Herconomy Takes Bold Steps Towards Gender Parity at Annual Conference

Mary Nnah

Herconomy, one of Nigeria’s leading female-focused platforms, held its conference and first-ever awards and gala night on March 11, 2022.

The conference, which kicked off at 10 am at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, was themed: Action to Impact: Creating Inclusive Pathways for Women.  

Over 200 participants, mostly women, were present to listen to various panel sessions, with female professionals and economic experts sharing their perspectives and experiences on how to create a truly equal world, where women are visible and empowered.

Founded by Ife Durosinmi Etti, a Nigerian author, entrepreneur, and young global leader,

Herconomy is a female-focused organisation committed to empowering women through access to business grants, scholarships, capacity building, mentoring, and networking as well as financial products such as discounts and savings.

The conference closed out with the announcement of the top three winners of the 2022 Enterprise Challenge, being awarded for their innovative business solutions and ideas. 

The Enterprise Challenge is an annual event held by Herconomy, where female founders and small business owners get to compete for a business grant and an opportunity to be featured on Herconomy’s platforms.

This year, there were over 400 applicants from which twelve finalists were selected. Of the twelve, Seun Alley, Founder, Fez Logistics received 1,500,000 Naira as the winner of the challenge while Mariam Amaka Eluma, Founder, Hobeei received 1,000,000 Naira as the first runner up and  Joy Chioma, Founder, Natal Cares received 500,000 Naira as second runner up.

Other finalists include Posh Meals, Eti Farms Global, Next Wear Technologies, Proach Shoes, TJL Signatures, Colibri Africa, Qash 4 Trash and NaFarm Foods.

The three finalists are getting this financial support and visibility from Herconomy and its sponsors as part of their commitment to building the business and financial capacity of female entrepreneurs.

The awards and gala which began at 6:00 p.m also turned out to be an authentic and fun-filled experience, marked by the celebration of outstanding women across various fields.

  The following women were honored with the Herconomy Woman of the Year Award: Olamidun Majekodunmi, Educator; Veekee James, Fashion Designer; Chioma Ikokwu, Fashion Influencer; Anita Adetoye, Beauty Influencer; Lala Akindoju, Actor; Mariam Bakre, Content Creator; Rolake Akinkugbe-Filani, Real Estate; Sylvia Nduka, Philanthropist; Kike Ojewale, Legal; Khadijah Abu, Tech; Yagazie Eguare, Photography; Rinsola Abiola, Politics; Tosin Olaseinde, Finance; Blessing Abeng, Branding; Rinu Oduala, Advocacy and Owen Omogiafo, Corporate Leadership.

Herconomy also recognised some corporate entities in five different categories.

 Winners include Tech4Dev, NGO of the Year, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Corporate Award for Diversity and Inclusion, Bankly, Startup of the Year, Hello Perfect, Beauty Brand of the Year, and Mavin Records, Corporate Leadership Award for Equality.

The night was coloured by the glitz and glamour of an awards night with special performances by Bovi, Fave, and other entertaining features.

The month of March has been marked by various notable achievements for Herconomy, including having finalists of its Enterprise Challenge on billboards across Nigeria to celebrate the 2022 International Women’s Day (IWD) campaign “Breaking the Bias”.

The Billboards projected insightful tweets from women in various industries, on their individual perspectives on the global theme #breakingthebias.

“Do it afraid”, Ife Durosinmi-Etti, Founder, Herconomy said, as she recalled how fearful she was about organising a conference and an awards ceremony on the same day, but was encouraged to put her best foot forward. 

And with great support from her network, Durosinmi-Etti successfully pulled off a well-attended programme for women’s month and is optimistic about the future.

While expressing her thoughts about the events, Ife said she was extremely thankful to her team for their hard work: “My team is the wind beneath my wings. God bless each and every one of them for the effort they put into ensuring this event went excellently”.

She also extended her heartfelt gratitude to all sponsors and partners for their generosity and contribution to the success of the 2022 Conference, Awards, and Gala Night.

Sponsors of the event include Providus Bank, Luno global, JC Deceaux Gracelake , Sunlight Nigeria, Maggi, Burger King Nigeria, Red Bull, Seven-up Bottling, Company, Grocedy, Nuban Beauty, DND travels and Tour, Mac Beauty, Jand2gidi, IYL Foods, WokBox, Krispy Kreme, DaintyAffairs Cakes, Jand2gidi, M.A.C Cosmetics Africa, Smoov, Lora Cucina,, Johnnie Walker NG, Siri Beauty, Viva Detergent, MacAdams Baking System, Ankara Souvenir, Paxo Health & Beauty, ABIDOL Pharmacy, Smokebox, IONIO (Asia Africa Investment Consulting Nigeria Ltd), Melting Moments, Baileys Nigeria, Gazmadu Studios, BUNMI Adedipe Studios, Fragranceatelier, Mo Baby Care and Trendybeevents.

Herconomy is already fostering new partnerships, and more events are in the works even now, as it continues to sustain the momentum for a transformative year for her over 18,000 community of women.