Strategist.
Entrepreneur.
Aunty.
Afua Osei is a Partnerships Strategist helping digital entrepreneurs build the skills, systems and confidence to work with the corporate clients of their dreams.
As a Co-Founder of She Leads Africa, Afua built a digital lifestyle platform for millennial multicultural women reaching more than 800,000 women across 100+ countries. In addition to building a thriving community, Afua secured international partnerships with brands like Facebook, Google, Unilever, Nestle, Samsung, Estee Lauder, Visa and L’Oreal to design culturally relevant and data driven engagement campaigns. In December 2016, the company rang the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
Afua has been recognized by Forbes as one of the 20 youngest power women in Africa (2014), Quartz Africa 30 innovators of 2017 and received the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Rising Star Award (2020).
She has recently been appointed as a Member of the Board of Trustees of her alma mater Allegheny College and a Board Member of Imara Roose, a mentorship program for students at her old high school Eleanor Roosevelt High School.
Hailing from Prince George’s County, Maryland, Afua served as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company and graduated with a Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago, studied international management at the London School of Economics, and graduated cum laude from Allegheny College.
She is a rebellious daughter, annoying sister, favorite aunty, meme sending friend and competitive mango eater.
“Afua Osei and Yasmin Belo-Osagie — co-founders of the media and events company She Leads Africa — coined the moniker [Motherland Moguls] to refer to members of their fast-growing online sisterhood of millennial urban women united by a shared ambition to build businesses or carve fulfilling careers. Judging by the crowds at their SheHive networking events in Lagos and Abuja, the duo appear to have identified a big market for the inspirational content on their website and the support they offer start-ups.”
— Matthew Green. Financial Times. November 2016.
2009
Served as a Fulbright Scholar in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
2012
Visited Lagos, Nigeria for a summer mobile tech internship
2015
Went skydiving in Perth, Australia
2019
Became Octavia’s Aunty
OFFICIAL BIO
Afua Osei is a social impact leader with more than 10 years of global experience in creating purposeful partnerships to advance women's economic participation.
As a Co-Founder of She Leads Africa, Afua built a digital lifestyle platform for multicultural women reaching more than 800,000 women across 100+ countries. Afua built the sales team and relationships to execute innovative brand partnerships with brands such as Facebook, Google, Unilever, Visa, Nestle and L’Oreal.
Featured in the Financial Times, BBC, CNN and CNBC, Afua has had the privilege of sharing her expertise at high profile global leadership, entrepreneurship and digital conferences across North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
In the press.
CNBC Africa
How two young West African women are creating Africa’s next billionaires
Financial Times
African start-up helps and inspires young female entrepreneurs
CNN
The power duo making your startup dreams come true
BBC Radio 4
She Leads Africa Yasmin Belo-Osagie and Afua Osei on helping young African female entrepreneurs
Black Enterprise
How one question fostered business opportunities for budding female entrepreneurs in Africa
Cosmopolitan SA
Don’t rush to start your own thing
Birchbox
In Pursuit Of: Networking Successfully to Advance Your Career
Reuters
Leading by example, Ghanaian business mentor urges African women to smash stereotypes
