorbs the oil and takes on a glossy kind of look. This is key.

8. Big Oladunni’s stew is not fried for ages like Buka stew (recipe click HERE), or else you lose the flavour of the ginger, so keep an eye on the pepper. Once the pepper has thickened further from Step 7 above, add the chicken stock, and fried or grilled chicken. Stir and lower the heat. Now, this is where the magic happens.

Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: Lowering the heat is vital. You forget and you will hear her screaming from the living room “shey o ti yina e lole”. English for have you turned down the heat. I know some may be wondering if my mother speaks any English at all, not to worry she has a BA in English from University of Ibadan and was an English teacher for years before she left to setup her own schools. Some of my memories of cooking with her just happen to be in Yoruba.

9. Allow it to fry until you start to notice oil patches on top. Once you start to notice a little oil layer above the stew, take it off the heat, and as Mummy does, just leave it to sit on its own for a while, to allow the flavours to develop before you serve.

This is a bite your fingers, crush all the bones to smithereens kind of chicken stew. Its flavour is light, delicious, flirty on your palate and tingly aromatic on your nostrils.

You will enjoy this Chicken Stew, trust me.

Your Sunday Lunch Rice and Chicken Stew will never be the same

This stew is quite flexible, in that you can leftovers for pepperedchicken

Source:dooneyskitchen.com

In lifestyle January 20, 2017 By Women of Rubies

TOP EIGHT FEMALE SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS

Here is our list of the top eight social media influencers in Nigeria , who are making a difference and very consistent with their crafts.

Linda Ikeji of LindaIkejiBlog(LIB)

Linda Ikeji, known as ‘Queen of bloggers’ is a blogger, entrepreneur, and former model. She also runs a non-profit project themed ”I’d rather be self made;No thanks”, where she assists young girls aged 16-25 who have great business ideas and are willing to venture into entrepreneurship. She is the highest paid blogger in Nigeria. She launched her own social network recently, called Linda Ikeji Social (LIS) which has gotten thousands of users already.

Tosin Ajibade of OloriSuperGal (OSG)

Tosin Ajibade, known popularly as Olorisupergal (OSG), is an entrepreneur, blogger, digital content strategist, and a writer. She is known for her lifestyle and entertainment website, OloriSuperGal.com, as well as a South African edition. She is also the organizer of the New Media Conference, that is held annually in Nigeria.

Toke Makinwa

Toke Makinwa is a media personality, vlogger, and author. She co-hosts The Morning Drive on Rhythm 93.7 fm and also hosts her YouTube vlog series ‘Toke Moments’. She once hosted Trending on HipTV. She wrote and published her first book ”On Becoming” last year. She plays a big role in starting off fashion trends.

Laila Ijeoma Obiagwu of LAILASBLOG

Laila Ijeoma of Lailasblog is one of the most loved blog/blogger and influencer. A banker and a mother, she started Lailasblog.com in January 2013. Lailasblog serves you the best of Nigeria news,Entertainment news, Gossip and that’s just the beginning.

Uche Eze Pedro of BellaNaija

Uche Eze Pedro is a blogger, writer, social media expert, and entrepreneur. She is the founder of BellaNaija, an online entertainment, fashion and lifestyle magazine. Uche runs an inspiring and informative entertainment portal; you can’t help but become addicted to her unique style of blogging and has been influencing social media for over a decade now.

Yemisi of sisiyemmie.com

Yemisi Odusanya, popularly known has sisi yemmie is another social influencer who penetrates into the social media with her Nigerian food and lifestyle blog. Contents on her blog ranges from relationships, career, beauty to parenting. She is one of the many powerful tools that dictate trends.

Helen Ozor Of heleneventsblog

Helen Ozor, owner of heleneventsblog also plays a huge part in the Nigerian social media scene. Her blog covers events, giving people free brochure into party designs, trends and even party ideas.

Jemimah Adebiyi of Sisijemimah

Jemimah Adebiyi of Sisi Jemimah, is a food blogger. She is the author and recipe developer at SisiJemimah.com; a food blog which features delicious, family friendly recipes with thoroughly detailed step-by-step preparation methods, supported with clear, accurate photos.

In Interviews&profile January 20, 2017 By Esther Ijewere

#PROFILE | MEET TOLA ADENLE, THE WOMAN WHO CREATED THE FIRST WOMEN MAGAZINE IN NIGERIA

Emotan Magazine, a woman bi-monthly magazine was founded in 1977 by trail-blazing Mrs Tola Adenle, a wife, mother of four, grandmother of six, who turned 70 in April.

Mrs Adenle’s career in journalism started when she was serving the mandatory National Youth Service at The Daily Sketch Newspaper. She went on to start, Emotan, A Woman’s Bimonthly which ran from 1977 to 1985.

From 2002, she contributed weekly essays to The Comet on Sunday, and she continued writing till December 26, 2010.

Emotan Magazine which was sold for 50kobo at the time, covered many women related issues including politics, sports, fashion, and opinions.

In her Editorial Note in the July/August 1978 issue, she described Emotan as ‘Nigeria’s First Quality Women’s Magazine’

She also wrote about being a female publisher;

I remember when people used to ask when they would see my boss!… Well, do you blame those male ch……? I’m a most unusual publisher, I agree…. I did succeed even with all these men despite my quarter-inch afro which I have grown back.

“The tiny African girl with the big afro” was how one of her bosses described her when she worked at the World Bank in the early to mid 1970s.

Interestingly, Mrs Tola Adenle has kept the memories of her magazine alive through blogging and she has been doing this since 2011.

After she was introduced to blogging by her youngest daughter, she decided to digitize her old newspaper weekly essays as well as write on other subjects that are of interest to her.

She considers her blog, emotanafricana.com, as a free time hobby to keep her busy.

One of the subjects she loves to write about is the Yoruba’s Aṣọ Òkè, which has attracted over 12,000 viewers on her blog.

Because of her followers love for the subject, she created a different category on her blog for the topic while she wrote a book on the subject titled, “Aso oke Yoruba: A Tapestry of Love & Colour, A journey of Personal Discovery.”

Although it took her so much effort to get people to read the blog when she started, the 70-year-old woman has now been blogging for five years.

Credit: woman.ng , emotanafricana.com

In self development January 19, 2017 By Women of Rubies

ARIYIKE WEEKLY : HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES FOR 2017

Nowadays, there are so many food choices, however, the unhealthy ones seem to be more available than the healthy ones. Today on Ariyike weekly, it’s all about food choices. Nutritionists, Doctors, People who have had personal experiences with food choices and People who want to learn, Please get in here and let’s share our views on the healthy food choices we need to make and the unhealthy ones we need to ditch this year.

In self development January 19, 2017 By Women of Rubies

KEMI AMUSHAN : THE TYPE OF MEN TO FLEE FROM THIS NEW YEAR

They say dating is nothing but a game of craps where you’re either going to get lucky and hit it big by meeting the right one or you lose big and walk away with another disappointing experience, which gives you clarity on what you’re looking for.

Having been back on the dating scene for some years now, it’s safe to say that I have had more than my fair share of disappointments, so I’m either a glutton for punishment or am very hopeful that the right one for me is out there somewhere.

The key is recognising and avoiding the men that drain your energy and time, and trust me when I say that there are different types of men that you should avoid at all cost.

God’s Gift to Women

The man who seems to be the complete package is a blessing and a curse all at the same time, because he’s usually going to be physically attractive, successful and have minimal baggage. He’ll often remind you that he is the bomb and while he’ll do all of the things most women would be turned off by, he knows most women will put up with his shenanigans because he really appears to have it going for him. Avoid at all cost.

Transitional Project

It seems like the main ones flocking to the dating scene are the same ones who have absolutely no business trying to date, especially if they’re jobless, homeless or just down on their luck. Something you might hear from this type could be how he’s starting over or that he’s trying to get back into the groove of things after a breakup. I’ve come across these men far too often and after a few exchange of messages or conversations, I must say, they can be very convincing and tend to have some of the best game when it comes to schmoozing a woman. You better-run girl, run.

The Workaholic

I know women think it’s better to have a hard working man than one who isn’t working at all, but unless you like being on stand-by, are willing to put up with the inconsistent behaviour and the mood swings that come with high-pressure careers, he’s all yours. This type of guy is pretty easy to recognise. His profile will state he’s a “hard-working man who puts in 60 hours a week…” or how he travels a lot and would like an “activity partner…”.

Believe me, I’ve got plenty to say about this one because this type has drifted in and out of my life often. He really either has no time or more aptly put, refuses to make any woman a high enough priority to make time. This man is really looking for fillers for any downtime he may have; someone to exchange a few texts with to make sure he’s not lost his touch, someone to call on those long commutes home, or a bed warmer after a long days work. Bail out girl.

Damsel in Distress

These types of men can be a little confusing because they can be just as driven as the workaholic, yet will still make time for a woman of interest. The problem is that their interest usually comes at a price, because they will demand all of your time, energy and affection and even if you think you’re doing everything right, you’ll see that nothing is ever right or enough for the damsels.

Online dating is their playground because most of them have so many hang-ups, it’s likely they wouldn’t even know how to approach a woman physically and can be pretty controlling early on. You can expect mood swings and rants, find yourself arguing over the most insignificant things and find yourself wondering how much of your sanity is left at the end of every day. The damsel is a charmer indeed, but the clues are always in his profile. Always. So don’t miss that sign.

Mr. Unusual

Get ready for some really confusing times if you happen to come across this type of man because I think he’s a combination of all of the above and will have a few clues in his dating profile that say things like how he’s “open to whatever” and isn’t “forcing anything, but letting things happen”. He’s the type who’s on the fence about everything not willing to say what he does or does not want and your interactions with him will be just the same; hot or cold, on or off and no explanations or talks about where things are going (or aren’t) because this guy isn’t committing to a damn thing. Pack up your shoes and run with your legs touching your back. Trust me.

So there you have it, a list of men you can only hope to avoid and while it isn’t by any means inclusive, it should hopefully give you a fighting chance at dating.

To our happiness. Cheers.

Source: Guardian.ng

In Interviews&profile January 19, 2017 By Women of Rubies

#INTERVIEW | “IF YOU ARE NOT DETERMINED, YOU WILL NOT SUCCEED IN NIGERIA” – QUEEN MARTINS

Queen Martins is the founder of Twenty5wishes, an initiative that supports 25 people with training, exhibition and investment opportunities to run their businesses. In this interview she spoke on the project, the motivation and why entrepreneurs should be supported.

Inspiration behind Twenty5wishes initiative

Twenty5wishes is an initiative poised to annually bring into reality the dreams of young people in Nigeria. Committed to developing the human capital of the Nigerian youth, the initiative presents a platform through which dynamic individuals are groomed into successful entrepreneurs through mentorship, with industry influencers and the opportunity to receive tools and funds that facilitate their business endeavours.

To kick-start this process, referrals and personal requests are forwarded to us. Our wish team screens these referrals and requests on their merit, and in order to be eligible, individuals must have demonstrated passion in the particular field, where they desire intervention.

This year, our wishers have shown great interest in various industries, including photography, fashion, makeup, shoe-making, events planning, media, e-commerce and filmmaking. These wishes will be granted in three phases: Training, talent showcase, and business setup with tools.

The ultimate goal of the Twenty5wishes initiative is to set up an endowment fund and build an entrepreneurship training institute with global standards of learning, modern facilities, training equipment and facilitators, which the Nigerian youth can access to develop and broaden their creative talents and sharpen their skill set. We believe the multiplier effect will, overtime, positively impact lives, families, communities and by extension, the nation.

For the training, we reached out to industry leaders and they partnered with us to offer training and across the different phases of the project. For instance, in the field of fashion, we partnered with OFB Fashion School, as well as Africa Fashion Week Nigeria. With regards to photography, we partnered with Kelechi Amadi-Obi, Jide and Morayo Odukoya and an institute, including organisers of Lagos Photo Festival.

In the area of media, we partnered with Beat FM. For make up, we partnered with House of Tara. And for event planning, we partnered with Funke Bucknor. So, we partnered with quite a number of organisations and individuals.

How many people showed interest in the first pitch?

Quite a number of people. We had over 100 people from which we shortlisted. This is in spite of the fact that we did not really make a lot of noise about it. It actually started during my birthday. I was going to turn 25 and I decided to just do something that would be impactful, but it got to a scale that I knew I had to formalise things. That is how we evolved into a full fledge initiative.

What prompted that line of thought on your birthday?

Beyond just celebrating my birthday, there was also a personal conviction as to the reason I am where I am today, and the roles that people have played in getting me there. I know there are other people who have potentials as well, but just do not have the right platform to showcase their skills; they are not in the right network.

Also, there are a lot of people who have good ideas, but not very well skilled in being able to put proposals together to articulate those ideas. So, what we do is try to cut through the red tape and give these people opportunities that they need, help and nurture them that they are able to earn the income they deserve.

Feedback like from the first phase of the training?

The feedback was mostly good, but another thing I learnt through the first phase was the fact that sometimes it is not enough to have the skill, you also have to be business savvy, and know how to run a business. The good thing is that because of what we have been able to do and people are following on the social media, a lot more people have decided to come on board to help out with the different phases and mentor people. In all, the feedback has been good.

What was your reaction and experience after the completion of the first phase and the commencement of the second phase?

It is basically picking lessons from the first phase and inputting those in the next quarter of wishes, so that it could be better structured, as well as get more in terms of impact. Of course, there was also the challenge of partners that could come onboard, especially when you are doing something for the first time.

But now, we have the benefit of having done something and we are looking forward to partnering with larger corporate bodies, because the more partners we have, the more wishers we can bring on.

Moving forward, what is the projection?

For the first one, we are able to get partners, and they are not small-scale organisations. So, it is about closing up on what we have already and of course setting up our own training facility, as well. This is so that we are able to conduct some of the trainings within our facility and basically increase the scale. Instead of 25 wishers, we would be looking at 25 people each from different industries. What we have now are 25 people across different industries.

For the last stage, when the wishers are to start practising their wishes, are you giving cash to start their businesses?

After the training, and in the process of getting ready for their exhibition, they go through business seminar, so that they understand what it takes to have a business plan, because they need to have projections. You could give somebody money, but if they do not know what they are going to do with it, it would be a waste.

Therefore, we get them to prepare their business plans, and then pitch such to the angel investors, and based on how convinced the latter are, the trainees would then invest. Already, they had received free training, so they need to know that this is worth fighting for, and not a walk in the park. Succeeding in business demands a lot. You need to go out there, do your market survey, identify your unique selling proposition (USP) and it is only after this, that you have the chance of excelling, and one way to do that is having a business plan.

Has it been a rosy experience?

It has not been entirely rosy. You might be able to accomplish something without money, but to really make impact you need money. Of course, we need money, but I thank the Lord for some of the support we have received. Though it is not financial, but we have received a lot of partnership for some of the things we need.

Another thing is to want to help people and they are able to envision and focus on where they are going and not be distracted by anything along the way. We have had one or two cases of people not following through and it is almost like a waste because somebody else would have benefitted from the wasted slot. Overall, however, we thank the Lord.

What is the motive behind this?

The truth is that there are so many jobs available right now, but with the number of graduates that we turn out daily, there is not enough room in offices. So, people need to look inward and start to think of how they can earn an income. Otherwise, we are going to have a lot more criminals on the roads, as people need money at the end of the day. And if they were not able to earn it, they would look for a way to get it out there.

If we were able to create entrepreneurs, who are passionate about what they do and think on a large scale, we would reduce the number of unemployed graduates, as well as reduce the pressure on corporate organisations to employ all the graduates. And not everybody is cut for office work anyway. There are people who are good with crafts, so all they need is the right platform to earn an income.

Are you looking at partnering with government agencies supporting entrepreneurs?

We are also looking at those organisations, but right now, we have not established partnership with them. However, we are looking at approaching some of them for the next quarter of wishes.

Is the project limited to Lagos?

For the first phase, we had entries from outside Lagos, but we tried to keep it to Lagos for now because we are just starting. As we increase the level of partnership and are able to cater for the needs of people outside Lagos, we would consider entries from outside Lagos.

Do you think the Nigerian environment encourages entrepreneurship?

It promotes dogged entrepreneurs. If you are not determined, you will not succeed in Nigeria because the terrain is not for the light minded. You have to be tenacious and not give up at the first obstacle.

However, people should not give up on their dreams. Though they might have tried to do one project or the other and failed, they should not give up. They should just keep trying, using different approaches, get more counsel, somebody good in that field, to guide and counsel them and they will definitely make a breakthrough.

Source: Guardian.ng

In Career Gems January 18, 2017 By Women of Rubies

SHE LEADS AFRICA SEEKS PROMOTION OF AFRICAN WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

In its bid to change the perception of African women and expose them to technologies that can help promote their careers, a women-oriented organisation, She Leads Africa, says it is organising a one-day event tagged, “SLAY Festival.”

According to a statement by the co-founders of the organisation, Afua Osei and Yasmin Belo-Osagie, the festival — open to female entrepreneurs — will help spur deeper thinking and ambition while creating an interactive and unforgettable experience among women in Africa.

In order to create awareness about solar energy and eco-friendly waste disposal, the co-founders also said the event, which would take place in Lagos, would partner with Solar Shop and Recycle Points.

The statement said, “The festival is a one-day celebration of innovation, culture, technology, music, arts, food and all things entrepreneurial.

“SLAY Festival is a fun way to celebrate everything that makes the African woman great by equipping attendees with tools, resources and connections that will enhance their careers and achieve their goals.

With a membership of over 200,000 female entrepreneurs in over 30 countries, Osei and Bello-Osagie said the community had been able to supply business and career advice through in-person workshops and digital training on their worldwide city tours, called SheHive

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