Emily is
a dynamic Kenyan woman with unique gifting and a passion to affect her
world beyond her plans to build an empire of some sort in the event
planning and management sphere in Africa she is one of the selfless
teachers we have come in contact with although she now facilitates and
works as a Business Manager with a leading foundation in Kenya – we
cannot but attest to the reality that she is truly Phenomenal African Woman. In this with Sarah James read her story a true reflection of her passion. 10:10 #PAW INTERVIEW SERIES: WOMEN WITH A DIFFERENCE  

Who is Emily Gumba?

I am a Teacher, Facilitator, Programme and business manager with excellent track record in profit-and-loss history via project and technical brand management, multi-site international operations management, leadership in pioneering schools programmes and initiatives in ICT, Research skills and Training needs for women and youth.

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MY GREATEST INFLUENCE

Christopher_Khaemba challenged me to grab any opportunity that comes my way and not to be shy from trying. Life is about risk. I still consult him and admire his leadership style

Three Individuals I consider amazing and truly phenomenal

IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS

Be an influencer to my peers, Build my own empire for Events and Marketing company for the youth and women, with a focus on enriching their lives through events and website- a hub of information, a crucial portal for individuals and companies who want to connect with women and youth through advertising and event sponsorships to develop ideas, networking opportunities and marketing their products to reach the global markets. Through this technology will be critical in transforming the lives of the African society, governments and enterprises. I am also passionate about mentorship and community service using the give back principles.

The African Woman’s Challenge:

Coping with career growth and family matters. Limited opportunities to go up the ladder. In this case, Women need a good network as an intrinsic part of the business. Again, women do not have access to the right decision-makers that they need to influence certain decisions they want to make, they always face negativity and those that could be role models, for example, they could be 20 years your senior, and they are very few. That is a big challenge for the new business startup. You spend a lot of time in the early days trying to sell yourself, not just your business. Another challenge is that sometimes, you are ahead of your time – you want to be a trendsetter and an innovator, but here in Africa the market can be running a little behind you and your ideas. But the bottom line is that everybody, no matter where they are in the world, wants to consume the best technology available. Personally, my philosophy is based on giving clients something that is world class, even if that technology solution is ahead of its time. Getting known in the market for this type of forward thinking approach is what gets you known and helps to build your reputation.

What I Do To Relax:

Reading, Dancing and socializing

My   –   I.C.E. [INSPIRE|CELEBRATE|EMPOWER] Vision

Taking the positive attitude and belief in whatever they are doing will change the world, because women can change Africa and the world if given the right tools and access to resources. .

MY AFRICAN UNION PLANS:

Providing technical support to the African Union Women’s Committee Advocacy, ensuring that the laid out activities to mainstream gender and promote women’s empowerment in all organs of the AU, Member States are done. Supporting with education campaigns to disseminate information on AU policies and programmes in the area of gender. Assisting, with producing and maintaining material for the AU website on African women and gender issues. Offer support in the production of periodic reports on the Status of African Women and progress towards gender equality in Africa. Assisting in organizing expert meetings, workshops and panel discussions to disseminate good practices, lessons learned, emerging issues and trends on the continent Performing any other duties as may be assigned

Final Words of Advice:

There is great opportunity and space for Women in Africa to network at the comfort of their homes, workplace, farms, shops etc. The social media marketing opportunities has brought for women changing dynamics of doing business. I think, as a result, we will see a lot more innovations coming from women and the ways in which they utilize social media for business and stimulating opportunities for greater entrepreneurship. I think that access to the internet and the explosion in social media is one of the best things to happen to women, in terms of giving them access to business opportunities whether women are building new businesses, or reaping the benefits of these new technologies in other ways, we will start to see so many more of them succeed. There is something very liberating about women being able to build their businesses whilst they are in their home environments, meaning they can juggle all aspects of their lives whilst still being entrepreneurial.