At the #BeABossLady media party held in Lagos recently (L-R): Dolapo Shadipe (Digital & Product Marketing Associate, TATC); Glory Aiyegbeni (MERL Senior Consultant, Jobberman Nigeria); Oladoyin Kolawole (Senior Strategy Consultant, Jobberman Nigeria); Samantha Ifezulike (Head, HR Jobberman Nigeria); Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti (Founder, Hereconomy); Olayode Juliana (Actor/Influencer/Author); Prisca Onyedika (Communications Specialist, Jobberman Nigeria); Beatrice Chifiero (Senior Product Manager, TATC); and Damilola Olude (Senior Recruitment Consultant, Jobberman Nigeria).
Jobberman Nigeria says women make up 70 per cent of the informal labour force in Nigeria, primarily as self-employed workers in small-scale retail and creative enterprises.
The Head, Operations and Customers Experience, Jobberman Nigeria, Adejoju Ajagunna, made this known at a media parley in Lagos on Friday, to announce the introduction of “BeABossLady” campaign to empower 44,000 women .
Ajagunna said that the figure was a testament to the incredible entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerian women.
She said that in spite the women’s determination and contributions, many faced significant barriers in accessing essential resources including insights and mentorship to scale their businesses.
According to her, for career-driven women, the story presents another challenge, as research from Matsh, an esteemed institution promoting professional growth, highlights a concerning trend in one of their reports.
”Women’s representation steadily declines at senior leadership levels, though entry and mid-level roles show near equal participation.
”This underlines the urgent need for expanded opportunities that support women’s progression to leadership positions.
”The #BeABossLady campaign is an initiative rooted in empowering women to harness their potential, build confidence, and achieve sustainable growth in their careers and businesses,” she said
According to her, the campaign offers practical courses to sharpen digital proficiency, build business acumen, and strengthen leadership capabilities.
Also, in a panel discussion, an actress, Juliana ÓIayode gave an inspiring story of her journey to stardom after being “frustrated” by the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB)
Olayode said that her ambition was to be a broadcaster but ended up as an actor due to the motivation of a friend.
Olayode, also known as Toyosi in a drama series – Jenifa’s Diary, however, encouraged and said that women could achieve and become a boss lady if they set their mind to it.
Also , the Founder of Hereconomy, Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti, inspired attendees with the narrative on her journey of mentoring about 85.000 women and the transition of the community to a payment platform.
Durosinmi-Etti said that failures were bound to happen in the journey toward being an entrepreneur but should propel one toward success.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that #BeABossLady initiative is a transformative Pan-African women empowerment programme launched through a strategic partnership between The African Talent Company (TATC) and Arifu.
It is operating across three key African markets – Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda and the program is designed to equip young women with essential digital and business skills.
The campaign offers three specialised learning tracks delivered via WhatsApp: the Jobseeker Toolkit, Business Toolkit, and E-commerce Toolkit.
This mobile-first approach empowers women to master new skills flexibly around their daily commitments.