Ifeanyinwa Afe is the Managing Director of HP Inc Nigeria. She is a graduate of Igbinedion University where she studied Economics and Development Studies. She is a highly focused and determined individual who is primarily geared towards championing positive contributions towards sustainable development.
Ifeyinwa introduced the HP Spectre, one of the world’s thinnest laptops, into the Nigerian market and she constantly sees to it that they are ahead of their peers. Ifeanyinwa through her organisation is solving the learning gaps that exist in Africa, as well as the complete lack of access to quality education.
She is highly passionate about innovation. According to her, “Innovation or invention is borne out of necessity, and the desire for positive change. I realized a few years ago that for Africa, to achieve greatness, we must begin at the foundation, which is education.
Africa has the highest rate of education exclusion in the world, with 60% of the youths between the ages of 15-17 out of school completely. This is even worse for females, as 9 million girls between the ages of 6-11, in Africa, never get to go to school. The same data for the males, in comparison, is estimated at 6 million.” Life says.
For Ifeanyinwa, women are natural innovators. In her own words, she says “if you think about it. I believe in the complete representation of all, in any concept or action. This way, a broader mind-set is adopted, with vast creative thinking.”
Ifeanyinwa says she is inspired by three people. “My mother comes first because I learnt the meaning of hard work and determination through her. The second is the preacher, Joel Osteen, he has a gift that allows him to open up and touch people through his preaching. Your faith and spirituality is what directs you when there are no signs. The 3rd person is no other than the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Meg Whitman who believes strongly in the empowerment of women both at work and in the society.”
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Indeed, it often takes a woman extra effort to get to where her male counterparts are even when she is equally qualified. It is good to know that things are changing but a lot needs to be done to bridge this gap. Having said that, Afe believes this is a significant challenge to the womenfolk. She puts it in the right perspective when she says “African women are often challenged with several factors. Being a working mother and wife, also experience some of these challenges, although some are more extreme than the others.
I see situations every day, where women are expected to act a certain way, speak a certain way and only at certain times, suppress their ideas and creativity to avoid being written-off for being too aggressive or driven. This is why I decided to have a voice for all African women. To make them understand that you can be who you want to be and reach for the stars.” She states.
Sharing on her challenges on the job, she says “liaising with various stakeholders, to learn and participate in global reaching actions towards providing quality education in Africa is a challenge. Over time, other obstacles still remain: funding, and awareness, both on the part of the youths, in knowing how and where to find the help/support they need, and the philanthropists, in knowing how they can help.”
Ifeanyinwa describes herself as a dynamic woman, bursting with ideas and energy, passionate about making a long-lasting positive change to the world we live in. “I have always aspired towards championing positive contributions towards sustainable development, such that tomorrow gets better every day for our children and generations to come. The drive to be successful motivates me and I am constantly challenging myself to be better at what I do every day.” Afe says.
