Forbes has released its list of The 20 Young Power Women In Africa for 2013. I believe these are women for all our young ones to emulate. There are three Nigerians on the list. They are:

(1) Tara Fela-Durotoye (Founder, House Of Tara)

The Nigerian-born entrepreneur and lawyer is the founder of House Of Tara, Nigeria’s leading beauty and cosmetics company. House of Tara develops a wide range of African-themed beauty products and perfumes and also operates Nigeria’s foremost beauty academy. In 2013, Fela-Durotoye was nominated as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

(2) Ola Orekunrin (Medical Doctor & Founder, The Flying Doctors)

Orekunrin, 25, is founder and Managing Director of Flying Doctors Nigeria Ltd., an air ambulance service based in Lagos, Nigeria. Orekunrin’s company is the first air ambulance service in West Africa to provide urgent helicopter, airplane ambulance and evacuation services for critically injured people. She is a 2013 New Voices Fellow at the Aspen Institute and was named a Young Global Leader in 2013 by the World Economic Forum.

(3) Folake Folarin-Coker (Fashion Designer)

Coker is the founder of Tiffany Amber, one of Africa’s leading fashion labels. She is the first African-based designer to showcase for two consecutive seasons at New York Fashion Week. In 2009, she won Designer of the Year at African Fashion International in Johannesburg, South Africa followed by Fashion Brand of the Year in 2011 at the Arise Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria.

They should be role-models to our young men and women and a reminder that people you can still make a headway no matter the circumstances.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2013/12/04/the-20-young-power-women-in-africa-2013/

This deserves first page please, moderator.

This is quite impressive. Unlike the others you mentioned, I am not familiar with the name 'Ola Orekunrin' but 'am very impressed with the little info about her here. I searched for more and here's what I found:

How Ola Orekunrin became a doctor at age 21 and went on to found West Africa’s first air ambulance service

Born and raised in England and of Nigerian parentage, Ola Orekunrin made history when at the age of 21 she became a medical doctor thus becoming one of the youngest medical doctors in England. She started her medical degree at the University of York and passed with flying colours.

She was raised by foster white parents and went to a primary school run by Catholic nuns and her family often struggled to make ends meet. According to her, her foster mother, Dorren was a tremendous influence in shaping her life.


Now at age 26, Orekunrin is founder of The Flying Doctors, the first air ambulance service in West Africa. She was prompted to start the new venture after her younger sister died of anaemia. Her sister was always in and out of hospitals and eventually died for lack of the availability of an air ambulance. But starting this venture was not easy.

She gave up a high flying job in England and her dreams of becoming the president of the British Medical Association and minister for the conservative party and moved to Nigeria.

''My first trip back to Nigeria since I was a child was in 2009. It was my first time back since my sister died and I had as much of a culture shock as any other visitor would. My first impulse was to stay with my comfortable NHS job, with all its familiarity and calm''.

''I think that feeling is natural; we have to force ourselves out of our comfort zones to really challenge ourselves''.


According to her, “I was rejected more times than I can remember.”

“Sometimes I would spend hours waiting in an office only to be told to come back the next day and then be turned down.” she said.

“One time, on my way to Ondo State, I was robbed of all I had and was told by my companion, who was travelling with me, not to speak or else my accent would give me away and be the basis for my kidnap. Even in the face of difficultly, I was able to get some funding in addition to what I had saved up.

“The first time an air ambulance service was suggested for Nigeria was in 1960 and nothing was done about that idea. Having studied the models in Kenya, Libya, Uganda and India, coupled with my growing passion to help improve the health care system in Nigeria, which I believe is poor, I became even more determined to bring a similar service to Nigeria,” she said in a recent interview.

“We are completely physician-led and adhere to the highest standards of medical practice supported by the East Anglian Air Ambulance in the United Kingdom. Our mission is simple— to provide the best possible standard of health care to all.”

When asked if poor Nigerians would be able to benefit from her service, she said: “What I do hope is that more states will take up cover as well as making it increasingly available to the common man. I know that as Nigeria starts to take health care reform more seriously, this will begin to happen.”

Source:
http://www.cp-africa.com/2012/05/27/

4tunebest Thanks for the additional information.

4tunebest:

She gave up a high flying job in England and her dreams of becoming the president of the British Medical Association and minister for the conservative party and moved to Nigeria

My first impulse was to stay with my comfortable NHS job, with all its familiarity and calm''.

''I think that feeling is natural; we have to force ourselves out of our comfort zones to really challenge ourselves''.

This is my favourite part of the post. She had to leave a very high-paying job to pursue her unpredictable dream. Unpredictable, because such feat had never been achieved by anyone before, despite the fact that this idea was suggested as far back as 1960, even before she was born.

naijacutee: If we weren't so risk-averse..

We are really limiting ourselves by not willing to take risks. Even when we think some things are beyond us, the brain is such a powerful tool which has been programmed in such a way that once we do not give up, it will eventually show us how to go about it, or the way out.

hmmmmm

Wah of Mama "Peace"

MY MUM

my mama weh baff me wash my sheet beta pass all of them shikenah!,,,,,,,,,,,!!!!!!!!!!

9ce post BUT to me, if there's any Nigerian woman to emulate, it'll be my mother. I throway cap for her. She represents all that a Nigerian woman stands for.

Is that all ? So it's only s/w women that should be emulated. Nonsense and ingredients. why not say some Nigerian women to emulate.

My sweet mother........she raised 7 bold children even after she mysteriously lost her husband , with her little teaching salary.

ifu nor emulate ya mama, na mai mama u for emulate b4? I nor no wetin dey do all these nairalanders sef...person list names wey una fit emulate una dey 4lo tok non sense....mtcheeew

Forbes cant knw pass google.what of Moremi(former head of state in ile-ife)

Dear heart. Please stop getting involved in everything, your job is to pump blood and that's it & Kudos to my mum,any other lady out there looking for emulation should go get married & av kids cos she ain't getting any from me.

What about Ngozo Okonjo Iweala ? Are these the only women achievers we have in a country of 160million ?

Abu Mikey:

OP, don't be offended, but I must emulate the good works of my mother before any of those You've outlined

my friend shut up dia, must every girl dream of becoming a 24/7 housewife like your mum?

YORUBA women to emulate in NIGERIA - that shud have been the caption..


Now some sets of emotional entities will call me Tribalistic and spew more diatribes.
Am am so sure if it was their names that were highlighted, they will say the **** are working while the ****** are hating.

vislabraye: What about Ngozo Okonjo Iweala ? Are these the only women achievers we have in a country of 160million ?

i'll take dora akunyili over that over fed woman

Tpia?

my mama

ebamma: my friend shut up dia, must every girl dream of becoming a 24/7 housewive like your mum?

u no well

I obviously salute Orekunrin's courage but i must say she has nothing to loose.
Despite that we have younglins as graduates in Nigeria today, how many 21 yrs old hv graduated as medical doctors not to mention having a well paid job?
Mind you,doctors are currently on strike.
To me, the risk she took was bearable if it had failed....no homebred could have survived it.

Forza p:

u no well sir

take me to yaba left sir

Mama peace nko?

Show this to maheeda ?

Put my mama's name there

Followed

intergral: my mama weh baff me wash my sheet beta pass all of them shikenah!,,,,,,,,,,,!!!!!!!!!!

She's not YOUNG enough to make the list.