Nkiru Balonwu
Nkiru Balonwu is an entrepreneur and activist based in Lagos, Nigeria. She is known for her views of women as the solution to Africa's problems and is the founder and chairperson of African Women on Board, an independent, women-led African non-profit organisation focused on advancing narratives to improve realities for women and girls of African heritage. She is also founder and managing partner of RDF Strategies, a consultancy firm that provides advice on strategic communication and stakeholder engagement. In 2016, during her time at the helm of Spinlet, Balonwu was featured in YNaija as one of "Nigeria's 100 Most Inspiring Women". In October 2019, Balonwu was awarded the 2020 Powerlist International[6] Award by the Powerlist UK.
Quotes
[edit]- Men, we need you. We women share this earth with you and cannot afford to be disunited from you. This means we demand to be included in the heavily-male saturated halls of power and also need your presence and power behind our causes for equity and justice. We need you as our allies,our Fathers, Brothers, Husbands and Sons. We need you on this global task force to right societal wrongs. We cannot make sustainable change without you on board, without you using your agency to protect the whole.
- If you continue to hurt half of your population, your industry, your workforce, then you bind your own hands from achieving growth.
- Earlier this year, we saw the 2 millionth subscription to the Spinlet service, and our website sees 1,300 unique visitors a day on average. In order of volume, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya are where most of our users are based, though we are seeing a gradual increase in UK and US subscriptions as well.
- AI could be the very tool that allows us to leapfrog and monetise our cultural assets to the next level. Ignoring this shift will be a mistake.
- Music, art, film, fashion, and all creative mediums are unified by a common theme: their ability to powerfully communicate, and engage people through narrative.
- Gain as much knowledge as you can – know your rights, know the policies, and know who you can go to for help to ensure they are properly implemented.
- Silence can – quite literally – kill, and when you speak out against workplace inequality and harassment, you stand up not only for yourself but for the conditions of all women.
- The creative industry in Nigeria has the potential to drive growth, innovation, and employment, but it lacks scalable and predictable investment frameworks.
- It’s time for our creatives to see themselves not just as artists, but as business people, institution builders, and financially literate architects of enterprise.
- Our creative industry will not and cannot achieve its full potential through isolated success stories.
