Women are the cornerstone of any society, they are the pillars that hold a structure together with a man. To say that one is better or more important than the other would be a big mistake because both coexist to do the best and be the best and healthy competition does not hurt anyone.
Being young has its advantages and disadvantages. Being young and entrepreneurial may not be easy for everyone, but as we strive to achieve something with our lives every day, youth should count in shaping our future and becoming better individuals personally and for society as a whole.
Below are young people who are movers and shakers, as well as entrepreneurs who raise awareness and are different in areas of their passions.
I am obliged to share this article because they have encouraged me and awakened the passion to do more than I have limited myself, I want to make waves and all of you too.
We are young and inspired to escape the norm of idleness by being different and in doing so creating opportunities for others like us.
Nigerian Affiong Williams, founder of Reel Fruit
Here’s how Forbes Africa describes it:
Reel Fruit, founded in March 2014, is a fruit processing startup focused on packaging, branding and processing quality, local fruit products. The first product is a range of dried fruit and dried fruit snacks. Products are currently stocked in more than 80 stores in Nigeria.
Reelfruit is an award-winning brand that has won an international women in business competition in the Netherlands, as well as an SME (creative approach) exhibition in Lagos, Nigeria. Williams is trying to expand its walnut business in the lucrative airline market. She is raising capital to build a factory on the outskirts of Lagos next year. I hope to be on the cover of Forbes Africa in five years, he says.
Banke Kuku: Founder / Creative Director, Banke Kuku Textiles
Banke’s entrepreneurship flourished at a very tender age of 5 when he took the initiative to start outfitting. Her continuing fascination with fabrics led her to study a foundation course in Art and Design and eventually Textile Design at Chelsea College of Art and Design. With work experience in fashion houses such as Matches Fashion Store, Burberry, Tank Magazine, Designers Guild Interiors and Jasmine Di Milo (where I honed my skills in fashion textiles), which she brings to the table through Banke Kuku Textiles (founded in 2011) is a fusion of traditional African and Western culture to create unique fabrics for the fashion industries.
Bankole Cardoso: CEO of Easy Taxi Nigeria
Bankole has always had a keen interest in business concepts, prompting him to study Accounting and Business / Management, a business related degree at Boston College, USA Through Easy Taxi Nigeria (founded in 2013), developed the Easy Taxi app, which is a technology-driven app that provides convenience for passengers to book taxis anywhere and anytime with the click of a button. Bankole has been featured in Forbes magazine’s 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in Africa 2014 and CNN Africa’s startup, also in the same year.
Mosunmola Umoru – CEO of Honeysuckles PTL Ventures
Mosunmola needs no introduction in the Nigerian agricultural space. An agribusiness entrepreneur specializing in food production, agriculture, processing and distribution, Ms. Umoru is known by the nickname “Pretty Farmer” because of her passion for farming through her company Honeysuckles PTL Ventures, which she founded in 2004, was not quite the norm of the average Nigerian businesswoman. Ashoka member and founder of the ABIRA Agribusiness Support Initiative, Mosunmola has participated in various panels as an inspiration to women in various African countries.
Yasmin Belo-Osagie: co-founder, runs Africa
Yasmin co-founded She Leads Africa in 2014 with the intention of focusing on providing funding and mentoring to empower the next generation of dynamic female entrepreneurs in various countries who are constantly faced with the challenge of accessing capital, as well as proper guidance. Through a well structured concept, its first competitive event took place in 2014 and it turned out to be very inspiring for future female entrepreneurs. Ms. Belo-Osagie, along with her business partner, Afua Osei (Ghana), was listed by Forbes as one of the 20 youngest powerful women in Africa in 2014.
Adaora Mbelu: CEO of Innovation Factory Limited
Adaora is a young public relations and business development guru who had a passion for entrepreneurship in order to create viable business strategies for organizations to adopt. With his company Innovation Factory, which he founded in 2011, he has been able to positively influence the business growth of his clients by developing successful branding strategies based on extensive feasibility studies. Ms. Mbelu has received several recognitions for her work, some of which include; Future Award nomination for Entrepreneur of the Year (Media) 2012, Promising Young African Entrepreneur 2011 by MTV, 2012 ‘Top 30 Under 30’ from FAB Nigeria Magazine, among others.
