Despite being faced with overwhelming responsibilities, many Nigerian women are breaking barriers and successfully leading enterprises and organisations. They are super moms, amazing game changers, excellent entrepreneurs, real stay queens, and the list goes on…
Want to know them? We have some below:
1. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala
A force to be reckoned with, Mrs Ngozi was listed by Forbes as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the world. She was also listed as one of the Most Influential People in the world by Time Magazine, in 2013. She was born 1954 in Ogwashi Ukwu and has served two terms as Minister for Finance in Nigeria.
She was also the Managing Director of the World Bank from 2007 to 2011. Ngozi is an economist and currently sits on the board of Standard Chartered Bank, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and the African Risk Capacity.
2. Yemisi Edun
Yemisi Edun is the Executive Director of Finance at FCMB. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, and a master’s degree in International Accounting and Finance from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.
She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and a CFA® Charter holder. She is also an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers; an Associate Member of the Institute of Taxation of Nigeria; a Member of Information Systems Audit and Control, U.S.A; and a Certified Information Systems Auditor.
Yemisi began her career with Akintola Williams Deloitte (member firm of Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu) in 1987 with focus on corporate finance activities. She was also involved in the auditing of banks and other financial institutions. She joined FCMB in year 2000 as Divisional Head of Internal Audit and Control before assuming the role of Chief Financial Officer of the bank.
3. Asa Bukola Elemide
You didn’t think we were just going to talk of women strictly in financial sectors alone, did you? Asa, as she is popularly called, was born in Paris. She is a songwriter and recording artiste. She majors in pop music, jazz and indie pop. Inspired by her Father who was a cinematographer and being a huge fan of great musicians like Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, Miriam Makeba and the likes, Asa has so far released four albums to date.
She won the French Constantin Award in 2008 and sold over 400,000 albums worldwide before the release of her 4th album ‘Bed of Stone’ in 2014. Asa who toured the world in 2015-2017 with many nominations and awards under her belt has been a role model for many young ladies aspiring to go into the music industry and make it big.
4. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda, as she is popularly called, was born in 1977 in Enugu, Nigeria. She schooled at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Drexel University, Philadelphia, amongst others. Chimamanda has been making waves for quite some time, standing up publicly as an activist and feminist. She is a Nigerian novelist who majors in short stories and nonfiction. Her books include Purple Hibiscus, Half Of A Yellow Sun, Americanah and so on.
She has belted many awards and shuffles her time between Nigeria where she teaches writing workshops and the United States. In 2008, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, as well as a fellowship by Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study, Harvard University in 2011-2012.
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5. Linda Ifeoma Ikeji
Need I say more? Linda has become a household name and a reference for a lot of women seeking financial freedom. Born in 1980 in Nkwerre, the blogger, writer, entrepreneur and former model who owns her own TV now, was named among Africa’s 20 Most Prominent Women in the August 2012 issue of Forbes magazine. Ikeji is majorly known for her blog which started off in 2006/2007. By 2014, Linda Ikeji had become the biggest google search trend in Nigeria.
She was conferred a doctorate degree from Trinity International University in Georgia for her compelling and outstanding job in business and media.
There you have it. Women who, in their lifetime, are making history. You can learn from them and create your own unique path in the world of entrepreneurship.
Are you a lady who has achieved so much despite your gender? We want to celebrate you, too. Share with us in the comment section!
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