Lonestar Cell MTN Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Head of Corporate Affairs, Laureine Guilao says “entrepreneurship takes immense courage, discipline and leadership” to achieve primarily because one is solely responsible for his or her own time keeping, auditing financial activities and taking decisions that require nobody’s scrutiny.
Speaking at this year’s Women Entrepreneurship Day (WED) celebration in Monrovia on Monday, November 19, 2018, Ms. Guilao said Lonestar Cell MTN has important marks in bringing women especially young and qualified ones to the table of decision making at the highest level but there is still more work to be done.
“The level of leadership and discipline it take to achieve as an entrepreneur is something that no one can explain to you: it must be experienced and every milestone should really be celebrated,” she said.
To this end, this year’s WED Special Guest Speaker added that the mobile telecommunications giant, Lonestar Cell MTN holds women entrepreneurship close to its heart by firstly adding three women to its executive leadership team.
She noted that the low count of women representation at the top level in various work places including Lonestar Cell MTN is not because they [women] are not capable considering the fact that the key traits of leadership: honesty, integrity, commitment and passion, intelligence, decisiveness and organization, innovation, mission do not have any gender advantage.
In this regard, the Deputy CEO and Head of Corporate Affairs of Lonestar Cell MTN said the company has recently launched “MTN Women”- a program aimed at empowering women across the continent to take on more leadership role while helping them to build the skills necessary to perform. The program, she said, would empower women through mentorship, workshop as well as train them in specialized areas.
For her part, WED Ambassador to Liberia, Barkue Tubman-Zawolo said her organization was using the day to celebrate women achievers in the public and private sectors, for their amazing, innovative and groundbreaking achievements in their various careers and endeavors.
“Women’s Entrepreneurship Day is set aside every November 19 to celebrate women entrepreneurs worldwide. It works globally to empower women and girls to become active participants in the economy by igniting a network of women leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to initiate startups, drive economic expansion, and advance communities around the world. WEDO is celebrated at the United Nations and in 144 countries and 65 universities/colleges internationally,” Mrs. Zawolo intimated.
According to her, when women are elevated financially, communities and countries prosper adding “it builds a global blueprint to alleviate and eradicate poverty.”
In order to achieve this ambitious goal, WED builds and catalyzes the vital networks of like-minded individuals and organizations that women business leaders need in order to realize their full potential and change the world. As WED Ambassador for Liberia, it is my passion to build a network of professional women to enable them to increase their net worth while also impacting the next generation of aspiring entrepreneurs.
“This has been actively seen through my AAW PEACE Organization, a global network of well-meaning professional women committed to accelerating the pace of socio-economic development in Liberia, through the implementation of women & girls focused programs in entrepreneurship, education, arts and culture exchange,” the WED Ambassador stressed.
She continued: “our gathering here today is the groundbreaking foundation on which we will stand to continue to celebrate and empower one another and the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs to ignite a wave of active women participants in our Liberian economy.
The importance of today’s event cannot be overemphasized. As it is said, there is time to work and there is also a time to celebrate the fruit of the labor. That is why we are here today to celebrate, and not just celebrating alone but to share our experiences throughout our careers to motivate and empower other women and the next generation of women entrepreneurs.”
The event brought together women from diverse background in entrepreneurship, legal, religious including Rev. Dr. Katurah York Cooper, Founder and Pastor of Empowerment Temple AME Church as well as from the public sector and members of the Women On Board Network of Liberia.
