Nkem Okocha

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Nkem Okocha
Born
Lagos, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
EducationLagos State University
OccupationSocial entrepreneur/activist
Known forEmpowering women with financial aid

Nkem Okocha is a Nigerian social entrepreneur and activist who founded Mamamoni,[1] a FinTech social enterprise that empowers[buzzword] poor rural and urban slum women with free vocational skills and mobile loans.[2][3]

She is the 2016 winner of the LEAP Africa Social Innovators Programme (SIP) by Union Bank of Nigeria.[4]

Early life and education[edit]

Okocha was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. She started her tertiary education at Auchi Polytechnic and later proceeded to Lagos State University where she earned a bachelor's degree in banking and finance[5][6] and received a certificate in entrepreneurship from the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme.[7] She also has a certificate in business and entrepreneurship from Northwestern University.[8]

Career[edit]

Inspired by her widowed mum's struggle to feed and educate the family, she founded Mamamoni,[9][10] a social enterprise that is addressing community transformation by empowering women to carry on small businesses.[11][12]

Since 2013, she has impacted and empowered over 4,000 women in several rural/urban slum communities and given out over 100 micro-loans.[13] Before starting her company, she worked as a customer service representative for Intercontinental Bank, now Access Bank plc. She went further to become the managing director at Novine Koncept Ventures[14] before starting Mamamoni.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Nkem Okocha, Founder of Mamamoni is RISE Youth of the Week". Rise Networks. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  2. ^ "Start small,leverage on partnerships– Nkem Okocha". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  3. ^ "Nkem Okocha - The startup story of a Nigerian social entrepreneur empowering poor rural and urban women with free vocational skills and mobile loans". Lionesses of Africa. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  4. ^ "Union Bank, MamaMoni set up innovation hub for low income women". Nigerian Voice. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  5. ^ "Nkem Christiana Okocha". IREX. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  6. ^ Newman, chuks (10 July 2019). "Meet Nkem Okocha, Entrepreneur, Banker, and Founder of Mamamoni". My Media Africa. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  7. ^ BellaNaija.com (2017-07-05). "Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: Nkem Okocha of Mamamoni is our #BellaNaijaWCW this Week". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  8. ^ "Nkem Okocah".
  9. ^ "Meet the CEO of Mamamoni". The Tony Elumelu Foundation. 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  10. ^ "Mamamoni". Changemakers. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  11. ^ "Union Bank, Mama Moni Establish Innovation Hub for Low-Income Women". Union Bank. 2019-05-27. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  12. ^ "Blog - KEC". knowledgeexchangecentre.org. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  13. ^ Setima-Benebo, Tonye (2017-03-04). "Nkem Okocha: I started Mamamoni because my experience as young girl". She Leads Africa. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  14. ^ BellaNaija.com (2017-07-05). "Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: Nkem Okocha of Mamamoni is our #BellaNaijaWCW this Week". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  15. ^ "About Us". MamaMoni. Retrieved 2019-07-27.