Uche Pedro facts for kids

Uche Pedro, born Uchenna Jennifer Eze on July 26, 1984, is a successful Nigerian businesswoman. She is the founder and CEO of BellaNaija, a very popular online platform. BellaNaija shares exciting news about entertainment and lifestyle. Under her leadership, BellaNaija and its related brands like BellaNaija Weddings and BellaNaija Style have become huge across Africa. They reach over 200 million people every month!

Uche's Early Life and School

Uche grew up in Nigeria, where she completed her primary and secondary school. She earned a special degree in Business Administration from the Ivey Business School in 2006. She graduated with high honors. Later, in 2020, Uche also earned a master's degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Uche's Amazing Career Journey

Uche worked at big companies like Shell Canada and Cadbury in different countries. In July 2006, she started BellaNaija.

Uche shared that the idea for BellaNaija came to her while she was studying in Canada. During a two-week holiday, she got bored. When she visited Nigeria, she saw how much fashion, entertainment, and business were growing. This inspired her to create something that showed the exciting, young energy of the country.

Uche is also a special Fellow of TEDGlobal. She is part of the Nigeria Leadership Initiative, which helps develop future leaders.

Uche quickly realized how much potential BellaNaija had. She decided to make it a proper business. She registered a parent company called BainStone Limited. This company focuses on creating and managing cool online content for people in Africa. BainStone Limited was even chosen as one of 50 promising small and medium businesses to receive a special grant from British Airways.

Awards and Recognition

Uche Pedro has received many awards and honors for her work. In 2013, she was named the British Council International Young Media Entrepreneur of the Year for Nigeria.

In both 2014 and 2015, Forbes Magazine Online listed Uche among the 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in Africa. In December 2015, she was recognized as one of the Most Influential CEOs by Ventures Africa. She was also named one of the Women of the Year for 2015 by New African Woman. QUARTZ also put her on their list of 30 African Innovators.

In 2016, she won the African Blogger of the Year award at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards. In 2017, Uche was invited to the first-ever Obama Foundation Summit. This event brought together civic leaders from all over the world who were making a difference. She also took part in the Stanford Seed Transformation Programme. In February 2018, Uche was featured in the annual OkayAfrica100 Women campaign. This campaign celebrates amazing women from Africa who are making a positive impact. Uche was also chosen to be part of the 2018 campaign for Bill and Melinda Gates.

The BellaNaija team completed the Stanford Seed Transformation Program in 2017. This was a 12-month program where leaders learn to improve their company's vision and plans.

Giving Back to the Community

Uche cares deeply about helping her community and supporting young people. She started #BNDoGood, an initiative that helps many non-profit groups. These include LEAP Africa, Slum2School, Django Girls, and Junior Achievement Nigeria.

In 2018, Uche also helped start PVCitizen. This project encourages young people (millennials and Generation Z) to register to vote and become active citizens. In November 2018, Uche received an ELOY Award for Innovation/Invention. This award is given to women who create new ways to solve problems. Uche also hosted the TEDxLagos Spotlight event in August 2018.

Uche's Personal Life

On June 16, 2012, Uche married Bode Pedro. Bode is the son of Femi Pedro, a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State. Uche and Bode welcomed twin children in 2015.

Awards and Achievements

Uche Pedro and BellaNaija have won many awards over the years:

See also

• List of Nigerian bloggers
• List of Igbo people