Herconomy is a female-focused organization 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 organization was founded by Ife Durosinmi Etti, a Nigerian author, entrepreneur, and young global leader. It held its conference and first-ever awards and gala night on the 11th of March, 2022.
The conference, which kicked off at 10am 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.
The Awards and Gala Night was co-hosted by Isabella Adediji and Temisan Emmanuel began at 6:00 PM 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.
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 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.
Herconomy also recognized 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.
Special guests entertainers of the night.
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 says, as she recalls 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, Mrs. Durosinmi Etti successfully pulled off a well attended program for women’s month and is optimistic about the future.
While expressing her thoughts about the events, Ife says she’s extremely thankful to her team for their hard work : “My team are the wind beneath my wings. God bless each and every one of them for the effort they put into ensuring this event went excellently“.
Fintech company, Herconomy will be launching new products very soon, including the Herconomy Web App, to open up more opportunities and ease access to the products and services they offer. 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.
Watch the recap footage from the Conference and Gala.: