Only 5% of CEOs in Africa are women and Amy Jadesimi is one inspiring example

desmond frimpong

March 27, 2018 1:26 PM

Amy Jadesimi studied medicine and worked in banking. Now she's running LADOL, an oil services company in Nigeria.

Women are significantly under represented in the oil and gas sector and the 2018 young African CEO Amy Jadesimi hopes her progress will help redefine the situation.

Females make up only 5 percent of chief executives of big corporations in Africa according to a survey by Africa CEO forum.

Jadesimi is a rare female boss in an industry dominated by men. She heads a state-of-the-art logistics facility within the Port of Lagos in Nigeria.

The 42 years old woman was trained as a medical doctor at Oxford University before moving into investment banking with Goldman Sachs.

Her experience in banking inspired her to pursue a MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business before moving back to Nigeria.

The young CEO knew she had enough education and experience that could really add value to the Nigerian market, however, she was not sure exactly how to do that until she joined the family firm; LADOL.

Currently, she is the Managing Director and CEO of LADOL.

Jadesimi's plan is not just to contribute to Nigeria's industrial revolution but to create thousands of jobs.

While she is on the running to reach her high ambitions, she pays close attention to every detail of her growing business.

Speaking to Business Insider Sub Saharan Africa at the 2018 Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Jadesimi said even though women play an essential role in the development of an economy,they are not necessarily going to be celebrated for that and you will not necessarily be welcomed in so be prepared to sacrifice and focus on their goals and not be influenced by outside negative perceptions."

LADOL stands for West Africa’s Free Zone and Logistics Hub for Multinational Industrial and Offshore Companies

The company is positioned strategically at the entry-point to Lagos harbour and provides a one-stop-shop for multinational industrial and oil and gas companies operating in West Africa.

As the region’s largest base for rig and vessel repair, LADOL also provides 24/7 operations with a wide range of services and facilities – from cargo handling and inventory management to onsite hotel and recreational facilities.

Amy has played a key role at the engineering facility since 2004 managing hundreds of millions of dollars.

She manages more than 1,000 Nigerian employees who offer a huge range of services to the country's giant oil sector, including providing utilities, security and support for offshore production and projects.

Jadesimi also wants Africa to do more, particularly those of us in the real private sector.

"We need to highlight the success stories – particularly SMEs - and we need to lobby internationally to ensure funding goes into the right hands - so that more entrepreneurs in established as well as emerging markets are inspired to seize the opportunities in front of them for sustainable, mutual prosperity."

desmond frimpong

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