[dropcap custom_class=”normal”] At the end of every year there is always a strong urge to reflect on the just concluded year. Firstly grateful to God for the good and the bad and planning in advance for the year to come. Thankful to my husband, my family, my staff (Gbemi & Dora), my mentors (Prince Adeyemi Adefulu, Mr Lanre Adisa, Mrs Joyce Akpata, Mr Segun Awolowo and much more), friends, destiny helpers, all verified business owners and you. Thank you for supporting Bellafricana through this year. This post is basically to give you an highlight of how year 2017 was for us at Bellafricana. It was truly an amazing year for the brand. [/dropcap]
Bellafricana Story for 2017
Year 2017 was certainly a year of being still and letting God take control. A year of less of me and more of God, allowing God order my steps, my mind, my decisions, my relationship, my association and just basically allowing the Holy Spirit be a helper.
I love to document and capture moments, so I have summarised the year in 14 points below;
1) Started the Year Exhibiting at my church The Elevation Church:
2) The Birth of African Creative Exhibition and Awards (ACE Awards): Over 3000 Attendees, 60 Exhibitors, 15 Awardees (check website for pictures):
3) Bellafricana in 2 New Cities;
– Abuja: At the Africa-Nordic Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers
– Calabar: At the Bridge Leadership Foundation Career Day
4) Mr Olusegun Awolowo fully Endorses Bellafricana. Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) Partners with Bellafricana
5) NEPC sponsors Bellafricana member Oeclat Designs selected for an award in New York. Her flight was fully paid for.
6) DHL Global Partnership with Bellafricana:
7) Interview on NTA TV:
8) Bellafricana partners with GLAMD Africa owned by Kiki Osibanjo: 9 Bellafricana Members sponsored by NEPC to stock, 1 year all paid for.
9) Bellafricana TV YouTube Channel Launched:
10) Bellafricana Rebrands:
11) Interview of Founder on Arise TV:
12) First Physical Bellafricana Store Opens at Labule Restaurant:
13) Bellafricana Afrocentric Creative Meet Up
14) Bellafricana Founder Nominated for an Award on “Entrepreneurship” by Her Network:
In 2017, we had a growth of:
- 70% Impressive Membership Increase
- Across all social media platforms: Over 25k followers
- Over 40k Email Subscribers
- Monthly Readers Online (website and digest): Over 30k readers
- Over 5 new partners to include: Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Digital Marketing Skill Institute (DMSI) Inside Watch Africa, DODO Agency, Photography by Echa, to name a few.
Some Plans for Next Year;
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- The Second Bellafricana African Creative Exhibition and Awards (ACE Awards 2018)
2. Bellafricana E-commerce Platform Launch
3. More Afrocentric Creative Meet Up and Platforms to engage and grow
You will be informed of other plans as the year goes by.
I would like to end this highlight by quoting Marianne Williamson (Our Deepest Fear);
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Thank you to all our followers, friends, family, mentors, well wishers, referrers, nudgers and much more. We could not have done it without you all.
Above all we give all the Glory to God for a fantastic year 2017 and looking forward to a glorious 2018.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from all of us at Bellafricana
