March 6, 2018 – Uche Pedro Makes OkayAfrica 100 Women List
OkayAfrica, in the second annual OkayAfrica100 Women campaign, is celebrating extraordinary women from Africa and the diaspora making waves across a wide array of industries, while driving positive impact in their communities and the world at large.
The OkayAfrica 100 Women List spans 10 distinct categories: STEM; literature; TV and film; sports and wellness; style and beauty; media; music; business and economics; politics and activism; and art.
According to OkayAfrica, each of the honorees are selected based on achievement, impact and influence within their industries and communities within the last year.
BellaNaija founder Uche Pedro made the list, in the Business category, and we are so proud of her.
Read OkayAfrica’s inspiring profile of Uche Pedro below:
For Lagos-born entrepreneur Uche Pedro, education is not only a lifelong passion, but the reason for her success. College was, in fact, the seed from which her 12-year business would grow. The idea for the digital platform BellaNaija was conceived just two weeks after Pedro graduated from the Ivey Business School at Western University with an Honours Business Administration Bachelor’s degree. What started off as a small blog in 2006 has become a hub for entertainment, style, news, weddings, lifestyle and more.
Pedro, 33, is inspired by the vibrant energy of Lagos, Nigeria and the entire African continent. From the hard-working people paving their own destinies to the way they use wit and humor to share stories and experiences, Pedro feeds off of all of it.
Growing up, Pedro says, she was given the freedom and bandwidth to confidently explore the options for her future. As a child, there weren’t many educational limitations in her household. She and her siblings had ample access to books, magazines and newspapers. In other words, knowledge seeking was always encouraged. Her list of accomplishments has grown long as a result of this early thirst for knowledge.
In 2017, the BellaNaija team completed the Stanford Seed Transformation Program. They then expanded one of the platform’s key brands into a standalone site, BellaNaijaStyle.com and the brand partnered with the United Nations Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights for an awareness campaign. Currently, Pedro and her team are working to further build out BellaNaija Weddings, as well as other yet-to-be-disclosed additions to the empire.
Pedro believes that African women are the bedrock of community. If you ask her who her mentors are, she will readily name her mums Rita Amina Eze and Justice Jumoke Pedro, and her sisters. (That is, in addition to God and her husband, Bode.)Historically, women have been agents of change and transformation for good in their communities and she firmly believes in continuing the trend.
Some other women featured on the list include Tiwa Savage, Efya, Simi, Uzo Aduba, Jackie Aina, Lisa Folawiyo, Adesua Etomi, Nomzamo Mbatha, Gabourey Sidibe, Tope Oshin, Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria’s Women’s Bobsled Team, Taiye Selasi and more.
Throughout the month of March, the prestigious List will be unveiled by way of video docu-series, a collection of inspiring written profiles, an interactive social media campaign, and a range of on-the-ground activation throughout the month. With an overarching focus on building community across bounds, each year’s honorees are creating a legacy for women of all walks to learn from and be inspired by.
Read more about each honoree on OkayAfrica.