NewAfricanWoman Issue 49 - Flipbook - Page 13
ON THE COVER
scienti昀椀c studies to support this belief,” she proffers.
A staunch women’s rights champion, Chinelo also
believes that to overcome the hurdles constantly thrown
at them, women must also learn to move beyond norms
(traditional or otherwise) that hold them back. “Our
traditions exist and will continue to exist. Because
that’s the way we are,” she says but quickly adds:
“I am [however] extremely optimistic, and incurably so.
I take time to study challenges very carefully because in
so doing, I am equipped on what I have to surmount.
I, therefore, don’t believe that it is in our interest as
women, to dwell on the things that hold us back from
achieving our goals. We should instead dwell more on
our strengths.”
She also advises women to be the best at what they do.
"I also believe that some of the drawbacks we have on
the continent, especially as women, is because we don’t
go that extra mile. We can always be better. The mind
works like a machine, responding to instructions, so tell
it that you can!” she says with emphasis adding:
“The fastest and most consistent way of overcoming
adversity towards what you do, is the quality of what
you bring to the table. How good are you at what you
do? Bring superior value. Work, focus on results, and
excel. Armed with that, you can deal with anything and
can overcome any challenges, no matter how daunting.
It is also key to ensure that people's attitudes do not
change yours… We therefore work and engage with the
women to introduce ways that assist them to identify
the champion within.”
Bankable projects
Some of the women-led projects on the Women as
Investment Champions platform include a textile deal, a
tannery, a telemedicine project, a Shea butter and dried
foods business, as well as a re昀椀nery project.
Chinelo points out that the telemedicine project, for
example, has recently received nearly USD$1million
feasibility studies grant from the USTDA [United States
Trade and Development Agency]. AIF is now working
with the EXIM [Export-Import Bank of United States),
to provide the funding for the project, after the studies
have been 昀椀nalised.
“All of the projects on our platform have different needs
and different requirements. But the fact that these
businesses are now distilled into bankable projects,
and the women have set themselves up for capital
investment, is signi昀椀cant,” she states.
Asked if she 昀椀nds it ful昀椀lling to see the initiative thriving,
she answers with guarded optimism:
“It is indeed. But I wouldn’t want to gloss over the
effort required, especially with limited resources.
However, there is a commitment on both sides — from
both the AIF and the project sponsors. There is also
the commitment of investors because that is the niche
of the AIF — an all-rounded conversation with every
component of the ecosystem playing a signi昀椀cant role.
We facilitate both the project sponsors — the owners
of the deals, the investors, be it institutional, the DFIs,
private equity, family businesses, and the policymakers
who have to create an enabling environment for these
investments to thrive, especially for women.”
“
The fastest and most
consistent way of overcoming
adversity towards what you
do, is the quality of what
you bring to the table. How
good are you at what you do?
Bring superior value. Work,
focus on results, and excel…
It is also key to ensure that
people’s attitudes do not
change yours.”
Financial Inclusion, Women, Youth & the
AfCFTA
The African Union has declared this decade that of
“Financial inclusion for Women”, and the African
Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which is now
operational, is also championing more inclusion of
women in trade. We sought her view on these two
important milestones and she said:
“I’m grati昀椀ed by the attention women and gender
agenda issues are getting not just within the continent,
but globally. And for the African Union with all its
might, to step out and make such a bold declaration is a
plus for women. What needs to be done now is for the
member countries to actually take that declaration and
meant it. How do you walk the talk?
With regards to the AfCFTA, I believe it is a bold step that
would when properly implemented signi昀椀cantly boost
the African economy. No doubt, women-led businesses
will play a huge role in actually kickstarting and
sustaining the robust implementation of the AFCFTA.”
Both the African Union and the nascent AfCFTA are also
big proponents of youth inclusion in the continent’s
development discourse. What is her message to this
burgeoning so-called demographic dividend?
“Work hard,” she says with emphasis, “...the proliferation
of technology has somehow stunted that drive, because
everything is available at their 昀椀ngertips, and sometimes, ▶
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