Sterling One Foundation was established in 2018 by Sterling Bank Plc as a vehicle to drive positive social impact across critical sectors in the economy. Its Chief Executive, Mrs. Olapeju Ibekwe, says the Foundation’s stakeholder-driven interventions have so far directly impacted about 300, 000 beneficiaries, with nearly four million indirect beneficiaries. She also shed light on its interventions in its five critical areas of health, youth development and education, food security, gender equality & women empowerment, and climate action. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Her efficient and sustainable approach to empowering people is her competitive edge in the social entrepreneurial space. Indeed, unlike other social entrepreneurs, who are passionate about helping or empowering people around them, sustainability professional and Chief Executive, Sterling One Foundation, a vehicle for positive social impact across critical sectors in the economy, Mrs. Olapeju Ibekwe, is more passionate about doing it in a systematic and sustainable way.

“My philosophy is simple. When I find a problem, I first don’t just seek to solve it on the surface, but I work to find the root causes and move to create an opportunity to solve them from there alongside the people it affects, so that they are empowered enough to not only help themselves, but help others,” Olapeju, who is a seasoned business leader with keen interests in women empowerment, access to quality education, access to healthcare and youth development, told The Nation.

Sterling One Foundation, which Olapeju leads in championing social transformation in Nigeria, was established in 2018 by Sterling Bank Plc., to tackle the root causes of poverty. However, the Foundation has a separate board of trustees and has since prioritized social impact investments across critical sectors for maximum impact.

The Foundation, which is driven by the unique challenges facing millions of Nigerians and other Africans, has been contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), harnessing demographic dividends and improving the lives of people in under-served communities.

Olapeju has since brought her systematic and sustainable way of empowering people in under-served communities to bear on the Foundation’s social transformation agenda. For instance, through its innovative programs and integrated approach, Sterling One Foundation has been engaging in stakeholder driven interventions that are geared towards socio-economic development, wealth creation, employability, sustainability and national development.

The Foundation has been transforming the lives of hundreds of women and men, to create Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to help those living in the villages to generate livelihood opportunities and to improve their employable skills through income generation programmes. Its approach to work where it prioritizes ecosystem partnerships has made the impact of its contributions far-reaching. In the past five and a half years, for instance, it has been able to drive progress in every state in Nigeria, as well as some African countries.

Olapeju, who holds a B.Sc in Mass Communication, from the University of Lagos and Masters in Public and International Affairs, specifically said the Foundation’s evaluation numbers place its direct impact at about 300, 000 beneficiaries, with nearly four million more indirect beneficiaries, who are majorly relatives of its direct beneficiaries, their employees, community members benefiting from their newly acquired skills and beneficiaries of other nonprofits who the Foundation supports.

She explained that since inception, the Foundation’s work has been focused on five critical areas – health, youth development and education, food security, gender equality & women empowerment, and climate action. She added that in each of these areas, the Foundation has implemented key projects that beyond driving community development, strived to empower people directly.

“For instance, our Beach Adoption Project through which we collect and recycle waste in coastal communities is not only focused on cleaning up communities, but turning youths and women in those communities into waste collectors and having an alternative income source benefitting from the circular economy,” she said, noting that under gender equality, “we continue to mainstream solutions to tackle gender-based violence, as we see it as a major hurdle many women have to scale to achieve their goals.”

According to Olapeju, the Foundation does this by leveraging entertainment so as to gradually change the culture of shame that is attributed to gender-based violence. “In the coming years, our goal is to deepen the impact we’ve created and to fashion out more projects and pathways for people to have better live,” she said.

She added that the Foundation has also already expanded its climate action portfolio to include an agro-forestry component that will see it plant 10, 000 trees by the end of 2023 and over one million trees by 2030, all in our bid to restore biodiversity and tackle climate change.

Under food security, Olapeju said the Foundation is also working with farmer clusters to provide inputs, high yield crops and financing to boost their production and yield, thus reducing food scarcity in view of the food security challenges faced by Nigeria and the continent. Same for education, where, according to her, the Foundation has intentionally prioritized early learning and teacher capacity building, while also strategically widening its net to reach more age groups with different solutions that meet their development needs.

Health is also not left out. Olapeju words: “Our approach in health still has elements of our education component as we are prioritizing capacity building of health care workers in a way that it improves the efficiency of the primary health centres which serves the bulk of the Nigerian populace. Our overall goal by the end of the year is to have a direct positive impact in the lives of one million beneficiaries.”

In doing all of these, a key part of Olapeju’s strategy is to identify leaders in organisations to help her gain entry into their communities. Together with influential leaders, she has been able establish an active network through her organisation that brings people with progressive views together to strengthen the cause of entrepreneurship and to improve daily lives of Nigerians.

Unsurprisingly, the strategy has worked magic, literarily. “From the children whose fees we pay to ensure they have access to quality education and the girls we are giving supplementary Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education to the young people who we’re working with our partners to equip with skills and start-up funding, we are making the sort of investments that put people in a good place to be pulled out of poverty and pull others out of poverty,” Olapeju said.

The social entrepreneur pointed out that the ripple effect of the Foundation’s work has indirectly brought her childhood dreams to reality because “as a child, I dreamt of being a lawyer so that I could help a lot of people get justice and be treated fairly. Today, the work I lead at Sterling One Foundation drives equity and a better living standard for millions of people, and that brings me an unexplainable sense of fulfillment.”

Effortlessly beautiful and hardworking, it is easy to see how Olapeju draws inspiration and strength for her inspiring passion to tough lives positively. Her words: “Every day, I listen to stories of people living in conditions that no one should be living in. Doing that on a daily basis changes things about you even if you don’t consciously notice, and that’s been my story.

“While I’d say I’ve always been passionate about helping those around me, I’ve become more passionate about doing it in a systematic way. Thankfully, leading the Sterling One Foundation has placed me in the driver’s seat and given me a very good chance to do that, and so far, we have done well but there is still a lot to be done.”

In all she has done to change the dynamics in entrepreneurship, social change and poverty alleviation, Olapeju has never stopped telling whoever cares to listen her guiding principle. “There’s an age-long saying that ‘if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.’  This, for me, has been a guiding principle in the way I think, operate, and work to drive development,” she stated.

Olapeju emphasized that in a country like Nigeria where there are too many people to help and very few resources, “I have found one of the most important tasks to be empowering more people to the point where they are able to help others as a more efficient and sustainable approach.”

In line with the Foundation’s empowerment programme, it has been working with the Federal Government Jubilee Fellowship Programme, which aims to place 20, 000 young Nigerian graduates annually into paid one-year opportunities within private and public sector organisations across the country.

A key component of the programme, The Nation learnt, is its focus on finding the most qualified talents through a transparent process and matching them with host organisations where they can be most impactful and grow.

Expectedly, Sterling One Foundation’s sterling accomplishments in the social entrepreneurial space haven’t gone unnoticed and unrecognized.  For instance, the Foundation has been shortlisted for different awards, including becoming the pioneer winner of the ECOSEA Award for Most Outstanding Foundation in Environmental Sustainability.

Olapeju also received the Leadership Impact Award in Non-profit Management at the CSR Reporters Philanthropic Awards 2022 on Social Impact and Sustainability Practices. She was recognized for her exemplary role in leading Sterling One Foundation to champion social transformation in Nigeria.

With nearly two decades of corporate experience, Olapeju has built expertise in brand and marketing communications, strategy formulation and execution, team management, process improvement, strategic partnerships, business expansion and stakeholder management.

Currently, she oversees all operations and initiatives at Sterling One Foundation, a social change vehicle to tackle the root causes of poverty in Nigeria. Under this non-profit, she works with and supports various non-profits across the African continent in capacity building, alternative financing and amplifying impact. She also works with the private and public sector in their social impact initiatives.

Before now, Olapeju worked in the media as a broadcaster and at Sterling Bank where she supported the marketing activities of the Corporate and Investment Banking team and led the social investment portfolio of the bank, helping it become the most socially responsible corporate organisation in Nigeria as awarded by the Great Place to Work Institute, Nigeria (GPTW).

She also sits on the board of the One Health Initiative where she helps shape impactful policies and initiatives for medical practitioners and everyday Nigerians seeking better healthcare.

Fintech start-up Dukka Limited offers digital bookkeeping and payment solutions to drive financial inclusion among Africa’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It’s founder and CEO, Keturah Ovio, says Dukka has been providing MSMEs with easy-to-use digital technology tools to enable them grow and become tomorrow’s big businesses. DANIEL ESSIE reports.

Within Africa’s burgeoning Financial Technology (fintech) industry, the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dukka Limited, a digital bookkeeping and payment solutions  company, Keturah Ovio, has, in a remarkably short time, stamped her feet as the numero uno in driving financial inclusion among Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the continent.

   Already, Dukka, a fintech start-up, which she established in March 2021, has on-boarded over 200, 000 small business owners across the 36 states in Nigeria and other countries in Africa.

Basically, what Dukka did to warm itself to the hearts of not a few small business owners looking to save costs through the use of technology was to create an operating system for them to manage their finances better and accept payments across multiple sales channels. This the innovation-driven organisation did by developing financial products, which include a launchpad for aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses, a bookkeeping solution and a Point-of-Sale (PoS) system. Its products allow MSMEs to grow sustainably without spending their money or hard-earned capital recklessly.

For Keturah, who earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Computer Software Engineering, from Nottingham Trent University, UK, in 2013, helping MSME owners and retailers access financial services is a sure way to helping them increase their income, improve their financial control and also build their resilience. For instance, the bookkeeping solution, according to the fast-rising tech entrepreneur, helps small businessmen deal with invoicing,

Inventory and other accounting needs, thereby making their daily routine less dependent on paperwork, less tiring while also allowing them focus more on growing their business.

The Dukka bookkeeping solution, which is simplest to use, and was designed for micro and small segment of the business community, also gives MSMEs the opportunity to manage their sales, purchases, inventory, all in one place and in a super simple way. “Dukka makes it easy for small businesses to manage their bookkeeping process. With the Dukka mobile app, small businesses are empowered to set up, track and monitor their business cash flow effortlessly,” Keturah pointed out.

The company’s PoS terminal, which provides payment solutions for small businesses across Africa, with Nigeria being its launch pad, is no less exciting and revolutionary. Its smart PoS terminal captures transactions instantly whilst enabling small merchants to accept payments from customers in-store and online. In other words, the solution was designed to enable small business owners to accept all types of cash and digital payment methods such as card and bank transfers in-store and online, record sales, and view business performance reports.

A hard working and meticulous tech entrepreneur, Keturah is a stickler to details. Prior to the launch of Dukka’s PoS terminals, the Computer Software Engineer painstakingly spent several months testing and validating the product, building the right partners, and getting certification and approval before introducing it to the market. She refused to bow to pressure caused by surge in the number of business owners demanding Dukka’s PoS terminals ahead of its official launch until the necessary validation, certification and approval were concluded.

Keturah applied the same approach when she unveiled the Dukka launchpad bundled services app, to help MSMEs kick-start their digital transformation journey.The solution, she explained, was aimed at helping African MSMEs adapt quickly to changing market conditions and also empower them to transition from the informal sector to the formal one in the most efficient way possible, while seamlessly accepting payment.

The product, which is scalable, also makes it simple for users to switch to and embrace new releases without having to upgrade their skills or learn new procedures. The software also helps micro and small enterprises with invoicing, inventory, accounting requirements, and more. The programme, which facilitates offline, Internet-free business bookkeeping and the creation, printing, and distribution of personalised invoices, also enables MSME owners and other businesses increase their productivity and of course, their bottom-line.

What makes Dukka’s products and solution stand out? What is the company’s competitive edge in the fintech space? In other words, what is its unique selling point?

According to Keturah, Dukka is the only payment solution provider that has a bookkeeping app and a PoS terminal solution combined for small businesses. “We are number one. No one does it like us today. It is either they are providing the bookkeeping app or the PoS terminal, but we are providing both together,” she declared.

Continuing, Keturah said: “For us, we are innovation-driven and we have created an integrated solution all in one solution where you can run your business from your palm or pocket and no one is doing that today in Nigeria. We are not just building a Nigerian company; we are building a global company that will solve problems of small merchants across the globe.” As she added, the business, which recorded $30 million in sales transactions in 2022, plans to double or triple the volume by the end of this year.

But, in building her multi-million dollars business empire, it is easy to see why Keturah is focused on the MSME segment of the economy where she is deploying digital tech tools to help them transition seamlessly from the informal sector to the formal one and by so doing, boost their productivity and profitability. For one, most MSMEs in Nigeria operate in the informal sector where they create about 70 per cent of employment, establish a new middle class and stimulate demand for new goods and services. Despite operating in a sector widely acknowledged as the fastest growing sector that generates a significant amount of employment, for instance, MSMEs still face many hurdles, particularly with regards to technology. But Keturah strongly believes that members of the informal sector deserve access to financial and business management services no matter where they live or what their circumstances may be. Accordingly, she is leaving no stone unturned in her quest to ensure that the necessary digital tech tools are deployed to tap the huge potential in the MSME segment of the economy. Beyond pushing for the increased adoption of financial services for consumers and businesses looking for an alternative to traditional banks in Nigeria, Keturah has also been collaborating with regulators and financial institutions to spearhead a vision to drive a digital platform that powers trade, commerce and financial services.

With Lagos State looking to become the next Silicon Valley, Keturah has also thrown her weight behind the vision by supporting the government in the establishment of a dynamic eco system. Specifically, she has established a co-working space to further help build the start-up infrastructure.

The co-working space allows entrepreneurs and businesses to make use of and pay only for desk space, meeting rooms, boardrooms and other shared office facilities and amenities when needed. For the organisation, it is a great deal for any business, freelancer or start-up that doesn’t need a full-time office space or shop.

She has also channeled her energy and resources to talent development. “We strongly believe in our ethos that the right talent can build up or tear down any start-up or organisation irrespective of how much funding they have received. With our talent development programme, I contribute my quota in up-skilling young and bright people by investing in them to become high performing professionals that the ecosystem needs,” she explained.

Unsurprisingly, Keturah’s unwavering determination to change the dynamics in the MSME sub-sector by developing a number of financial products as well as investing in talent development have been well received and appreciated. For instance, in the MSME space, she said many business owners have started realising the importance of technology and how it can help their business. A steady stream of customers from far and near appears to confirm Keturah’s rising profile in the financial inclusion drive amongst MSMEs in Nigeria and Africa.

“Our mission is to drive financial inclusion among Africa’s small businesses by providing them with the easy-to-use digital technology tools that will enable them to grow to become big businesses tomorrow,” Ketura emphasised, insisting that efforts should be targeted at the huge segment of small and medium businesses, which, according to her, has, to a large extent, been left out of the tech revolution.

Interestingly, for budding entrepreneur and software engineer, bringing operators in the MSME segment of the economy up to speed in the ongoing tech revolution has been a walk in the park, literarily. Beyond her training as a software engineer in a reputable institution, which prepared her for the ground-breaking work she is doing the fintech space, Keturah’s childhood passion for everything tech and innovation has been an added advantage. “I have always loved computing as a teenager. I love using the computer to solve problems,” she told The Nation.

Expectedly, her incurable passion for innovation, from a young age, led her to work incredibly hard.  This paid off in many ways and led to an exceptionally successful corporate career in later life. She has spent most of her career in development roles in the IT industry which led to the development of applications used by thousands of customers. For instance, she was a founding engineer, Buzz Element, in 2013, Tony Elumelu Foundation maiden beneficiary in 2015.

Keturah also emerged first place winner of the 2016 Enterprise Challenge competition by the British Council Nigeria and Virgin Atlantic, in 2016, mentored by Sir Richard Branson. She is also a 2018 benefiary of the Cherie Blair Foundation, NVC Finalist at Wharton Africa Business Forum in 2019, Finalist Africa-UK Female Tech Founders in 2020, and Best in Cohort Founder Gym Cohort 18 in 2022.

More recently, Keturah represented Dukka at the Africa Business Convention 2023 (ABC2023), where she shared her insights and vision for the future of payments in Africa. As a critical player in the industry, the Dukka CEO joined other industry leaders in a thought-provoking dialogue on homegrown digital payments, cross-border payments, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Held on February 7-8, 2023, at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, the ABC2023 was the third edition of the Africa-focused conference. Themed ‘Africa Connected’, Keturah used the platform of the premier business convening for business leaders, governments, policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs across Africa and beyond to also emphasised the importance of empowering small businesses through payments, and how Dukka’s innovative solutions are helping to achieve this goal.

A Nigerian, Onome Ako, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Action Against Hunger, Canada. She has been leading the global campaign for community-led approaches to addressing the right to food by fighting hunger and malnutrition for 40 years. She shares the moving story of how she ended up in the international development/non-profit space with DANIEL ESSIET.

A Diaspora Nigerian, Onome Ako, bestrides the international development/non-profit space like a colossus, using the platform of Action Against Hunger, Canada, where she is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), to lead the global advocacy for ending hunger and malnutrition. And in doing so, she drew sufficient strength from her experiences growing up in Nigeria.

“My journey into the not-for-profit sector is rooted in my experiences growing up in Nigeria. As you can imagine, my parents were my first influences. Very early on, I became aware and appreciative of my parents’ service to our community,” Onome, who is a B.A holder in English, from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, began.

Shading more light on the nature of her parents’ community service that shaped her  engagement in the non-profits space, Onome said: “My father provided clean drinking water to our neighbours and my mom would buy food items like bananas we did not need so that the girls selling them could go back home and do their homework and have a better chance for a brighter future.”

The zero hunger campaigner, who also earned a Masters in International Affairs and Diplomacy, from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, and an M.Sc. in Management of NGOs and Social Policy from the London School of Economics, also said her experience with three of her friends back in boarding school also played a role.

According to her, “three of my friends…were victims of early and forced child marriage. They were probably also victims of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), a precursor to early and forced marriage. Another friend of mine, an exchange student from Niger republic, Ibrahim, also shared a similar plight with his sisters.”

Onome said it was at that point she started connecting the dots. “I wanted to respond. I wanted to scale up what my parents were doing. I wanted to be a voice for my friends and for Ibrahim’s sisters. This is how I ended up in the international development/non-profit space,” she told The Nation, noting that one of her goals is to bring happiness in the lives of the people.

As Onome explained, “I became an advocate for ending hunger because access to food is one of the most basic human rights. Not having enough to eat is not only detrimental to the individual but to the society as well. Without treatment, hunger can lead to stunted growth, limited mental and emotional development, and even death.

“I also realised that widespread hunger is a symptom of much larger problems, including poverty and inequality. So, by advocating for the elimination of hunger, we are also advocating for an end to its root causes so that those who are vulnerable can regain their dignity and lead full lives”.

She reiterated that for her, personally, “seeing my dad serve the community was my biggest inspiration. I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I wanted to do something on a larger scale. Ultimately, everything begins at the community  level. I recommend that young people identify a specific need in their community, whether it is environmental pollution, the lack of clean water or electricity, and see the ways in which they can find solutions.”

According to Onome, the starting point could be a day of volunteering to help clean up their neighborhood or even teaching the community how to properly recycle. She said as time goes on, they will be able to see the ways in which their contributions, as minor as they may seem, positively impact their community.

“I would then recommend they scale up to different neighborhoods or seek the help of friends and relatives to offer their solutions to as many as they can. It’s all about building on each success that can lead to tacking larger national, regional, or global issues. For those who may not know where to start, I highly recommend that they refer to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It can be a major source of inspiration,” she said.

Onome’s choice of Action Against Hunger as perhaps, her starting point to tackling national, regional, or global issues particularly those related to the fight against hunger and malnutrition has been hugely rewarding. Using the organisation as platform, she has been leading the fight against global hunger for over 40 years.

“Each year, we reach on average 24 million people in different parts of the world. We take a tailored approach to address the need of communities and harness their unique resources, boosting agricultural production, jump-starting local markets, and supporting small businesses,” she told The Nation.

She, however, explained that where the need is greatest, like in famine-affected areas of East and West Africa, Action Against Hunger works closely with mothers to help them weather the drought. “We help women grow crops, raise livestock, save funds and improve the health of their families.

 ”In conflict-affected regions like Ukraine or the Sahel, robust interventions are needed. Action Against Hunger also works round the clock to get communities to safety and provide them with essential items such as blankets and toiletries, as well as access to food, clean water, and safe sanitation.

 ”Our organisation perceives conflict as an imminent threat to global food security, and we work relentlessly to supply innovative solutions and emergency assistance to mitigate its impact on vulnerable populations,” Onome said.

While confirming that world hunger is again on the rise, she said prior to 2019, global hunger was on a steady decline. She, however, said unfortunately, the combination of conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic deepened food insecurity in many parts of the world.

For instance, Onome said she was devastated by what she saw on ground when she traveled to Ethiopia last October. According to her, some 4,000 men, women, and children formed an Internally Displaced (IDP) Camp where there’s water.  She stated that from an aid worker perspective, an IDP camp creates a whole new set of challenges including security, sanitation, and risks associated with gender-based violence and unaccompanied children.

“One staff member told us, “When you try to talk to these kids about the future, they have no idea what you’re talking about. They can only think about where their next meal is coming from,” Onome narrated.

She pointed out that during conflict, crucial infrastructure such as roads, markets and agricultural land are often destroyed, resulting in lower agricultural production, delay in shipment and distribution and therefore, reduced availability of food.

Added to that is the devastating impact of climate change. Onome’s words: “Temperatures are projected to increase, and the shift in rainfall patterns will affect the production of major crops such as maize and wheat, two of the most vital staple foods providing nutrients, and which make up 55 to 70 per cent of total calories consumed in developing countries.

“While these challenges are major roadblocks in the fight against world hunger, they also present us with an opportunity to build resilient and sustainable food systems that consider both people and planet. I remain hopeful that the battle can still be won, provided we leverage the power of technology to optimise production, minimise waste and mitigate climate change.”

For Onome, charity begins at home.

Nearer home, Onome said Action Against Hunger has been working to fight the root causes of hunger in Nigeria for 12 years. “We supply vital monthly food assistance to more than 200,000 people in Borno and Yobe States. Our local team of 392 also gives technical support to families in farming, livestock raising, fishing, and other income-generating activities to improve their access to food.

“Porridge Moms” is one of our staple programmes in Northeastern Nigeria, which educates internally displaced mothers how to prevent malnutrition and gives them a new sense of community. The program creates a support network, where mothers share knowledge and help each other cope with the trauma they have endured as a result of their displacement,” she told The Nation.

She revealed that through her organisation’s community-based approach, it has reached 2.9 million people in Nigeria as at 2021, and is currently looking forward to furthering its reach in the region.

As for the rest of West Africa, Onome said Action Against Hunger is active in several countries including Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire. “Our food security and livelihoods programs empower vulnerable communities to improve their access to food, income, and markets,” she stated.

The organisation, she added, also trains and builds the capacity of small-scale farmers to implement environmentally-sound agriculture techniques, increase production, and safely store and market their crops; the team also helps herders improve the health of their livestock and find pasture lands to feed them.

“In humanitarian emergencies, we provide cash-for-work programs to help affected families buy food and support local markets while also giving them the agency to prioritise their most urgent needs,” Onome, who has been in the forefront of the global campaign for “right to food” that is nutritious and age-appropriate, added. The zero hunger crusader, however, put forward a number of solutions to addressing hunger and malnutrition. While noting that there is never a one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to addressing hunger, she, for instance, that countries may strengthen food security and improve resilience to global shocks by investing in agriculture and rural development to boost local food production.

“They can do so by empowering small-scale farmers through training and education, providing access to climate-smart technologies that increase agricultural output and allow them to generate higher crop yields,” she recommended, adding that this also means addressing the access gap between female and male farmers.

Justifying the need to close the gender gap, Onome said, for instance, that despite representing 43 per cent of the agricultural labor force in developing countries, female farmers face many barriers in accessing the physical, financial, and technological resources to boost their productivity.

She said, moreover, women and girls eat less and at times last due to long held traditional belief based on men as the breadwinners and women as nurturers. “They (women) are, therefore, more vulnerable to hunger than any other group. Leaders and policymakers should prioritise gender-responsive agricultural policies that reduce inequalities and maximise local production,” Onome said.

According to her, women are also the most affected by malnutrition. She said despite their key role in ensuring that others are fed, they are the ones who eat last and eat least in many parts of the world. “As a woman, this is something I want to see change. It is this passion for issues related to social inequalities and poverty that really influenced my decision to take on hunger,” she emphasised.  Onome listed other solutions to addressing hunger to include tackling global food waste and redesigning the global system to be more efficient, inclusive, and resilient to future shocks. “It is still important, however, to ensure that these recommendations are carefully studied and implemented only after considering each country’s cultural, geographic, and political configurations,” she advised.

Onome has led initiatives in more than 20 countries with organisations, including Amref Health Africa, World Vision Canada, Africa Recruit (a programme of the Commonwealth), and UNESCO-Regional Bureau for Education.

Following her achievements, she was featured in the 2020 Canadian Women in Global Health list and recognised in 2021 as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards. The award spans the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. It recognises outstanding women across Canada for their accomplishments as change agents and their ability to inspire and engage future leaders.

Most recently, Onome was named a Hero for Children by World Vision Canada and was the recipient of their “Voice of the Children” Award.

For abstract painter and visual arts instructor, Ayoola Oluwaseun Omovo, more promising career prospects beckon. The 2006 graduate of Fine and Applied Art, from University of Benin, shorn like a star at ‘The Circle of Art Exhibition Project’, a bilateral art exchange between Lagos (Nigeria) and Hamburg (Germany). It was her first group exhibition/competition for 2023, where Ayoola was selected among 10 artists that stand a chance to emerge one of the top three winners of a residency programme in Germany. Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports.

Her chances of claiming a spot in the international art space are getting brighter. Already, on the strength of her sterling outing at ‘The Circle of Art Exhibition Project,’ a bilateral art exchange between Lagos (Nigeria) and Hamburg (Germany), abstract painter and visual arts instructor Ayoola Oluwaseun Omovo looks good to emerge one of the top three winners of a residency in Germany.

At the Circle of Art, which Ayoola said was her first group exhibition/competition for 2023, she was selected among 10 successful artists, with a chance of making the list of three artists that will eventually earn a residency programme in Germany.

 The Circle of Art Exhibition Project was an art exhibition organised by Ms. Brigitte Sely, Dr. Vivían Timothy and Daniel Plettenberg in collaboration with the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany. Held at the Olori Art Foundation in Lekki, Lagos, on January 17, 2023, the exhibition showcased artworks of 10 artists among which three will be chosen for a residency in Germany.

The 10 artists were drawn from Imo State, Benin in Edo State and Lagos State. “It (the Project) was like a closer step to my dream in my art career. I am indeed, honoured,” Ayoola, who could not hide her excitement, told The Nation, on the sideline of the event.

 It is easy to see why the abstract painter and visual arts instructor is excited. Ayoola, who has since distinguished herself in the use of ink on recycling paper and acrylic on canvas to effectively convey her powerful message through painting, said she is already looking forward to a residency programme in Germany that holds promises of offering her art career more international exposure and mileage.

According to her, organisers will provide winners a working space, feeding, materials to work with and exchange with their German artists and be exposed to their arts community. The opportunity of a talk by the artist and an exhibition at the end of the residency for the artist are also music in Ayoola’s ears.

The Nation learnt that the organisers of the project  will be leaving for Germany at the end of this month. The date for the announcement of the three winners is yet unknown. However, Ayoola, who is a 2006 graduate of Fine & Applied Art, from University of Benin, said based on the quality and creativity of her artworks that were showcased at the exhibition/competition, she is optimistic of clinching the coveted residency slot.

 “I can’t say or know what the juries may be looking at/for, but in all, the descriptions of works, good finishing and presentations, I feel I should be one of the winners, by God’s grace,” she told The Nation, exuding so much confidence.

Ayoola’s confidence is not without justification. Prior to her march to the international art stage, the artist who has been unrelenting in her crusade to encourage Nigerians and the authorities to value arts, express arts, embrace arts, and encourage artists, in December 2022, won the ‘Best Painting Artist of the Year’, at the Nike Excellence Award (NiEXA), powered by Nike Art Gallery.

It was held at Nike Art Gallery, in Ikate, Lekki, Lagos.She trounced other artists to pick the award, which was presented to her by Oba Adedayo Aderemi, the Oludo of Ido Osun Kingdom.

Even before the award, which Ayoola admitted to be a shot in the arm, the seasoned abstract painter and budding arts entrepreneur had successfully carved a niche for herself in the industry. Her artworks have been the rev of the moment at several exhibitions in Nigeria and abroad.

She has been using her passion for arts to tell powerful stories especially those that seek to encourage Nigerians and the authorities to see arts as serious business, one that has the capacity to boost tourism significantly, for instance.

To win the fight against malnutrition, agri-food entrepreneur Ifeoma Okonkwo insists that more Nigerians need to access affordable, nutritious and safe foods. Accordingly, the founder, Diche Foods, has transformed the start-up into a one-stop-shop for nutritious, safe and affordable foods. She shares the inspiring story of how she uses the start-up as a commercial platform to address the key challenge of access to products for consumers, access to markets for producers and access to information for stakeholders in the nutritious food value chain with DANIEL ESSIET.

Her belief that nutritious and safe food should be available, accessible and affordable to all across seasons and locations is unwavering. This must be why agri-food entrepreneur and founder, Diche Foods, a company that offers diverse nutritious and safe foods, stuck to her strategy of using conventional and innovative marketing tools and channels to bridge demand and supply gaps towards improving consumers’access to quality products and producers’ access to markets.

“At Diche Foods, we carefully select and market products from trusted brands to consumers using innovative marketing tools and channels, thereby bridging demand and supply gaps,” Ifeoma said, adding: “We understand that a key challenge faced by actors in the nutritious food sector is that of access; access to products for consumers, access to markets for producers and access to information for stakeholders in the nutritious food value chain. This challenge is what our team at Diche Foods aims to solve using a commercial platform.”

Ifeoma’s innovative marketing tools and channels appear to have worked magic, literarily. Diche Foods, which she floated in October 2021, has, in a remarkably short time, transformed into a one-stop-shop for nutritious, safe and affordable foods.

The company, which is located opposite Trans Amusement Park, Ibadan, Oyo State, has been offering all classes of food, from staples to provisions, condiments, spices and even water to customers far and near.

Indeed, innovation is at the core of the company’s impressive growth trajectory. For instance, when it, initially, started in October 2021, Diche Foods was about offering only nutritious products processed and packaged by the company directly for sale or promotion. However, few months down the line, the company realised that customers also needed to pick up other complementary items alongside what it was offering.

What this meant was that customers would still have to go elsewhere to pick up other items and may overtime just decide to go where they are sure to pick up all they need in a spot rather than visiting multiple stores. But the budding agri-food entrepreneur would not have that. Her innovative approach to conducting her business was in full-swing. “So, we had to tweak our products line to also include nutritious products from other brands to fully actualise our vision of being a one-stop-shop for nutritious and safe foods,” she told The Nation.

She went a notch higher by building a network with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that offer complementary products or services Diche Foods customers demand for which the company may not have the capacity to set-up in the immediate. It also enjoyed support from its network of nutrition professionals and experts… “This way, we get to serve as a market point to other businesses. So, it’s a win-win for everyone,” Ifeoma declared.

According to her, that Diche Foods’ stock boasts a wide range of products with over 98 per cent of its inventory being locally produced thereby contributing to the government’s efforts to encourage local production and consumption and further grow the economy. 

She also said the company’s mission was to market and promote nutritious and safe foods towards having a food and nutrition secure Nigeria, adding that more Nigerians need to access affordable nutritious and safe foods if the fight against malnutrition must be won.

While admitting that the fight against malnutrition hasn’t be won, Ifeoma said Diche Foods is also still actively on the way to success but has definitely had some wins with a good number of milestones achieved.

Some of its successes and milestones, according to her, included getting registered and certified as a limited liability company by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), moving from operating from home to having a physical store, as well as employing staff in place of having to do all by herself.

The entrepreneur further said Diche Foods has since moved from manual record keeping to automated inventory systems, become a member of relevant entrepreneur networks targeting nutrition businesses and SMEs in Nigeria and beyond.

Also, the company, she added, has moved from serving customers in its immediate circle to servicing customers from across Nigeria and beyond. “I will say it has been a very tasking and rewarding experience with room for improvement and expansion,” Ifeoma told The Nation.

Ifeoma’s game-changing exploits in the nutritious food value chain started in her teenage years when she dreamt of being a part of the food industry and having a brand of her own. Her love for Nigerian cuisine propelled her to open Diche Foods.

However, her over nine years’experience with an international non-governmental Organisation (NGO) that aimed to improve the nutritional status of Nigerians through the development and delivery of nutrient dense crops provided her the opportunity to understand the crisis of malnutrition and its effects on individuals and the society at large, with women and children being more vulnerable.

Ifeoma said: “During this time, I served in some key roles where I engaged and interacted with multi-stakeholders in the field and there, I witnessed firsthand the impact of targeted efforts geared towards increasing the production, processing and consumption of nutritious and safe foods. I also understood that a lot of work still needed to be done if we are to achieve a nutrition secure Nigeria.

“While I will always appreciate the efforts of multi-stakeholders in the Nigeria agriculture for nutrition space, it is clear that we need more sustainable approaches that will stand the test of time over changes in government or end of donor funded projects if we are to make lasting impact.

“This thought inspired the establishment of Diche Foods, a company focused on reaching Nigerians with nutritious and safe foods through a commercial platform thereby guaranteeing sustainability.”

She said Diche Foods works to bring  affordable nutritious and safe products for consumers and provide information or offer guidance about their inherent benefits or opportunities as the case may be.

“This, you will agree, is not the practice at most food stores or grocery shops. So, through the sale of affordable nutritious and safe foods, the provision of relevant nutrition information and the promotion of best practices, Diche Foods contributes to eradicating malnutrition in Nigeria,” Ifeoma reiterated.

She emphasised that Diche Foods’ competitive edge in the food space is that “we offer the public a one-stop-shop for affordable nutritious and safe and food products with complimentary information on nutrition related topics and best practices for their wellbeing. Unlike most food stores that just stock product for sale, we go the extra mile to understand each product with a view to offer guidance as may be required by our customers’’.

“To do this effectively, we do not depend solely on our knowledge, but also seek guidance and support from our network of nutrition professionals and experts,” she added.

However, Diche Foods’ rise to fame and fortune in the nutritious food value chain is not without some challenges. For instance, there is the prevailing high inflation and the harsh economic situation in the country, which of course, is not peculiar to Diche Foods.

According io Ifeoma, other businesses and entrepreneurs are also going through a rough patch forced by weekly price increment, poor sales and increasing cost of operations.

She, however, said the challenge she finds interesting is the high turnover rate of human resources. “This is quite disturbing and does not give room for quick growth as you find yourself busy with training and on-boarding new staff very frequently, thereby depriving your company that soft landing of having already experienced staff with the required institutional knowledge to support the company’s expansion and scaling,” she said.

Ifeoma also said there is a challenge that comes with product pricing, especially when compared to the big brands and multi-nationals. Her words: “Most SMEs, like us, do not have the financial capacity to procure raw materials in bulk. So, our cost of production tends to be higher and this reflects in our pricing system.

“Again, on pricing, SMEs do not have readily accessible market networks to push out products in numbers. So, we largely depend on, like 90 per cent what we are able to market directly, and may be 10 per cent what we market through others. With big brands, the reverse is the case.”

However, Ifeoma’s decision to start up Diche Foods from Ibadan, Oyo State capital, not only ticked most of her boxes for a perfect start up location, but also in a way, addressed some of the afore-mentioned challenges. “First, I lived most of my life in Ibadan – born, bred, buttered, like it’s said, so, I know the terrain quite well and it was only wise that I start from home.

“This way, I am able to leverage the environment and relationships of past years and have that as a good support system, especially for the startup or growth phase of the company which you will agree is a delicate phase as it is a key determinant if a business will fail or succeed. I decided to start with what I have and where I was,” she said.

“Again,” Ifeoma continued, “Ibadan, Oyo State offers my business the population that can serve as an immediate market while also offering me proximity to raw material supply for product development amongst some other pecks like security, a relatively lower cost of operations when compared to states like Lagos or Abuja.

“We also get to enjoy proximity to international and national research and development centres which help us stay up to date on new technologies and other capacity development opportunities.

“Lastly, if you take a look at published data on malnutrition in Nigeria, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done by the private sector and SMEs to support government efforts to make Oyo State and indeed, the whole of Nigeria nutrition sufficient.”

Encouraged by what she has achieved so far, Ifeoma said an aggressive expansion programme across boards is afoot, one that involves expanding her company’s product lines, operations, outlets, services, and HR, among others.

“In the coming months, we are working to launch our restaurant where consumers can have sumptuous and delicious meals for their nourishment. In all, we are open to businesses, partnerships and programs that can add value towards helping us achieve our goal sustainably,” she said.

Edutainment Consultant and Managing Director of Cinnamon Associates Ltd. Mrs. Atinuke Kuti is determined to raise the total child through structured, consistent, creative and fun-filled activities. The convener of Jochebeds’ Mothers’ Circle (JMC), an initiative she started in 2017, has, through its yearly event tagged: ‘JMC Soup for Kids,’ been raising children who would be future leaders. Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA writes

The chose to channel her energy, resources and creativity where they matter most: children. Indeed, through various initiatives, Edutainment Consultant and Managing Director of Cinnamon Associates Limited, an edutainment company, Mrs. Atinuke Kuti, is leaving no stone unturned in her quest to groom the next generation of leaders.

This she does by raising children to be compassionate and empathetic, through structured, consistent, creative and fun-filled activities that aid children to develop their non-cognitive abilities and consequently, discovering themselves early.

For instance, through Cinnamon Associates, Atinuke has been liaising with schools and parents across Lagos and its environs to help discover and develop latent talents in children through various school and extra-curricular activities she organises for children.

She has been putting together various fun and educative activities for children to help them discover the talent that is inside of them and that is yet to be given expression. “I am a Montessori-trained consultant so, I understand the power of the absorbent mind, I understand the power of starting children early in life to develop skills in them,” Atinuke declared.

However, for Atinuke, who has never hidden her passion to raise the total child (one that is intelligent, dynamic and creative), her idea of catching them young is, and should be, a total package.

Accordingly, she is also the Convener of Jochebeds’ Mothers’ Circle (JMC), an initiative geared towards training mothers who want to be intentional in raising children as change agents.

Since its inauguration in 2017, Jochebeds’ Mothers’ Circle, according to her, has been organising periodic trainings for women, majorly online. She also trains pregnant and nursing mothers in several hospital’s antenatal fora and Parent-Teacher Association Meetings of pre/nursery schools across Lagos State.

However, the highpoint of Atinuke’s multi-pronged innovative approach to changing Nigeria’s depressing leadership narrative through raising children as potential change agents is perhaps, the ‘JMC Soup for Kids’ initiative. It’s an annual community service project for children served by children.

The initiative was put together as part of training to raise children who would be future leaders to be compassionate and empathetic. The children are allowed to raise funds on their own and come together to cook, serve and do skill acquisition for other underprivileged children in the community.

Most of the activities at the yearly event are geared towards children learning skills that will build resilience, empathy, compassion and strength in them early in life. “In raising change leaders, one of the ingredients or leadership skills that we need for budding leaders is empathy and compassion. So, how best can you train your child to be empathetic and have compassion?

“It’s by getting involved in community service. Let them see what is happening in the community; let them know that there are children who are not as privileged as they are so, when they see this, they will be moved to help them. And if you teach them early, they will grow up in that path. That was how Soup Kitchen for Kids was born,” Atinuke explained.

According to her, the first JMC Soup Kitchen for Kids was in 2018, which saw the yearly fiesta for children berthing in Monkey Village in Opebi area of Ikeja, Lagos. Atinuke said despite being a highbrow area of the mainland, Opebi, surprisingly, hosts a ghetto that people are not aware of.

“There are ghettos in every nook and cranny of these highbrow areas. Those who are nannies, drivers to most of these people in highbrow areas live in these ghettos and if you are not taking care of them, they become societal risks,” she said, pointing out that when the community service project landed in Monkey Village, people could not believe it.

“It (i.e. Monkey Village) is a settlement that is inside a gully right there in Opebi. How those people manage to survive we don’t know; they live in shanties. We went inside; it’s a shanty filled with different people – criminals and all sort. But they are like that because they are deprived. So, we decided to organise an event for them. We took clothes, just like we always do, to that shanty,” Atinuke told The Nation, adding that the second charity outreach was in a primary school in Kosofe Local Government Area, where there is also a shanty around the Ketu, Alapere axis. “We asked parents to bring their children from the village to the primary school because in their own case, we didn’t want them to use the canoe,” she said.

Although the programme couldn’t hold in 2020 because of COVID-19, last year’s edition catered to the children of the police in Police College, Ikeja. Justifying the choice of the area, Atinuke said: “Sometimes, we are carried away by the activities of the police and we think we should hate them.

“But the police are the way they are because they are hungry; you need to go to the police barrack and see the condition of living there. So, when we took the children there, we entertained the children and catered for them and they were so happy.”

However, the happiness that enveloped children and their parents in the outreach’s previous editions was nothing compared to this year’s where children of widows and orphans are the beneficiaries. It couldn’t have been otherwise considering the array of fun-filled activities and training sessions lined up for the children.

Held, this time, at St. Paul’s African School, Ilupeju, Lagos, with the theme, ‘Raising Change Agents to Transform the Society,’ the event, which targeted children of widows aged seven and above, had about six training such as photography, coding/robotics, hair breading/stoning, hair fascinator, chess game, dance session etc. “It’s a whole package that we do for these children,” Atinuke said.

Despite the scale of the event, the Edutainment Consultant, who has worked with children, parents and Educators for over a decade, has an ingenious and seamless way of raising funds for the programme. She explained it thus: “We get our children to raise the funds; we get them to register to serve. Sometimes we have up to 50, 40 or 60 children register to serve.

“All activities are funded by the children and donors, friends and families, as well as volunteers. We create banners for the children and then they share the banners to friends and families who now make donations in their names and so, we collect their donations and at the end of the day, we have highest fund raisers.

“Some children will raise N20, 000, N30, 000 from their friends and families. It’s a crowd-funding kind of thing. So, they pull in this money and we roll. So, we watch the top three fund raisers and our highest fund raiser becomes our ‘Ambassador’, the ‘Face of JMC Soup Kitchen for Kids’ for the next edition. Basically, that’s how we have been doing it and it’s really been fun. You see children wanting to raise funds for a course that is greater than they are.”

As she stated, “fundraising gives children a sense of empowerment’’.

Children do not often have the monetary resources available to them to bring about change, but through fundraising, they can acquire the monetary means necessary to begin the process of change. They see firsthand that they have the ability to make a positive change intheir communities, since they are part of the fundraising; they become more active on the day of the event.

“The entire process of fundraising and execution of charity event leaves a lasting impression on their tender heart and as they do this repetitively, it develops in them, empathy, compassion and good citizenry that will be responsible for a sane and kind society. The yearly certificate they acquire becomes keys that can unlock many academic scholarships for them in foreign tertiary institutions.

“The world we live in has changed and academic skills are not enough for survival, certainly not enough to make an indelible mark. There has to be something more from within, our ability to live and act as the custodians of this earth, to protect it and love each other is key. This is the trust of Soup Kitchen for Kids, to teach our children compassion and empathy. ”

While Atinuke’s outreach is, ultimately, targeted at societal reformation using the child as a change agent, it was also borne out of her desire to feed her passion to groom tomorrow’s leaders. “It’s a passion, a passion to raise leaders, a passion to show our leaders that we can raise leaders that will treat the people with empathy, because what we need in our country are compassionate and empathetic leaders.

“We need leaders that will know and feel the burden of the people so that they can help out. This is what we intend doing- train our children because they are the future. If we are not happy with our present and we want to change the future, we might as well start working with the leaders of the future and we train them, let them develop that compassionate attitude,” she emphasised.

However, Atinuke’s passion to raise children as potential future leaders and also cater for the less privileged did not drop from the skies. Rather, “motherhood,” she told The Nation,  “showed me my passion.” Narrating how it all started, the mother of four and graduate of Zoology, from University of Ilorin, Kwara, State, said it was her children that prepared her for what she is doing.

“If anybody had told me that I was going to be in this field, I would have said no. I did not study Education; I studied Zoology in the university. So, I did not have any preparation for this. What prepared me for this were my children. When I got married and I had my first child, I was working as an office manager and I enjoyed my job.

“As a matter of fact, I wanted to be a career woman; I wanted to get to the top of the organisation or any organisation I work with. But after I became a mother, I realised that I was not having enough time for my child because I was leaving home very early and I was getting home very late, and I knew I wanted to have more than one children,”she recalled.

Continuing, she said one day, she discussed with her husband and she made made it known that it wasn’t the kind of life she wanted. “As much as I love to be a career woman, I also love to be a mother. So, we agreed that I was going to stay home and I resigned to become a stay-home mother. I was a stay-home mum for eight years, within which I was taking care of my children, doing everything for them; I had four children,” Atinuke stated.

However, it was in trying to look for where to entertain her children that the seed of passion for edutainment was sown. Since then, she has never looked back. “I started liaising with schools, organising extra-curricular activities for Chrisland School, for instance, and from there, I went into parenting coaching because I believe that if you structure activities in a fun and educative way, children are capable of learning faster,” the Edutainment Consultant said.

 A discussion with her friend sort of provided the answer. “We asked, why don’t we start something? So, we decided to start a funfair. We had one huge funfair in 2005 in GRA, Ikeja. It was a huge success. We had people coming from different areas. We redefined funfair,” Atinuke said, pointing out, however, that the idea of a funfair itself started from her first daughter’s fifth birthday.

According to her, “I organised my first daughter’s fifth birthday. It was not like a regular birthday, I had it like a funfair.

It was a themed birthday. You know those days, it wasn’t really common. I had different sections, people came and they were like who was your event planner. I said I put it together. Some of them said I should consider veering into event planning.”

It was Atinuke’s first experience at event planning, and it was hugelysuccessful.

Bimwunmi Enterprise is a one-stop-shop for processing organic herbs and spices for cooking and as supplement for health-conscious customers. The business, which started in 2016, with N20, 750 seed capital, is inching closer to becoming a behemoth in the agro-food processing industry, barely seven years down the line. It currently boasts six variants of spice mix and other herbs and spices and food supplements. Its founder/Spice Lead Formulator, Aisha Ibironke Mustapha, shares her plans to claim a chunk of the market for herbs and spices reportedly estimated at $1.21 billion and also the lucrative export market with Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA

She had it all planned out. Although her hope was to work as a town planner, having studied Urban and Regional Planning and graduated in 2014, the founder/Spice Lead Formulator, Bimwunmi Enterprise, an agro-food processing company specialised in the formulation of herbs and spices, Mrs Aisha Ibironke Mustapha, reckoned that securing a white collar job after the completion of her National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) may not be a walk in the park considering the unpredictability of the Nigerian employment market.

“If after NYSC, white collar jobs aren’t forthcoming, what can I do,” Aisha had asked. But it took a chance seminar organised by a ‘Sisters Only Group’ on Facebook, which Aisha said she was privileged to attend, for her to find an answer to the question of ‘what next after NYSC.’

As it turned out, one of the sisters in the group who came from Kano gave talks on health, herbs and spices and other things to make an amazing woman entrepreneur. The seminar was, for Aisha, a case of opportunity meeting preparedness, and she wasted no time in grabbing the opportunity by starting Bimwunmi Enterprise, in 2016.

“From there (the seminar), I thought to myself that I can solve a problem and make it through spice formulation, coupled to the fact that diabetes and high blood pressure run in the family and interestingly, my paternal grandmother was a good cook; she cooks without our regular conventional cubes and seasonings,” Aisha told The Nation.

It was in reference to some of the factors that motivated her into throwing her hat in the herbs and spices formulation ring. “To be honest, people are more conscious about their health nowadays. My customers are self-health conscious people, both male and female, old and young,” she added.

Fast forward to 2022, which is barely seven years after Aisha floated Bimwunmi Enterprise in 2016 with a meagre N20, 750 seed capital, she has not only conquered her initial fear of a promising career future after university education, but also become an employer of labour with several temporary staff currently in her employ.

Aisha has also joined the league of successful industrialists. She has been churning out various herbs and spices to the delight of her customers both far and near. “I started my business with N20, 750 in 2016 and I’m happy with where I’m today and hoping and praying to go higher, by God’s grace,” Aisha confirmed.

Indeed, with six variants of spice mix and other herbs and spices and food supplements, Aisha’s happiness is understandable. Some of the range of products under her belt includes Mia Spice Mix (multipurpose), to replace bouillon seasoning and cubes, which are filled with Monosodium Glutamates (MSG); Bee’s Native Pot (for local dishes; it contains crayfish, locust beans and other herbs and spices).

Others are Yaji (contains peanut bars, different pepper, and other herbs and spices with salt in moderation); Peppersoup Mix; Barbecue Mix (for marinating. It also replaces the seasoning powder inside noodles. Users can then add salt to taste); Aganyin Mix (for making Aganyin sauce). The company also has herbal oils and organic ingredients to conquer toxic chemical filled creams and soaps.

Interestingly, all the local and foreign herbs and spices mixed by Bimwunmi Enterprise to deliver quality, affordable and savoury healthy meals to customers, according to Aisha, are low in sodium, without preservative and colorings and no MSG. She said they are good for both young and old and the products align with her constant crusade, over the years, on the good effects of using herbs and spices to cook instead of artificial seasoning.

“We are an advocate of healthy lifestyle through ditching of bouillon cubes and seasoning; we formulate healthy herbs and spices to replace them. We have helped and still helping several homes to cook sumptuous and healthy food. People with one health challenge or the other are also benefiting from our various mixes of spices as we recommend those that are safe for their health,” Aisha asserted.

The industrialist, however, recalled that in the beginning of the business, sourcing for raw materials wasn’t easy. Although, she said at a point, she was buying her raw materials from the United Kingdom (U.K), “mainly because I was new to production of spices and it was few of us doing it then,” she later started buying from Kano and some parts of the North until recently when she also started buying from Lagos.

“We do group purchase as well to reduce cost,” the budding industrialist stated, noting that she buys the spices, blend and package them herself at her state-of-the-art facility located in Cocoa Complex, Akilo Road, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos. She said although, a number of other spice formulators have joined the business, she still has competitive edge over others.

Aisha’s words: “I leverage digital platforms (social media) to post engaging and reasonable contents related to the business to customers. I also adhere strictly to quality standard and ensure continuous improvement on my formulation. I also work on my brand packaging to ensure it remains top of the range, aside working on my customers’ retention and relationships by constantly listening to feedbacks and working on them.

“I also attend events, seminars and exhibitions to give my brand and products connection and visibility. Apart from the fact that people want my products, I still give gifts and souvenirs so they can always remember my brand. Customer trust and loyalty is key, I don’t joke with it.”

Admittedly, the competitive edge Aisha has in the herbs and spices business would not have been possible without her having access to series of trainings and collaborations. “I was able to conquer with the help of SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis that I learnt from Google Hustle Academy,” she confirmed.

According to business development experts, SWOT analysis is a framework used to evaluate a company’s competitive position and to develop strategic planning. It is designed to facilitate a realistic, fact-based, data-driven look at the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation. SWOT analysis assesses internal and external factors, as well as current and future potential of an organisation.

Aisha said she graduated from the Academy on November 29, 2022, and was even on the panel session during the graduation ceremony. “I joined Google Hustle Academy like a regular student not knowing I will be on the stage at our graduation. I was able to conquer my fear that very day. At first, it wasn’t easy, but by His grace, I pulled through. My fellow panelists gave me lots of courage,” she said.

Collaboration and partnerships also played a role in Aisha’s emergence as a successful entrepreneur. “I collaborated with more productive business minded people, and worked on my Business Model Canvas (BMC), thanks to Mr. Julian, one of the facilitators that taught me at Fate Foundation. I graduated from the Institute on December 1, 2022,” she told The Nation.

BMC is a great business tool for startups because it helps them to quickly identify and document their business model. It allows them to visualise the different elements of their business model and to quickly identify any potential problems or areas for improvement.

The canvas also helps startups to identify potential revenue streams and to understand the costs associated with their business model. This helps them to make informed decisions about their business model and to ensure that it is profitable.

“The BMC helped be understand the value proposition of my business, my target audience, customers’ needs and satisfaction and lots more,” Aisha said, reiterating that leveraging various digital platforms with good and reasonable contents also gave her business more visibility and mileage.

On the strength of her successful and hugely rewarding exploits in the food processing industry, within a remarkably short time, an analytical and creative Aisha appears poised to further tighten her grip on the Nigerian herbs and spices market, which she described as “a lucrative business” worth  about $1.21 billion, according to reports.

As pointer to her readiness to claim a substantial share of this huge but largely untapped market for herbs and spices, Aisha said she is currently building a perfect and robust working structure for Bimwunmi Enterprise preparatory to making it a household name in the burgeoning food industry. “I want to have my products in my neighbourhood, Nigeria as a whole, then worldwide,” she said, exuding so much confidence in her capacity to pull through.

The evidently ambitious and hardworking Town Planner-turned industrialist also said she is eyeing the export market. “Between now and the next five years, I hope to be able to conveniently export my products in full containers.  I also want to expand the footprints of my business by attending more trainings, seminars and exhibitions within Nigeria and outside the country,” she revealed.

Religious and passionate, Aisha, who is a Muslim, also said she is counting on the continuous support structure put in place by her husband and family members. “My husband is a good support system. My child, Aasiyah, understands my business as young as she is. My siblings aren’t left out, too. I just tell everyone what to do so we can meet up and the work is done,” she said.

Having come this far, Aisha has some success nuggets for aspiring entrepreneurs. “Once there’s an idea, which involves passion and a propensity to solve a problem, you shouldn’t wait. Leave your comfort zone after a proper planning is done that won’t affect the family or yourself negatively. Attend seminars, trainings and events related to the business you are into or plan to venture in, including the ones not relating to your line of business” she advised.

She also urged aspiring entrepreneurs to join associations for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), “because they have information and data from government that can make one grow and scale up.” “They should also be ready for collaborations and partnerships, and also pitch their business anywhere they find themselves. And lastly, the greatest skills an entrepreneur should have are humility, integrity and loyalty,” she added.

The application of some of the afore-mentioned business principles helped Aisha weather the storm when she started out.

While admitting that “there is no business without its own challenges,” she said, for instance, that understanding the business and getting the right target audience was key to conquering some of the initial challenges tossed on her entrepreneurial path.

She listed some of the challenges to include difficulty in sourcing raw materials, access to affordable production equipment and materials, logistics and funds.

But as she earlier said, she was able to pull through these challenges with the help of SWOT analysis as well as relying on her personal attributes of focus, creativity and hard work.