Nella Kumafo fom Ghana Innovation

Nella Kumafo is from Ghana and holds a First degree, Masters’ degree, and a trained teachers’ certificate. She has been able to establish a business called Sanel Designs. She is a professional artist who creates and produces works of art from waste plastic that has been indiscriminately disposed of and is a health hazard. She has also been able to use plastics for graphic works and fountains. She makes beads which have been put into different decorative products and textile products such as footwear, dresses and curtains of different designs. The recent call to help rid the cities, towns and communities of waste is what motivated Nella to help in the re-using and recycling of waste. The myriad problems associated with indiscriminate disposal of waste include health, sanitation and environmental impact. Nella converts waste into aesthetic art works with philosophical, theological and proverbial meanings. Through research, criticism and advice, Nella has been able to solve a lot of the problems and difficulties encountered in the project. Nella’s product was developed to solve an environmental and health problem which includes making the environment clean and reducing health problems. There will no longer be water that collects in waste plastic bags and containers which will reduce mosquito breeding. She has also helped in eradicating poverty by employing people to collect and wash plastics. Nella has made her art work cheaper, lighter, durable, easy to mend and to transport. Nella also has plans for training young people in waste art production and has also moved a step ahead to design and produce pavement blocks and wall tiles. For this outstanding and innovative idea Nella was honoured PAWII 2005 overall winner. As well as the recognition for her achievements to date, Nella Kumafo will receive technical assistance from the IFC to further develop her business.

Tomilola Awoniyi from Nigeria – Exceptionally Creative

Presented with the PAWII 2005 Product Development Award Winner.
Tomilola was the product development award winner for her infant and child ‘formula food’ which includes ingredients and spices of high nutritional value. She developed this formula after the birth of her first child when she discovered that most of the available infant formula could not produce the desired effect on the growth and well being of the child. Tomilola researched and developed her product and began to commercialise on a small scale. She won an award in the 2003 GWIIN Nigeria Awards with a prize of a business trip from British Airways to London. Capacity building support was provided from a number of business advisers and learning institution, with the knowledge and contacts she gained, she has now branded, packaged and promoted LIZVIC Special Pap and developed her business further.

Aissa Dione Tissus from Senegal

Exceptionally Creative Award Winner
Aissa Dione Tissus from Senegal for textile, craft, furniture and design. Aissa’s products are of a high quality and represent high fashion at international level, using only raw materials. Aissa’s products have earned her clients in hotels and top international fashion houses. She has empowered many as a result of her creation of jobs and inspired many as a result of her overcoming the many challenges that come with trading and exporting.

Zoe Dean-Smith from Swaziland – Building Capacity Award Winner

Zoe Dean-Smith, Managing Director of ‘Gone Rural’ from Swaziland for her use of lutindzi grass for making home ware products and marketing it to several countries. Gone Rural was established in 1992 in order to develop the potential of rural women in Swaziland. With Zoe’s leadership, Gone Rural has accomplished an increased annual sales turnover of 300% from 1999 to 2005. Knowing of the alarming increase in population infected by HIV, Zoe sourced funding for HIV/AIDS training for rural women. Zoe put her personal life on hold to serve the rural women of Swaziland following the untimely death of Gone Rural’s Founder – Jenny Thorne. Without Zoe stepping in this would have meant the close of the business and more than 600 people would have lost their livelihood.

Bisi Adeleye Fayemi, Dr Hilda Tadia and Joanna Foster – Chairman’s Award

Bisi Adeleye Fayemi, Dr Hilda Tadia and Joanna Foster of ‘The African Women’s Development Fund’ (AWDF) for the establishment of the first African-wide fundraising and grant-making institution. The AWDF was developed to harness resources, particularly within Africa for the women’s movement, without the usual constraints they are accustomed to experiencing. This is the first time in the history of Africa that an African-wide women’s fund has been set up to address the problems of African women. AWDF is a well established institution, well structured and is run by professional African women. Examples of the difficulties women’s organisations experience include a lack of flexibility with the grants they receive, little or no support for institutional costs and a lack of funding for work that challenges the status quo. The AWDF awards grants for work in thematic areas: Women’s Human Rights, Political Participation, Peace Building, Health, Reproductive Rights and HIV/AIDS and Economic Empowerment.

Lara Cookey from Nigeria – Top Ten Winner

Lara Cookey, Managing Director of ‘Context Design Ltd’ from Nigeria for her unique educative children’s playground equipment. Lara developed many children’s playgrounds with her environmental early childhood developmental aids, bringing traditional designs into the modern arena. Lara’s business and products have made a significant contribution to stimulating the recognition of play as a vital component of developing children for the challenging and changing world.

Margaret C. A. Owino from Kenya – Top Ten Winner

Margaret C. A. Owino for ‘Oywa Cookit’ from Kenya – the solar cooker. This Solar cooker is made by women on site after various parts have been sourced from elsewhere. Margaret has proven that a family’s dependence on firewood and charcoal can be reduced by one third. The solar cooker is not only made by women, it is sold by women for women. Its benefits include healthier people from drinking safe boiled water and eating clean food, and fewer children suffering from water borne diseases.

Gloria Asare Adu from Ghana – Top Ten Winner

Gloria Asare Adu of ‘Global Bamboo Products Ltd.’ from Ghana (GBPL) for using Ghana’s largest non-timber (bamboo) forest to generate a wide range of socio-economic and environmental benefits. Gloria sensed a growing need for environmental products especially the non timber forest products. GBPL began research into bamboo as a substitute for timber from timber trees. Gloria’s creative idea creates employment in poor rural areas, has reduced the felling of timber trees, and encouraged the rehabilitation of waste lands.

Dr. Alexandra Graham from Nigeria – Top Ten Winner

Dr. Alexandra Graham of “La Gray Inc” from Nigeria for building the first purposebuilt, fully integrated pharmaceutical production facility in West Africa. Dr Graham believes any efforts towards poverty reduction have to go hand in hand with improvements in healthcare. Dr Graham’s company, which serves as a role model, plans to take their own drug discoveries from research bench to market and also to acquire licences to manufacture essential drugs in West Africa. The impact will be the capability to contribute immensely to the availability and affordability of drugs in sub-Saharan Africa, the introduction of new technology; and the creation of jobs.

J.M Ghartey from Ghana – Top Ten Winner

J.M Ghartey of ‘Juliette’s Garden’ from Ghana for her use of Ghana’s abundant natural resources of sun, unpolluted water, land and labour particularly women, to develop Floriculture, Foliage and Secondary Fish Farming. With Ghana’s stable political climate, more Ghanaians are returning, international agencies are relocating and hotels and leisure facilities are on the upswing. The floristry business has sprung up rapidly as a result of consumer demand – imported fresh flowers are expensive and arrive in poor condition. Juliette is making use of Ghana’s year long sunshine, warmth and available water to enable year round production.

Heather Badger from Ghana – Top Ten Winner

Heather Badger from Ghana for her ‘high end of the market’ gift items which are cast in brass using the ‘lost wax’ method. Heather uses traditional Ghanaian Motifs with special emphasis on Adinkra Symbols and creates high quality frame moulding and mount boards to ensure the longevity of her products.

Simi Belo from Nigeria 3 – Top Ten Winner

Simi Belo of ‘Imiis Limited’ (New Hair TM) from Nigeria (in Diaspora) for her New Hair Wig which is made to a unique patented design. It is Simi’s eye for innovation, her determination to succeed and her incredible business acumen that has made her first innovation, the NewHair™ wig, a great success. NewHair™ is already available in the UK, EU, USA and Canada and is on its way into the South and West African market. In addition, Simi has discovered that used hair extensions and clippings can be re-cycled into oil-spill mats for use in the cleaning of the oceans. She will be giving back to the environment when she launches her pioneering fundraising programme ‘NewHairAid.’

Elizabeth Maldini from Ghana – Top Ten Winner

Elizabeth Maldini of ‘Elsa Foods’ from Ghana. Elsa Foods specializes in the production of processed Fufu flour that provides busy urban households with instant access to traditional cuisine. Elsa Foods was established in 1978 as a small scale manufacturer of Pasta products. It was closed down in 1981 due to difficulties in getting raw materials, and later reopened in 1988. Elizabeth recognized the need for processed foods by the consumers, and also the need for maintainable means of livelihood by farmers, so she decided to contribute towards improving sustainable livelihood for cassava and maize farmers and processors in rural areas by extending the shelf-life of cassava and expanding the range of market opportunities. She overcame the difficulties of operating in an industry characterized by systematic threats of seasonality of raw materials, bad weather, and its effects on food crop output. She assisted in reducing the problem of post-harvest losses, in a country where postharvest handling technology is not well developed. Elizabeth has demonstrated that women can be pioneers in small and medium agro- manufacturing industries.

Mary C. Kalikawe from Tanzania – Top Ten Winner

Mary C. Kalikawe, Managing Director of ‘Kiroyera Tours’ from Tanzania. Kiroyera is a pioneering development of ecotourism in Tanzania. The business was opened as a courageous pioneering Tourism Company in Kagera region in June 2002. Kagera region is considered by some as the loveliest region in Tanzania but has been largely ignored as a potential tourist destination. Mary and her team have during the short lifetime of developing this initiative, successfully provided varied service to hundreds of happy tourists demonstrating successful innovative strategies.

The late Dr. (Mrs) Ester Afua Ocloo from Ghana – Posthumous Award

The late Dr. (Mrs) Ester Afua Ocloo from Ghana who started the first food processing and preservation factory in Ghana called Nkulenu Industries Limited. She was the founder and first president of the Federation of Ghana Industries, now Association of Ghana Industries and founding member and first Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Women’s World Banking. Dr KofiKonadu Apraku, the Minister of Trade and Industry at the time of her death said “Mrs Ocloo was a real role model for young men and women, especially women entrepreneurs, in their efforts to develop the private sector.” Also, President Kufuor of Ghana said it was good to honour her to encourage other citizens to copy her good works, adding “she was a creator and we need many people of her calibre to build our nation”. Her husband Mr Ocloo was present at the PAWII 2005 Awards to receive this award on behalf of his late wife.