Are you a startup or SME owner? If you are, then, this long awaited edition of The Leadership Show is for you.
We are glad to announce that Ms. Thelma Ekiyor, the Managing Partner of SME.NG shall be our guest on The Leadership Show next week Wednesday, October 14, 2020 by 12 noon WAT.
Ms.Thelma Ekiyor has over 20 years experience working in the development sector, as an impact investor, donor, philanthropic advisor and social entrepreneur. She has experience working in 22 African countries.
Ms. Ekiyor is the Managing Partner SME.NG –Nigeria’s Impact Investment Platform, which has set up two impact funds for women entrepreneurs. She is the Co-Founder/Chairperson of Afrigrants Resources and also served as its pioneering CEO.
At Afrigrants, she led the establishment of “Market Women’s Quick Cash” –A financial inclusion solution to provide micro-loans to women in disadvantaged communities.
At Afrigrants, she also Founded Afrigrants Foundation dedicated to the socio-economic advancement to girls and women.
She also led the conceptualization of “The Ebi Fund”, an impact fund for women entrepreneurs. Ms. Ekiyor is also is Founder & Co-Convener of The Funding Space–a mentoring and access to finance platform for social entrepreneurs in Africa.
Prior to establishing Afrigrants, Ms. Ekiyor was the pioneer CEO of TY Danjuma Foundation, and grew an endowment of $100 million. Before that, She served as the Pioneering Executive Director of the West African Civil Society Institute (WACSI), which was established by the George Soros Foundation’s Open Society Institute for West Africa. She supervised investments and interventions in 15 countries across West Africa.
Ms. Ekiyor holds an MBA (Entrepreneurship & Innovation) from Imperial College London, UK; a Law Degree (LLB Honours) from University of Buckingham UK. She is also a Fellow of Stanford University, USA.
Ms. Ekiyor served as Strategic Policy Adviser to UN Women Nigeria (2017-2019). She is currently a Board Member on ALL ON, the renewable energy impact fund in West Africa established by Shell.
Ms. Ekiyor is also the current Chairperson of the Micro, Small and Medium sized businesses and SDGs group of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), overseeing a network of over 70,000 SMEs.
She sits on the Advisory Boards of Women Empowerment Centre(WEC) and Rising Leadership Foundations, both in the United States of America.
Ms. Ekiyor has received several awards and citations for her contributions to women’s economic empowerment and philanthropy in Africa.
This edition is a MUST for all young entrepreneurs, including women from across the African continent who need funding support for their businesses.
You can join us by subscribing to our channel at or like our page at www.facebook.com/ugwumbaleaders
Once again, the date is Wednesday, October 14, 2020 by 12 noon prompt.
The Show is a program of the Ugwumba Leadership Center designed to prepare African youths to become better citizens of their countries and to become better at what they do…