May 17, 2019
Five Women Leading Innovative Companies in Nigeria
The monopoly over financial resources had been ambushing the creativity and leadership in women in every society. The eye-watering achievements and display of leadership have been giving new forms to power and influence. Regardless of age and circumstance, these women continue to thrive, steering the wheel of innovative and digital business. Meet the women who have been shaping and breaking stereotypes in Nigeria.
Odunaya Eweniyi
Odunaya is the co-founder of Piggybank; she has a background in Computer Engineering, she initially co-founded Parolz and PushCV, before she delved into Piggybank with her transformational leadership style and futurist approach to business development. She implemented an idea of secure online savings platform that makes saving possible by combining discipline plus flexibility to make their user’s grow their savings. Her drive for innovative solution lead to the formation of Piggybank, from an idea of her “kolo” (Piggybank in Yoruba language) which she used in saving judiciously.
Ugochi Ugbomeh
Ugochi is taking on the issue of public mobility in Nigeria, with her vision, she aims to tackle the issue of transportation across the country. She co-founded Tranzit, a mobility company focusing on using technology to create world-class solutions to mobility problems in Nigeria. The startup focused on delivering solutions for both e-commerce and brick and mortar stores in Nigeria. Tranzit also developed a product called TaxiPixi which is aimed to enable users to get a booking in the shortest time possible.
Achenyo Idachaba
Achenyo, an American born entrepreneur, forged a successful career as a computer scientist and business analyst in the United States. She spearheads the social enterprise known as MitiMeth, which produces home and personal accessories made from invasive aquatic weeds that predominate the Nigeria’s waterways. Achenyo who is also an environmentalist, firmly believes MitiMeth is about transforming an environmental problem into a beneficial solution. Her business is focused at empowering craftsmen, and fishermen who are directly affected by the effect of these aquatic menace and belong to a group of economically marginalized people in Nigeria.
She won the Cartier Initiative Award for women in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2014. Her company offers training programs to local communities on how to identify alternative source of incomes and seeing opportunities and taking advantage of resources within these communities. Mitimeth crafts lovely pieces that transcends the African market, putting Nigeria and Africa on the global market space.
Mofoluke Ayoola
Mofoluke transitioned her traditional interior design business established in 2010, to and Ecommerce company in the face of recession, to enable the company cut high overhead costs and remain sustainable amidst everchanging consumer behavior. The company also created a platform for selling already styled spaces with a single click, on a platform called Shop-The-Look by RedViolet. This product has however developed into a digital application that allows their users visualize their proposed design layout using similar inbuilt layout prototypes. The platform allows users to shop their desired looks on the go.
Mofoluke, The Founder and CEO of RedViolet Company, is passionate about entrepreneurship, she has dedicated her time to developing leadership skills in young people with the aim to help them empower themselves and others. She creates contents for startups, entrepreneurship and personal development.
With tremendous wealth of domain knowledge and continuous implementation of customer-focused strategy; she has been successful to steer her company towards sustainable growth, utilizing her creative entrepreneurship leadership style.
Her engineering the move of the company to a digital commerce company, serving not only Nigerians but other West African countries, has opened the company to a broader market.
Anike Lawal
Frustrated by the difficulties faced during pregnancy and health facilities, established Mamalette, an online connection platform that supports pregnant and nursing mothers in Nigeria.
A UNICEF report confirms that every single day, Nigeria loses approximately 2,300 children under the age of five and 145 women due to childbearing complications.
Mamalette serves as the platform that connects and creates support for Nigerian mothers and expectant mothers to discover and gather information that can help to improve their lives.
I will leave you with the words of Mofoluke Ayoola that says, “to become and un-become lies in your hand, your willpower defines how far.” Well done to all these women doing Nigeria proud.
