As a business consultant in Lagos, Afua Osei routinely met women who are looking for ways to advance professionally but didn't know how.
艾弗华·欧塞来自拉各斯,作为一名商业顾问,她经常遇到正在寻找专业发展途径,但不知道如何做的女性。
They needed guidance and mentoring. I didn't plan to be an entrepreneur. I had a really great job.
他们需要指导和顾问,我不打算成为一名企业家,我有一个非常棒的工作。
I love doing network but I saw an opening right? And I think many of us, we complain all the time we're like,
我喜欢人际交往,但我看到了机会,而且我觉得我们很多人都好像在不停地抱怨。
why isn't this happening or someone should do something about this or why isn't government doing this.
为什么没有出现这样的情况,或者应该有人来做这件事,又或者为什么政府不这样做。
And instead of complaining, I decided to take action and tried to solve the problem myself.
我不是抱怨,而是决定采取行动,并尝试自己解决问题。
Osei, her colleague Yasmine Belo-Osagie started the digital platform, She Leads Africa.
欧塞和她的同事亚斯明·贝罗·奥萨基开创了数字平台“她主导非洲”。
It now has an online community of 300,000 in 35 countries in Africa and throughout the diaspora.
如今,这一在线社区有30万订阅人,遍及非洲35个国家和移民群体。
Anyone can be an innovator, Osei says. Being in technology, you don't have to look a certain way.
欧塞说每个人都可以成为创新者,在技术的世界里,你无需找特定的方式。
It's not just for one type of person. It's open to anybody.
它不是服务于某个类型的人,它对每个人开放。
Anybody can play a role and there is so much work to be done and there's so many great opportunities that can come from it.
所有人都可以起到作用,而且还有很多工作需要做,而且充满了机遇。
Osei sees potential in Africa. The continent has some fast-growing economies and the world's fastest growing population.
欧塞看到了非洲的潜力,非洲有一些快速增长的经济体,人口增长速度也最快。
Its 1.2 billion population is projected to almost double by 2050, but she says Africa also holds challenges for entrepreneurs.
到2050年,12亿人口预计将翻一番,但她认为非洲也在挑战着企业家。
Dealing with polices and governments can be hard. It's also distributions. So how do I get a product that's made in Lagos out here to Austin right?
解决政策和政府问题也是一大麻烦,分销也是个问题,我如何把拉各斯的产品输往奥斯汀?

So when I think about the challenges, I think that that's what we're here for, right?
所以我想到这些困难的时候,会认为这就是我们到这来的目标,对吧?
We're here to break down those barriers and to find solutions to those problems.
我们到这来是为了打破障碍,寻求解决方法的。
She Leads Africa deals with problem-solving. It started an Accelerator, a three-month development program to assist women-led startups in Nigeria.
“她主导非洲”平台解决的就是问题,该平台建立了“加速器”项目,它是一个为期三个月的发展项目,旨在帮助尼日利亚女性所创立的公司。
Cherae Robinson won a spot in the program and 10,000 in seed money for a specialty travel company.
车里·罗宾森从该项目中获益,为一家专业旅游公司赢得了一万元启动资金。
She said it provided her a world of knowledge she did not have.
她说这里向她展示了一个她以前从未见过的知识世界。
Entrepreneurs often have to navigate complicated government regulations and licensing requirements.
一般而言,企业家必须能够处理复杂的政府法规和许可要求。
Osei suggests collaborating with key government personnels who understand technology.
欧塞建议企业家与懂技术的主要政府人员开展合作。
I think it's important for technology leaders to take the lead of course and to be innovative in how we communicate to government
我认为,技术领导者当然要带头,而且在与政府沟通方面敢于创新,这一点很重要,
because they are learning just as much as we are.
因为他们学习的知识和我们一样多。
Osei and Belo-Osagie have big plans. They want to reach 1 million subscribers for their website.
欧塞和贝罗·奥萨基有着宏伟的计划,她们希望网站订阅人数可以达到一百万。
As the site says, it's for the ladies who want to build million-dollar companies, lead corporate organizations and crush it as a leaders.
正如该网站所说,我们是为那些想创立数百万美元公司,领导企业和想成为领导者的女性准备的。
Tigist Geme VOA news Austin, Texas.