Ranked amongst Forbe’s most influential women in the world with a $1.7billion net worth, Nigerian business mogul and Vice chairman of Famfa Oil Ltd., Mrs. Folorunso Alakija, recently launched a non-profit organization called ‘Flourish Africa’. This organization is aimed at creating a global community that implores women to thrive in every aspect of their lives.
Mrs. Alakija has been and continues to be a philanthropist and an advocate of women empowerment. She is the founder of the ‘Rose of Sharon Foundation’ which is a foundation channeled towards supporting widows and orphans in Nigeria. Thousands of women and orphans have benefitted from this foundation.
Alakija strongly believes in the strength and the ability of the female population to change the course of the nation. Flourish Africa is one of her tools in enlightening women across the country of their true worth, value and the endless possibilities available to them. In her words, Flourish Africa is a ‘worldwide movement ultimately rooted in the local realm’.
She strongly believes that this platform will help women grow in areas of their career, relationships, and all other aspects of their lives. In her words;
“Many women have the potential to be great. If we form a community of like-minded individuals who share a common goal and purpose, we can pull together, make an impact in every community we find ourselves and ultimately, flourish.”
This new project of hers is promising as it is meant to start off by empowering Nigerian women through various initiatives hat will run through the course of the year enriching the lives of women both locally and internationally. Although the initiative is primarily for women, Mrs. Alakija has made it clear that it will benefit the men as well. She said;
“I believe both men and women can benefit from the ethos of the ‘Flourish Africa’ platform. I know that given the opportunity, women have the power to change the course of any nation and together, we can break down the stereotypes that hold us all back, make our communities much stronger and greater. Together we can create the world where every woman understands their true value and have the tools at their disposal to follow their dreams.”
At this rate, it would seem that Mrs. Alakija is raising an army of female moguls that will grow to be like herself or even grow bigger, and she is recording great success. Flourish Africa might just turn out to be the next big thing in Nigeria and bring that ‘change’ that everyone has been waiting for.
