All men may have the same body parts, possibly related in physiological makeup, but not all men accomplish equally.
Foresight and commitment to the identified vision sometimes make the difference. They are some of the attributes that separate achievers from average players; the very qualities that enable some to weather the storms to the top of their endeavours.
In this wise, the name Mrs Joy Agbakoba readily comes to mind. Her rise to the ladder in the corporate world has not come by accident but through a dint of hard work. it is a manifestation or product of years of dedication and commitment to quality and excellence in her area of engagement
The 3rd child of Elisha and Alice Omodamwen, Mrs Joy Agbakoba, is from the city of Benin, Edo State. Somehow, she is living true to the gene in her, in that her parents also were accomplishing in their rights – an entrepreneur mother and a skilful sculptor father.
Hers is an accomplishment that has education at its foundation. Her primary education started at St Peters, Benin City and Secondary Education at Idia College, Benin City and Federal Polytechnic Akure. She later travelled to the UK to study at Pittman College in search of the proverbial golden fleece.
Therefore, Mrs Agbakoba’s voyage to success was not without its share of challenges, but the moral is that she has been able to overcome these with sheer determination and unequalled work ethics. She has been through so many valleys, high and low and yet she was able to hold on to the amazing banner of her life. And today, Mrs Joy Agbakoba is one of Nigeria’s leading entrepreneurs, a leader in the hospitality, fashion, beauty and travel industries sector since the early 90s. Her illustrious career as a successful entrepreneur started after the completion of her studies in the UK.
She started by honing her business and management skills as the Personal Assistant to the General Manager of the Special Ranging Department at the British Home, London. The experience she gained there propelled her to start her first journey into entrepreneurship.
Her first company was an Au Pair Agency in West Hampstead through which she provided nannies and mothers’ help to families in the UK, a successful and profitable business she ran for so many years until she decided to return to Nigeria.
Her return back to the fatherland was influenced by her quest to be part of the efforts in Nation-building, and this happened in the year 2000.
The ever-adventurous, Edo Born, Joy Agbakoba ventured into the Beauty industry with the successful and profitable launching of the-state-of-the art spa and salon in Opebi, Lagos State. This is not a coincidence but an affirmation of her long age passion going back to Idia College in her secondary school days. She later became the President of Idia College Old student Association which is a testament to her sterling leadership qualities
In 2004, the ever-industrious Joy decided to set out again and this time her attention was on the then growing travel and hospitality industry, an endeavour that turned out to be a watershed moment in her life. Joy Agbakoba is the Managing Director of Travellers Haven, one of the most successful Travel Agencies in Sub Sahara Africa.
Travellers Haven is no just a travel agency that organises exotic tours to various destinations around the world but an educational tool and an avenue to explore and discover the wonders that abound globally.
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“Travelling is a learning experience that affords my client the exposure to various culture and customs around the world. It is truly an antidote to ignorance, prejudice and racism, she contended”.
Travelling business is not just a business but an opportunity to contribute to the advancement of the cause of humanity. The success and the visibility of Travellers Haven can only be attributed to that philosophy, philosophy of solving the problems of humanity above the maximisation of profit”.
Aside success in her entrepreneurial endeavours, Mrs Agbakoba has other convictions of unequalled value to society, for example, commitment to gender equality. In other words, she is opposed to the chauvinistic tendencies of the male counterpart in our society. Instead, she is determined to ensure women have a voice and adequate representation in society. This was what led to the birth of Women Business Arena.
“Women must have a powerful and inclusive representation and the key towards breaking that myth is economic independence, she said.”
She believes that when you empower a woman, you have successfully empowered a nation and the Women Business Arena provides ample opportunity.
Today, there are pieces of evidence to back up her conviction in that line, in that, the Women business Arena has become a platform for women in business to network and showcase their business ideas and products. There is no restriction to the value that comes from this initiative in that members of the group have also been leveraging from it.
The initiative which started as a child’s play sometimes in April of 2019 has blossomed and metamorphosed to an entrepreneurial powerhouse, resource centre and an economic hub for accomplished women in business. This platform enables Women entrepreneurs to advertise their goods and services daily. A maximum of 4 adverts daily from each business is allowed and the economic impact of this arrangement cannot be quantified.
The platform covers various industries from agriculture, manufacturing, meat and fashion and fashion accessories, beauty, travel and tourism, hospitality, education, spas, restaurants, catering etc.
With well over 650 members on the What’s app group specifically set up to address the economic needs of the members, the Women in Business Network is a brilliant and creative economic empowerment programme that provides unlimited opportunities to its members.
As part of the efforts and determination of this brilliant and accomplished entrepreneur, efforts are on to ensure that members of the Women Business access financial resources from commercial banks at friendly rates.
All of these wouldn’t have been without the perseverance and industry of this same woman – Mrs Joy Agbakoba. Success to her is not about swollen bank account but the impact on humanity. After all, this is what true legacy is all about. It is about writing a story of one’s life that the future generation will always find fascinating to read. Mrs Agbakoba has written such a beautiful piece about her life. An act of selflessness and altruism clearly define her sixty years of existence and still counting. With her kind of antecedents, the question now is, what else does she have in the pipeline? Time will tell.
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