Nine women have been honoured with the Embracing All Tone of Women (EATOW), a U.K.-based trade Mission in Nigeria, awards for their contributions to business development.
The award ceremony was held at the EbonyLife Place, Lagos, on Saturday in recognition of the positive contributions made by the women in the beauty, entertainment, media and creative industries.
The event which featured prominent black professionals in business, leadership and professional roles across UK, USA and Nigeria were brought in by EATOW in partnership with the UK Department for International Trade.
Speaking at the event, Princess Moradeun Adedoyin-Solarin, a Pan African Royal Broadcaster and Media consultant, expressed excitement at the contributions of Mrs Eryca Freemantle, Founder of EATOW, in inspiring black women and encouraging them to reach their potentials.
Adedoyin-Solarin said she brought Freemantle to Nigeria 15 years ago and described her as a steadfast and focused successful woman.
She said, “I feel like a mother whose child just got first class.
I was the one that brought her to Nigeria the first time 15 years ago. even though she is like my friend and sister, she is also like a child I gave birth to.
“Is amazing she has been steadfast and very focused.
“The outcome of this trade mission is coming out like an onion in layers, each layer is beautiful, each layer is encouraging.
It shows there is hope and indeed when people are determined and focused, somehow God and the universe will just make everything to align.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the awardees were Mrs Ruth Osime of Thisday Media and Mo Abudu of Ebonylife.
Mo Abudu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EbonyLife Group, had been described by Forbes as “Africa’s Most Successful Woman”.
Abudu oversees all the divisions of the EbonyLife Group which include EbonyLife TV and EbonyLife Films, among others.
It further reports that, EbonyLife Media and Bepta travels provide UK and USA delegates with an exceptional platform to explore cultural, trade and investment opportunities in Nigeria, build influential networks and cement key business relationships.
Other recipients of the award are Chinelo Anohu, CEO, African Investment Forum AfDB, Dr Chi Chi Aniagolu-Okoye, Regional Director West Africa, The Ford Foundation, and Uche Pedro, Founder BellaNaija.
Also honored were Omoyemi Akerele, Founder Lagos Fashion; Bolanle Austen-Peters, CEO Terrakulture, Chizor Malize, CEO FITC Nigeria, Carol Abade, CEO Express Agency, Kenya, and Dupe Olusola, CEO Transcop Hotels. (NAN)