Nigeria is blessed with many brilliant and hard working women who are worth their weight. Many of these women have headed into the finance world and they have made an achievement out of it.
Taking charge of top positions, they also manage to run their different homes smoothly without any hassle.
Below are a brief profile on some women in finance:
1. Kemi Adeosun
Kemi Adeosun, 48, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of East London and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Financial Management from the University of London.
She worked as Accounting assistant at British Telecom Company, London, from 1989 – 1990 and Senior audit officer at Goodman Jones, London, from 1990- 1993. Her more senior career saw her as Manager, Internal Audit at London Underground Limited, London, 1994 – 1995 and Manager Internal Audit, Prism Consulting from 1996 – 2000.
She was appointed the Commissioner of Finance in Ogun state, from 2011 – 2015. Adeosun is a member of the Institutes of Chartered Accountants, England and Wales, as well as Nigeria. She is currently the minister of finance of federal republic of Nigeria, from 2015 till date.
2. Ibukun Awosika
A fellow of the African Leadership Initiative and Aspen Global Leadership Network, Ibukun Awosika is a member of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, member of the board of Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Fund and former Chairperson, Board of Trustees of Women in Management, Business and Public Service.
In 2011, she co-founded the Afterschool Graduate Development Centre, a career centre established in order to checkmate the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria.
On September 7, 2015, Ibukun became the first woman to be appointed Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria following the resignation of Prince Ajibola Afonja.
3. Nimi Akinkugbe
Nimi Akinkugbe is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bestman Games Ltd, the African distributor of customized editions of Monopoly, Hasbro’s world famous game.
Nimi contributes articles to several leading publications including Genevieve Magazine, a leading Nigerian women’s lifestyle magazine, Business Day, the Punch Newspapers, and the Guardian Newspapers. Her articles are also featured in a host of other publications, websites and blogs including, Bella Naija, Lagos Mums, Eden Lifestyle and The Edition, a Kenyan publication.
Nimi is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ajumogobia Science Foundation, which seeks to support the teaching and learning of science, and a member of the Board of Trustees of The Play Pen, Child Development Centre and the Artistes Committee of the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON). She is also on the Selection Committee of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP).
4. Aisha Ahmad
Aishah graduated from the University of Abuja, after which she bagged an MSc in finance and management from the Cranfield School of Management in the UK, as well as an MBA with a specialisation in finance from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
The delectable Aisha is the chairperson of the executive council of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), a Nigerian non-profit organisation, established in 2001.
The Presidency in October 2017 announced the nomination of Aisha Ahmad, to take over as Deputy Governor Central Bank of Nigeria in charge of economic policy from Sarah Alade who retired in March.
5. Onikepo Akande OON,CON
Dr. Onikepo Olufunmike Akande, OON was a director of both the National Insurance Corporation of Nigeria, (NICON), and Nigeria Industrial Development Bank (NIDB),now Nigeria Bank of Industry.
Dr. Akande is an accomplished economist as well as a successful industrialist and seasoned administrator and Accountant by training.
She was the first woman honourable minister of industry in the Federal Government of Nigeria in December, 1997.
She currently serves as the President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and honorary life Vice-President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture.
6. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (born 13 June 1954) is a Nigerian economist and its first female minister of Finance.
She served two terms as Finance Minister of Nigeria (2003-2006, 2011-2015) and was previously Managing Director of the World Bank (2007-2011). She currently chairs the Board of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization ) and the African Risk Capacity.
In July 2017, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was named an independent non-executive director at Standard Chartered Plc in the United Kingdom. She is also a Senior Adviser at Lazard.
7. Arunma Oteh
Arunma Oteh, OON (Officer of the Order of the Niger), is the Treasurer and Vice President of the World Bank. She became the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Nigeria in January 2010.
In this position she was responsible for regulation of Nigeria’s capital markets, including the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In July 2015, after her tenure in the SEC, she was appointed the vice president and treasurer of the World Bank.
In 2014, Oteh won the CNBC Africa, All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) Business Woman of the Year category for West Africa.
8. Mary Akpobome
Mary is an executive director overseeing the Service and wealth Management group of Heritage Banking Company Limited (HBCL).
Having started her banking career in 1991 and in her over 2 decade banking experience has worked in; Citizens International Bank (now Enterprise Bank Limited, Nigeria) and Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank). Before joining Heritage Banking Company Limited as a pioneer Executive Director (ED).
In 2001, she enrolled at the University of Lagos where she obtained her MBA. She is also an alumnus of the prestigious INSEAD and INSEAD Business School, Orchestrating Winning Performance (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland and the Lagos Business School (LBS).
She is member of the institute of Directors (IOD), a fellow of the institute of Credit Administration (ICA). She is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN).
Credit: Fabwoman