618Bees: ten women, emerge winners.

10 women were announced winners of a moth long #NaijaWomanHero competition on Thursday, held by Technology startup, 618 Bees. 

618Bees’ Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Efe Ugboro, said winners were chosen after extensive voting on social media platform, Instagram, and the 618Bees website.

Name of the winners are:

Anyantola Elizabeth, Ifeoma Udeaja, Jennifer Ifeoma, Nasa Judith and Emmanuella Giwa emerged winners. Other winners are Millicent Anugwom, Abina Zainab, Wasolati Sani, Odo Stephanie and Okoyeocha Olivia Ginikanwa.

The 10 winners will each receive business incorporation support, opportunity to participate in an investment pitch, business training and mentorship, and legal advice of up to N1.5 million.

“We have over 400 entries from female entrepreneurs across the country. And after following the really remarkable conversations around outstanding Nigerian women heroes, we have arrived at a final list of 10 women entrepreneurs who will get their business registered for free, as the first step in what promises to be a string of benefits,” she said.

The 618 Bees contest asked young women in business to talk about the Nigerian women they find most influential, remarkable, and impactful, and stand a chance to get their businesses registered for free.

Ugboro, whose firm currently employs only women, said the contest was designed to draw attention to great Nigerian women both past and present as well as give opportunity to social media vendors to formalize their businesses.

Top among the #NaijaWomanHero recognised were billionaire philanthropist, Mrs. Folorunso Alakija; Nollywood actress, Genevieve Nnaji; Fashion entrepreneur, Toyin Lawani; popular blogger, Linda Ikeji; late Dr. (Mrs)Stella Adedavoh (who sacrificed her life to curb a wider spread of the Ebola virus in Nigeria); late Dr. (Mrs) Dora Akunyili (whose tenure as the director general of NAFDAC reduced the sale of fake drugs drastically).

Others are Mrs. Ola Orekunrin (founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, West Africa’s leading air ambulance service), late Chief (Mrs) Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (the matriarch of the Kuti family and the first woman to drive a car in Nigeria) and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (former Nigerian Finance minister), among others.

The campaign reached nearly two million people in 28 days across Nigeria via various social media platforms including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.