Chevening alumna Samirah Bello has raised millions of dollars to advance women’s inclusion and support smallholder famers across three Africa countries. We find out more about her impact and career after Chevening.
Within two years of graduating from a Chevening scholarship
Samirah Bello graduated from the University of Sussex with a distinction in Globalisation, Business and Development. She returned home to Nigeria where she set up and led the Partnerships Department at ThriveAgric.
In just two years, her team has raised US$3 million dollars, managed US$ 5 million worth of projects and spans across several African countries. This funding has had company-wide implications.
For example:
- The total number of farmers the company works with has increased by 50%, and women’s inclusion has advanced.
- The company has significantly developed operations in Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana.
- It has expanded operations to thousands of farmers in North-East Nigeria and provided 125,000 farmers with financial inclusion, 60% of which were women.
- It has increased its youth empowerment work by 70% and secured a partnership with the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) to impact 1,500 youths (50% of whom are women) across Nigeria.
The funding raised by Samirah’s department has also had international impact; the company has now recruited a full team of people in Ghana, up from employing just two individuals previously. It has also expanded to Uganda.
Taking action to forge gender parity
During her time in this role, Samirah has also become a gender advocate. She identified that the company needed to improve its stakeholder and partnership management, so carried out an assessment of its gendered impact. She discovered that the company worked with a disproportionately low number of women farmers and has low female recruitment within its staff.
This realisation ‘fuelled her desire for women’s inclusion’ and she started to generate ideas for projects to benefit female farmers and agents. She also worked to change the company’s policies and operations, implementing company-wide inclusion targets. Samirah’s drive has resulted in a 15% increase in the recruitment of women at the company.
The benefits of Chevening, according to Samirah
Samirah wanted to study in the UK because of the academic reputation of the universities and the opportunities for networking. The flexibility of being able to choose modules, the teaching techniques, volunteering opportunities, personal coaching with professors, and the natural scenery distinguishes studying in the UK from other countries.
Samirah particularly appreciated that students were able to express themselves freely, hold the university accountable, and practice their religion without discrimination. Samirah describes the Chevening scholarship as more than just education – overall, the course broadened her perspective and, by interacting with people from different backgrounds and cultures, she gained the confidence to be who she is and recognise that her work matters. She believes she has more job opportunities as a result of her Chevening scholarship.
‘Studying in the UK has given me the confidence and self-esteem to take on larger projects, such as empowering a million farmers across three African countries.’
Samirah mentions the ‘huge platform’ of contacts she gained as a key benefit of the programme. She is actively in contact with many Cheveners in Nigeria, who visit and support one another, and often attend each other’s work events.
What’s in store for Samirah’s future?
Samirah continues to work in her role at ThriveAgric, and, since January 2024, has also worked as a consultant on the United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF), which primarily supports the Federal Government of Nigeria to improve access to inclusive, climate-compatible social and economic infrastructure.
She has also run workshops for state governments on climate financing and bringing climate awareness to business and finance. Samirah sits on the Board of Trustees for two organizations: an NGO focused on providing job opportunities and skills development for young people in Nigeria, and a youth group that works to upskill people throughout Nigeria through community-based projects.
She reports: ‘I believe that being a Chevening fellow has enhanced my credibility and trustworthiness, which likely made it easier for me to be considered for these board roles.’
As she continues to expand her influence, Samirah’s story demonstrates the power of education, networks, and a global perspective in creating positive change.