Recently inducted as the Zero Oil Ambassador for Nigeria, Bukky Asehinde, who is popularly known as the “Creatives Mother Hen”, is a passionate young female Nigerian entrepreneur obsessed with enabling and growing an ecosystem for creative entrepreneurs to thrive in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
Bukky is the founder of Bellafricana, a tech-enabled community that provides a platform for Nigerian and African creative entrepreneurs in fashion, arts & crafts, home & living, beauty, and food produce & snacks to gain visibility, increase sales, and have the right business support and structure that gives them the capacity to grow their businesses.
Bellafricana’s vision is to become the biggest e-commerce company that promotes African products to the world. It is on the verge of accomplishing this as it recently launched its online marketplace – www.bellafricanashop.com – in October 2021.
She is also the founder of the African Creative Exhibition and Awards (ACE Awards) which celebrates creativity and innovation in Nigeria and the whole of Africa. Through this initiative, she aims to encourage more local talents in Africa, to look inwards and create more globally acceptable brands. Bukky is also a co-founder of a non-profit organisation called PUSH Relief Project.
Bukky was listed as one of the 100 Most Inspiring Women in Nigeria in 2018 by the Leading Ladies Africa in honour of her great strides and commendable impact, and selected by Business Day in 2019 as one of the 50 most inspiring women in Nigeria. She has also been featured as one of the top 30 African Women Entrepreneurs and Influencers in 2021 by Business Elite Africa, as well as featured in Inside Watch Africa and Woman.ng, and as an alumna of the prestigious Founder Institute.
She studied Biochemistry at the University of Westminster, United Kingdom, and worked in top companies in the UK like Wembley Arena and McDonalds before returning to Nigeria to begin her entrepreneurial journey. She is a member of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Horasis Global Community, The Lionesses of Africa, Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, and Nigeria-Britain Association, and associated with the UK Trade and Investment.
Bukky is of the opinion that if as many products and services which are made by local creative entrepreneurs can be showcased to a wider audience both locally and globally, then we stand a chance of creating more jobs and developing more talents which are things that impact directly on the country’s economic growth.
She is on a mission to empower over 100,000 people by 2030 to start, grow and scale profitable and sustainable successful global creative businesses.
This is a big deal for her because what she does with her team doesn’t just impact the creatives they support, but the people that work for them, their families and even their customers.
In this Woman of the Month interview, Bukky Asehinde elaborates on supporting creativity in Nigeria and navigating the challenges of being an entrepreneur in the country.
Your initiative – the African Creative Exhibition and Awards (ACE Awards) took place recently in October 2021. It celebrates creativity and innovation in Nigeria and the whole of Africa. Can you tell us the inspiration behind it and its journey from inception?
There are so many beautiful and great quality products in Africa and it is my belief that these products are not given the deserving visibility, hence my journey into bridging this gap. Micro, small and medium-size businesses nationwide produce plenty of outstanding products, yet these creative business owners aren’t encouraged to innovate and create more.
I believe that everyone deserves a pat on the back and consistent encouragement, especially if they are excelling in whatever they do. The African Creative Exhibition and Awards focuses on MSMEs from different sectors which are having an impact on the economy by creating jobs and developing the country in one way or the other.
It was born to laud the creative works of Nigerians (Africans), which makes open competition affordable and accessible. In turn, this will encourage more businesses to look inwards and create more globally acceptable brands. This initiative is powered by Bellafricana.
Bellafricana is enabling creative businesses and giving them a platform to receive the recognition they have long deserved.
As the founder of Bellafricana, you advocate for local talents and their products. Please could you tell us more about this tech-enabled community, how it got started and how it has grown so far?
When I was thinking of birthing the Bellafricana idea, I initially thought of the importance of a strong support system for creative businesses and local talents, hence why the community is called “creative family” and now referred to as “home to creative entrepreneurs”. It was so intentional.
When I was away abroad, I yearned for something African, something to connect and remind me of home. It was so bad that I even craved for the little things like agbalumo, baba dudu, even the black elastic thread used in making hair [lol – team natural hair], but I couldn’t find them, hence the very beginning of my journey. I made it my mission to bridge this gap and so, Bellafricana was born.
At Bellafricana, we empower, support and connect quality, talented creative indigenous businesses to their local and global consumers.
Bellafricana has been a registered company for five years and in this period of time, we have been able to build a community, impacting over 20,000 entrepreneurs, equipping them with all the resources and visibility needed in growing their businesses. Bellafricana has borne a lot of events, programmes and initiatives, one of which is ACE Awards previously mentioned.
We are also creating allies in different countries through partnerships, and we are already bringing into the limelight creative entrepreneurs from Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, and so on.
We have been able to initiate partnerships with top stakeholders such as The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) with an endorsement from the Executive Director, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo Jr, who has strongly supported Bellafricana.
How is it running Bellafricana and supporting creatives in a daunting economic environment like ours?
Hmmn…It has been an interesting journey for both the creatives and myself. Just like any business journey that one embarks upon, there are bound to be ups and downs and I have been very intentional, and have worked hard in ensuring that Bellafricana also serves as a soft landing for these creatives, as it provides important tools and resources needed in starting, growing and scaling a business. Furthermore, connecting them with mentors, coaches, and experts in various fields helps in subsidizing all costs that would have been incurred if Bellafricana was not in the picture. It is an open secret that the economy is not particularly friendly to entrepreneurs, which is why we also serve as a buffer especially for creative startups.
It is no secret that the creative industry has been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, how are you and creatives in your network surviving whilst looking to rebound?
I must say that we were quick to adapt and strategically reposition ourselves when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. We saw this as an opportunity to look inwards and key into the digitalized world that we live in. We encouraged the creatives in our community to increase their presence and make more use of social media in communicating, selling, and getting more leads. It was also a good opportunity for them to curate and utilize their email lists, grow their contacts, and leverage their connections on LinkedIn.
Furthermore, we became a pillar of strength for creatives who are not in the food and snacks industry, as they felt that their services were not needed. We continued to support them and came up with various initiatives such as: The Creatives Challenge, Members Bonding Program, Moments with a Creatives and so on. This helped in uplifting them and motivating them to think outside the box, adapting and operating to different situations.
In fact, there were members who were able to launch their physical stores despite the pandemic. This is not to say that there were no shifts or downturns for these businesses but it’s all perspective and how one chooses to forge on with whatever situation or challenges that life throws at you.
The creative industry is a multi-billion naira one which experts have said Nigeria is yet fully to tap into. How can this be achieved?
In so many ways, one of which is by providing more support for business owners.
The more brands that put out quality Nigerian/African-made products, the better the chances of this creative industry being tapped into.
There are still many entrepreneurs who have great ideas but don’t have the necessary business support and structure to produce top-quality products. If these business owners are given more support, then this would in turn lead to more investors knowing about the creative industry and beginning to invest in the industry.
Being an entrepreneur can be challenging. What are the issues you have had to deal with over the years?
There are a lot of them. Fact is, as long as you’re on this journey, there are bound to be challenges. There are no handbooks as to how to expertly, problem-free [permit me to use that phrase – lol]and properly navigate through the entrepreneurial journey. That said, we’ve highlighted one challenge being that the economic environment can be daunting. Another challenge is finding the right personnel that believes in the vision. I have been fortunate to have the right team spirit to move the vision forward.
How can we get more women to be successful and rise to top like you? What advice do you have for younger women going up the career ladder?
Good question. Inclusion and intentionality. Everyone must be involved. Me, you, parents, spouses, CEOs, and the society at large. We all have to intentionally include, encourage and support women to do and be more in all areas in life, be it in education, business, family, and so on. With strong, stable and supportive people in our corner, cheering and edging us on.
With that said, being successful is not a walk in the park and is never attained on a platter of gold. It must be worked for. You must long and hunger for it. My advice to every woman, not just the younger ones:
- It is never too late to start.
- Never be afraid of failing. See it as a learning process.
- Life always presents teachable moments; note them, understand them and use them.
- Align and connect yourself with the people within your niche.
- Research and enlarge your network.
- Always, always put in the work. It pays off in the long run.
Oh, and there’s never one right way of becoming successful. Don’t be closed-minded.
How do you define success?
The definition of success for me can be applied in different seasons and times of my life.
Most times, I think of success as a sense of giving back to the community and world at large while making a difference.
Other times, it’s the impact I’m able to make in the lives of people (family, siblings, mentees, team, friends) and the accomplishments here and there.
Oftentimes, it’s being able to freely enjoy the things I love without holding back, being able to be original amidst the pressure of the world.
Success for me is being able to put God first in every area of my life and live a life that’s worthy of God. Being able to leave a legacy behind for my children.
What do you take pride in?
I take pride in my ability to intentionally radiate positive energy [vibes on vibe – lol]. Seriously though, I take pride in being a daughter, wife, mother, friend, leader, mentor, investor and in what I have been able to achieve with Bellafricana.
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