Yemi Adenuga

Education

Born to Late Pa Isaac Olujimi Solaru and Deaconess Christian Solaru on 23 September 1971, Adenuga grew up in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, where her father worked for Shell Nigeria. She attended Army Children's School, GRA, and Government Secondary School Eneka, both in Port Harcourt, completing her secondary school education in Christ Apostolic Grammar School, Iperu-Remo, Ogun State. She studied Accountacy and Mass Communication at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria and holds a bachelor's degree in Business Studies (Human Resource Management Stream) from University College Dublin and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree (Project Management stream) from Liverpool John Moores University. She is studied for a Post-graduate certificate in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise at University of Dublin (UCD) Innovation Academy.

A qualified and highly experienced training consultant, Adenuga has FETAC level 6 certificates in Training and development, Computerised Accounts, Computerised Payroll, as well as a certificate in First Line Management from the Institute of Leadership and Management, Ireland. She also holds a Diploma in Television Directing from the CEFAP institute of Television Production and Directing in Paris. Adenuga is a member of several professional bodies including the Institute of leadership and Management, Ireland, the MBA Association of Ireland and Project Management Association, Ireland. She is also an associate of the Irish Institute of training and development.

Early career

Adenuga started her career as an accounts and administrative officer with WASCO advertising, Kaduna, Nigeria in 1989.

Radio

Her broadcast career took off in 1990 when she passed an audition to become a pioneering staff of the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation's new FM Radio station, OGBC2 where she worked with ace broadcasters like Olusesan Ekisola. Yemi worked there as a Newscaster, scriptwriter, presenter and Radio producer and in 1991, became known on radio as The fox that Rocks the box. She presented and produced several programmes including; On a personal note, FM mail bag, weekend special and Early bird. In 1994, she joined DAAR Communications PLC, Nigeria to become a Pioneering member of Nigeria's first private radio station, Ray Power 100Fm and subsequently became Manager of Programmes. There she presented and produced programmes which included; Straight from the heart, bone of my bones, thank God its Friday, Sunny side up, The Ultimate morning show and Ray power express. She also produced several radio documentaries on developmental issues most of which were done in collaboration with UNICEF.

Television

Yemi made her move into Television in 1996 to work for Africa Independent Television (AIT), Nigeria's first private Television station. Yemi is the first female presenter to present a programme on the first private Radio station in Nigeria, Ray Power 100fm, and also the director/producer of the first programme to be aired on the first private television station in Nigeria, AIT.

She hosted and produced a TV talk show, 'Sharing with Yemi'. which was Nigeria's leading talk show from 1996 – 2003. Aside from producing and directing numerous TV programmes, Yemi researched, produced and directed several documentaries among which were; Africa, what hope for tomorrow (very first programme broadcast on AIT, Nigeria' first private TV station), Life after these (on girls in difficult situations in Nigeria), the Italian connection (on situations of Nigerian girls prostituting in Italy), If only i was a boy (on sexual and reproductive health of adolescent girls in Nigeria), we can speak for ourselves (for 1996 day of the African child on the state of the African child), the Legend lives on (on King Sunny Ade at 50), Healing with a smile (on the power of helping others), love for sale (on young undergraduates prostituting in schools) and She had no choice (on girls with VVF resulting from early marriage).

With a desire to develop and pursue her business development career, Yemi relocated to Ireland in 2000 and worked with IBM international holdings, Ireland from 2003 to 2010, exiting the company as a cost accountant.

D-dymensions Communications

In 2007, Yemi and her husdand, Deji Adenuga. an A-list Nigerian actor, established D-Dymensions Communications, an international Business management holding company for six subsidiaries; through which it offers its wide range of creative, strategic, high-quality and effective consultancy services, with a goal to know the needs of clients and develop strategic interventions to meet them with excellent and satisfactory deliverables.

AWDI

In 2004, Yemi founded African Women Development Initiative (AWDI). a development oriented, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, set up to serve as a support network body for migrant African women in Ireland and relief for women in deplorable situations. Through the AWDI project, Yemi has worked with women who share the vision to build and strengthen relationships and entrenching family values. She also uses AWDI as a forum where women can express and improve themselves in areas where they need help with a mission to also empower, support and strengthen the African Woman for a confident and sufficient living. Yemi's work with AWDI supports Women refuges in Ireland including Drogheda Women Refuge and Meath Women's refuge through fundraising programmes to help female victims of domestic violence and their children, and building on its current leadership project, to educate, give Moral support to, and develop women for leadership positions.

Nigerian Carnival Ireland

Yemi and Deji Adenuga started NIGERIAN CARNIVAL IRELAND (NCI). in 2008, an annual cultural carnival held in the historic Phoenix Park, Dublin, and its aim is to promote Social integration, celebrate cultural diversity and Cultural heritage, promote tourism in Ireland, inform and educate people about the different, diverse cultures of the ethnic communities in the now Multicultural Ireland while re-orientating peoples' perception of Nigeria to defeat negative stereotypes. Yemi is the Carnival Director of Nigerian Carnival Ireland.

Acting and media production

Yemi has worked on several media and stage acting projects in Ireland including;

Personal life

Yemi is a talented African business leader, role Model and change-maker in Diaspora making positive impact and making her native Nigeria proud. She has a vision to empower women, and through her empowerment and development brand 'MIB', she Motivates, Inspires and Builds women around the world, encouraging and challenging them to achieve their dreams. Over and over again, Yemi has demonstrated by her own examples, determination and hard work, that any goal can be achieved. This dynamic storyteller captures her audience with her conversational style of presentation and training, encouraging her audience to build their confidence and take the key to their own success.

Yemi's passion to pay it forward is recognized in the humanitarian and philanthropic initiatives she lends herself to. Yemi is the founder and CEO of African Women Development Initiative (AWDI), the Chairperson of Migrant Women Leaders Council Ireland (MWLC) and is two-time Chairperson of the Board of Management of Cultúr Migrants Centre, Co. Meath, Ireland. She served as the Chairperson of the steering committee of the M.I.M.E project (Migrants Integrating in Meath Equally), Ireland, the Vice-President of the Meath Intercultural Network (MIN), Ireland and Project Manager for Cultúr Migrant Centre, Ireland. Yemi worked with a team of other PLA researchers to carry out a thorough and very successful research project work which has led to the development of an Integration Strategy in County Meath, Ireland. She is the Founder of SHEROES, a Women's empowerment, development and support brand brought to life to recognize and celebrate the successes of women while helping them develop themselves. The aim of SHEROES is to serve as a platform for women to celebrate themselves, be celebrated, be encouraged to be supportive of one another and discourage women from putting other women down.

She is married to Deji Adenuga, one of Nigeria's A-List Nollywood actors and they live in Navan with their children.

Awards