An Exciting Opportunity For Under 35 Female Entrepreneurs in West #Africa

She Leads Africa Launches Female Entrepreneurs Pitch Competition in West Africa, $10,000 Cash Prize for 1st Place

She Leads Africa has announced the launch of a business pitch competition exclusively for female entrepreneurs, which will give the most promising female entrepreneurs in West Africa a platform to connect to prominent mentors, business funding and new market opportunities. 

“Female entrepreneurs are unfortunately missing from the conversation around Africa’s growth story but the continent will not be able to reach its full potential without the full economic participation of women”, says lead organiser Afua Osei. She Leads Africa addresses this challenge head on with a series of programs to help female entrepreneurs gain business fundamentals, connect to an active business network, and increase their access to financing.

The first initiative to increase access to finance is a Pitch Competition in September which will screen applications from across West Africa to identify the top 10 talented female entrepreneurs who have founded or co-founded early stage startups. Finalists will be selected by professionals in the consulting, venture capital, and finance industry based on the strength of the idea, ability to scale, understanding of the market, and quality of the management team. Special consideration will be given to entrepreneurs in the technology sector. 

Finalists will be paired with mentors to help advance their businesses and the entrepreneurs will be brought to Lagos to pitch their businesses to a panel of notable business personalities including Hakeem Belo-Osagie Chairman, Etisalat Nigeria; and Ngozi Edozien, CEO InVivo Partners; and Bola Adesola, CEO, Standard Chartered Bank. Finalists will compete for a $10,000 cash first place prize, one-on-one meetings with venture capitalists, legal advice from a premier law firm, free business lines and internet packages for a year, tablets, SME accounting software and more.

The Pitch Competition is supported by sponsors Etisalat, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, FSDH Capital, Start Smart Ghana and media partners Genevieve Magazine, Tech Cabal, Venture Burn, and Bella Naija.

Applications for entrepreneurs open June 23rd and will close July 30th 2014. For more information please visit: www.SheLeadsAfrica.org or email: info (at) sheleadsafrica.org.


About She Leads Africa
She Leads Africa is a social enterprise ensuring that women are part of Africa’s growth story by helping female entrepreneurs gain access to the knowledge, networks, and financing to build and scale strong businesses.



Contact: 
Web site: www.SheLeadsAfrica.org

Email: info (at) sheleadsafrica.org      Follow on Twitter @SheLeadsAfrica

How To Put The World In Order

"To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right."

Read more via this link: 

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140519230426-204317422-if-i-were-22-from-post-war-korea-to-meeting-kennedy?trk=object-title

IWMF announces recipients of the 2014 Courage in Journalism Awards #IWMFcourage (@IWMF)

Winners for 25^th annual Awards are from DRC, Serbia, and USA

Washington, DC – As the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) celebrates its 25^th year honoring courageous women journalists around the world, we are proud to announce the recipients of our 2014 Courage in Journalism Award. Recent targeted attacks on journalists around the world underscore the importance of supporting and recognizing those individuals who risk their lives to report the truth. Since 1990, the IWMF has paid tribute to more than 100 women journalists who set themselves apart through their extraordinary bravery.

With its 2014 Courage in Journalism Awards, the IWMF honors:

Arwa Damon, USA | International Correspondent, CNN

For more than ten years, Damon has reported from the most turbulent areas of the Middle East, covering revolutions, popular demonstrations, war, and terrorist attacks. Based in Beirut, Damon has witnessed recent history in Libya, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, working to tell the stories of those living through conflict. She has escaped crossfire, shelling, and bombing, and has withstood criticism from government entities for her reporting. Read more ...

Solange Lusiku Nsimire, Democratic Republic of the Congo | Editor-in-Chief, Le Souverain

Standing at the helm of one of the few independent media outlets in Eastern Congo, a region dominated by competing powers including roving bands of Rwanda génocidaires and corrupt decision makers, Lusiku Nsimire has made many enemies. She is the target of ongoing threats and harassment; her family home has been attacked multiple times, and she has fought numerous obstacles to continue publication of her newspaper. Read more ...

Brankica Stanković, Serbia | TV Reporter, B92

Reporting on corruption and crime perpetrated by the country's political and economic elite has made Stanković one of Serbia's most prominent investigative journalists - and a target for continued attacks, including explicit death threats. Stanković has been forced to live under 24-hour police protection since 2009, but she continues her rigorous investigative coverage of Serbia's political and social ills. Read more ...

Alexandra Trower, Executive Vice President, Global Communications, at The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc., has been named the 2014 IWMF Leadership Honoree, for her decades-long career in executive leadership at major international companies and her years of support for the IWMF's work. "As the citizens and beneficiaries of a democratic society, we have a responsibility to play a role in upholding the critical tenets of free speech around the world," Trower said. Read more ...

The 25^th Courage in Journalism Awards will be presented at ceremonies in New York on October 22nd and in Los Angeles on October 29th. Bank of America is National Presenting Sponsor of the events for the ninth consecutive year.

For more information, please visit iwmf.org, follow #IWMFcourage (@IWMF) on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

Please direct all media inquiries and interview requests to IWMF Communications Strategist Anna Schiller (aschiller@iwmf.org, +1 202 567 2613).

ABOUT IWMF

Founded in 1990 by a group of prominent U.S. women journalists, the International Women's Media Foundation is a Washington-based organization dedicated to strengthening the role of women journalists worldwide. The IWMF believes the news media worldwide are not truly free and representative without the equal voice of women. The IWMF celebrates the courage of women journalists who overcome threats and oppression to speak out on global issues. The IWMF's programs empower women journalists with the training, support and network to become leaders in the news industry.

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Media Freedom for a Better Future: Shaping the Post-2015 Development Agenda #WPFD2014

• Nigeria ranks 112 in World Press Freedom Index. Click for the full list here

Some highlights of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's briefing at UN Headquarters:

“On this World Press Freedom Day, I call on all Governments, societies and individuals to actively defend this fundamental right as critical factors in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and advancing the post-2015 development agenda,” he says. 

And more:

• Freedom of expression, independent media and universal access to knowledge will fortify our efforts to achieve lasting results for people and the planet.
• Kidnapping, detaining, beating and murdering journalists for speaking or writing uncomfortable truths is completely unacceptable in a world ever more reliant on global news outlets and the journalists who serve them.
• Some 456 journalist have been forced into exile since 2008. And since 1992, well over 1,000 journalists have been killed – nearly one per week. Behind each statistic stands a man or a woman simply going about their lawful business.
• Social media and mobile technologies offer new tools for accelerating citizen participation and economic and social progress.
• Media’s watchdog function is essential for holding Governments, businesses and others to account.

John Ashe, President of the UN General Assembly:

When journalists are able to report freely, they support informed citizen participation in political and social processes and promote civic engagement...Our Assembly called upon Member States to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently and without undue interference. In this regard, the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity is an important multi-stakeholder mechanism. Only by ensuring that journalists can work safely and without fear will they be able to give voice to those who do not have one, tell stories that are untold and help build open and transparent societies.

I say, yes! A free and responsible media is important to shape development locally and globally! Treat journalists right. And journalists-- let's be diligent and responsible in carrying out our duties! 

Quotes source: UN News

Image source: Reporters without Borders.

Who Dumps A Baby In The Gutter? #AYP #SRHR #GrowingUp

This morning, still so angry about the current situation in Nigeria [e.g. why there is low response to #BringBackOurGirls], I saw a crowd gathering around a heap by the gutter in Fadeyi area of Lagos.

My curious-self crossed to the other side and was about to ask, "wetin dey happen" when I saw it. A lifeless newborn (baby) wrapped in a blanket. One of the cleaners found him/her in the gutter. Lagos-lookers were cursing at the person responsible for dumping the baby. Some said they suspect the person is/lives around the corner. So they raved and cursed.

Why will anybody dump a new born baby in the gutter?

Poverty. Shame. Judgmental stares. Lack of support. Sickness. Poverty of the mind. The list of possible reasons might not occupy this space. Yes. There are many reasons why that can happen. But does it justify the action?

Young people are sexually active. It is no longer news. But what is disturbing is that people are still not embracing the many opportunities to empower themselves and reduce their exposure to unwanted pregnancy or improve their ability to make informed decisions about their lives. By this I do not mean a mass rally aimed at distributing contraceptives and its likes on the street. I mean access to comprehensive and empowering information. Access to youth friendly resource centers and clinics across Nigeria. Where one can actually get first-hand information on how to be more and do more, positively.

In a presentation on HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health Vulnerabilities of Adolescents and Young people in Nigeria, Dr Otibho Obianwu of Population Council Nigeria said that although there is improvement in health seeking behavior among adolescents and young people, the overall level is still low when compared to their exposure to risk-bearing sexual activities. During the Media-Research Advocacy Exchange Platform in Lagos, it was revealed that limited access to sexual and reproductive health information, societal stigma surrounding pre-marital adolescent sex, negative attitude of health providers, fear of parental retribution etc. are factor affecting health seeking behavior of adolescents and young people in Nigeria. Don’t forget, this age group make up about 31.6% of Nigeria’s population, numbering over 55million! In Dr Obianwu’s words— adolescents and young people are “direct link between society’s future (children) and past (older adults)".

The purpose of this text is not to reel-out statistics of any kind. But I hope one real life report like this is enough to spur girls, boys, parents, teachers, NGOs, activists, religious leaders, government, corporate Nigeria and all stakeholders into action, to protect (empower) young people, to protect our future.

One might ask, how are you sure it is a young person that dumped the baby in the gutter? Does it matter who did? A baby has been lost. A generation wiped out. But can we prevent future occurrences and protect the future?

It is our responsibility.

NOTE to young people: don't cut yourself from empowering opportunities. Visit a Youth Resource Centre and Youth Friendly Clinic today to know what's up and/or get help!

In Lagos?
Checkout the youth resource center and youth friendly clinic at Action Health Incorporated
17 Lawal street, Jibowu Lagos.

Growing Up: www.growingupmag.org

Be empowered!

Youths Around The World See Meagre Opportunities

“The youth bulge can become a security, economic and humanitarian worry, and even maybe a disaster, or it can become a resource for development and change.” — William Reese.

WASHINGTON, (IPS) - Although half the world’s population is under 25 years old, young people in more than two dozen countries feel that their opportunities for educational, economic and societal advancement are limited, according to new research released by IPS on Thursday.

Researchers say the results should help to drive and prioritise both public and private investment in services.

In order to assess the many factors that contribute to healthy lifestyles for youth, the International Youth Foundation (IYF) and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the latter a think tank, put together the Global Youth Wellbeing Index.

The index aggregates data from 30 countries, representing around 70 percent of the world’s youth population, and rates the wellbeing of youths in each country on a scale from zero to one.

“This is certainly … one of the biggest issues we’re dealing with in the world today,” Christopher Nassetta, the CEO of Hilton Worldwide, the index’s principle funder, said at the index’s launch.

“It hasn’t been an issue that really has been discussed around the world the way that, in my mind, it should be, in the sense of really getting governments, civil society and business … to really think about the issues.”

Nassetta says each of these sectors now needs to figure out not only how to attack the problems that can be associated with youth wellbeing, but also the “opportunity”.

Approximately 85 percent of youths under the age of 25 live in developing countries, in some countries comprising almost 40 percent of the total population.

Development advocates and economists suggest such numbers highlight the importance of providing such a large segment of the population with the resources necessary to drive economic growth while maintaining adequate health, security and stability.

“The youth bulge can become a security, economic and humanitarian worry, and even maybe a disaster, or it can become a resource for development and change,” said William Reese, IYF’s president.

IYF and CSIS hope that governments, civil society and businesses will use the index’s findings to better evaluate and calibrate programmes designed to buildyouth capacity.

“You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” said Nassetta. “There’s been a massive lack of transparency and data with which to make good investments, whether that’s human capital or financial capital, so the wellbeing index is the start of that.”

For instance, IYF’s Reese noted that developing countries’ heavy investment in certain sectors, like education, have yet to yield desirable results.

“[The] domains can tell us where to invest intelligently,” Reese said. “That can be the host government, but even in some of the poorest countries in the world, their largest expenditure is in education, it’s just not being well spent.”

Reese emphasised that the index is not adversarial in nature, but rather designed for countries to compare and contrast their relative strengths and weakness, and to learn from each other.

“The index will help us compare and frame some needs and look at countries as to where they’re doing better and where they have some gaps,” he said. “Then we can compare across countries – not to name and shame at all, but to look further so we invest better.”

In addition to emphasising the need for more data-driven policies, programmes and investments, many at Thursday’s unveiling of the index highlighted a key component necessary to drive those changes: youths themselves.

“If you’re talking about a post-2015 development agenda, one thing missing from that, based on a youth perspective, is the idea of what the ‘youthproblem’ is,” said Angga Dwi Martha, the 23-year-old Youth Advocate at the United Nations Population Fund.

“I think this index can give a very general identification of the problem. And then, as young people, we can [relay] this to our government, the private sector and civil society.”

Others argued that the best way to figure out “what works” to improve youth wellbeing is by actively including and engaging youths in the development process.

According to Emmanuel Jimenez, the World Bank’s director of public-sector evaluations, “We, as older people who design policy, often forget, or don’t do enough, to consult with the ultimate beneficiaries, which are young people.”

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Just Musing: Is Nigeria too strong? Are Nigerians too resilient?

Eze's poem:

"I Fear for my country

That we've learnt to be strong (too strong)

To feel and just to move on

Too resilient to cry, to arise and make amends

I fear for my people

We've grown too strong to fight our demons."

Excerpts from 'dearth of a country' by Emelogu Danladi Eze