We have all heard the phrase that money makes the world go round, and despite societal and workplace advancement that open financial doors, women still place their personal finance safety on the backburner. This is why African women financial educators and influencers are breaking barriers in the personal finance space and equipping women with the know-how to make their money work smarter and yield better investment returns for them. They are giving women insights on building wealth, budgeting better, investing in stocks and property, improving their credit rating, demolishing debt and saving for retirement. AMAKA looks at the money experts helping women whip their wallets into shape and attain financial freedom on the continent and in the diaspora.

Bola Sokunbi, Founder, Clever Girl Finance, Certified Financial Education Instructor and Author

Bola Sokunbi’s passion for financial literacy was sparked by her need to navigate the American financial system after graduating from college. A first-generation immigrant in the US, she draws on her own financial redemption and money mistakes to empower and educate women on the path to financial freedom. When you can’t find what you are looking for, create it. And that’s exactly what Sokunbi set out to do when she wrote her bestselling book Clever Girl Finance, where she teaches women how to “ditch debt, save money and build real wealth.” She saved $100,00 in three and half years on a $54,000 salary. The author’s other books include: Grow Your Money, The Side Hustle and her latest offering Choosing To Prosper – a book about achieving your life and money goals, triumphing over adversity and breaking out of comfort zones, due out in July 2022. Sokunbi is also the force behind financial education platform Clever Girl Finance, which supports women to take a more active role in their financial wellness. The website, which also has a YouTube channel with 119,000 subscribers, offers free finance courses on investing, saving, budgeting, building a business and creating financial goals. 

Tiffany Aliche, Financial Educator, Author & Co-founder, Live Richer Academy

Tiffany Aliche has helped millions of women get out of debt through her Live Richer Academy. The financial movement empowered women, who call themselves the “Dream Catchers,” to collectively save over $250 million and pay off more than $200 million in debt. 

After being laid off in 2009 during the financial crash crisis, and in $35,000 credit card debt following bad investment advice; the Budgetnista became debt-free within three years using the snowball method – a system to pay off the smallest debts first. She then founded the Budgetnista, a platform focusing on financial education and literacy. Aliche, a former preschool teacher, is the author of the New York Times Bestseller, Get Good With Money, The One Week Budget and Live Richer Challenge series. In 2019, she left her mark on the American legal system, helping to create a milestone financial literacy law in New Jersey that mandates personal finance education for all children from sixth-to-eight grade in the state.   

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Ayesha Ofori, Investment Manager, Wealth Adviser and Real Estate specialist

Multi-hyphenate businesswoman Ayesha Ofori is paving the way for women to learn about investing and building wealth through property investment. She is the founder and CEO of three property businesses, including Axion Property Partners, where she works with high-net-worth individuals who are looking for bespoke property investment opportunities. The entrepreneur founded Propelle Network, a platform empowering women to gain financial and lifestyle independence through cultivating a second income and amassing savings from returns on property investments. Ofori, a former City worker at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs also created Black Property Network – making property education and investment accessible for everyone, especially underserved communities. The community of over 700 members have access to networking events, workshops and seminars. 

Nicolette Mashile, TV Presenter, Personal Finance Content Creator & Author 

South Africa’s Financial Bunny, Nicolette Mashile, has a few tricks up her sleeve when it comes to money management and her career. The talk show host, YouTuber and social entrepreneur is also an author who is not afraid of starting the money conversation. As a communications and media expert, Mashile is a firm believer that openly discussing money will loosen the hold it has over people, allowing them to have a better relationship with it. In 2020, she published her book What’s Your Move: A Collection of Ordinary Financial Lessons, where she shares her own journey with money in order to redefine personal finance management. Mashile is also the author of Coco The Money Bunny, a children’s book about money. Mashile regularly uploads videos for her 171,000 YouTube subscribers while simultaneously pursuing an MBA with research in financial consumer behaviour.

Bola Sol, Finance Coach and Author 

Featured by the likes of the Financial Times, BBC and Forbes, Bola Sol has garnered global attention as a budgeting pro. The mathematics and finance graduate, who is committed to bringing women into the money conversation, published her first book How To Save It – a guide to budgeting, paying off debt and starting your investment journey in 2021. In 2015, Sol created Refined Currency, a blog for women looking to be empowered by their finances and its sister company Rich Girl Chronicles, a digital membership community for women to discuss money matters and wellbeing. Sol is the host of the web series, the Bola Sol show on YouTube, leads weekly money chats on social media and is the co-host of the Last Three Digits podcast. Some of her top tips for getting to a financially confident place include, monitoring your expenses, being intentional with your purchases and investing in yourself. 

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Amal Hagisufi, Entrepreneur and Personal Financial Advisor

Amal Hagisufi’s passion for personal finance education developed through a variety of experiences, including her own interest in the world of finance as a college student who studied economics and business. The Somali personal finance adviser who went on to pursue a career as a teacher after graduating, experienced a disconnect between parents and money in the low-income area where she worked. This led to Hagisufi leaving education behind, to start a career as a financial advisor to help teach minorities, people of colour, especially women about personal finance and generational wealth. On her YouTube channel, Dosesofher, she discusses money mistakes to avoid in your 30s, how to do taxes, renting versus buying a home, retirement products like a Roth IRA. Her main aim is to close the wealth gap in America. 

Patricia Bright, YouTuber, Author and Host 

Credited as one of the first Black British YouTuber to get over one million subscribers, Patricia Bright is a veteran in the content creation space. Bright, who started her YouTube Channel over a decade ago while working as an investment banker has covered topics like beauty, fashion, lifestyle, parenting and childbirth. At the start of 2020, she launched The Break on YouTube where she discusses personal finance, business, investing in property, stocks, funds and mindset to help women. The platform has a website, The Break that encourages women, especially those between the ages of 23-to-27 to level up professionally and personally. It offers a blog with expert tips on money management, courses, budget planners and guides to help with interviews, LinkedIn, and CVs. The influencer wrote a book in 2019, Heart and Hustle: Build your brand. Achieve your dreams – a guide to taking control of your future. In 2021 Bright hosted a Hilary Clinton-produced series, If I Could Tell You Just One Thing, where she got Victoria Secret model Leomie Anderson to disclose her salary. 

Vanessa Ideh Adekoy, Former Accountant Turned Personal Finance YouTuber 

After leaving one of the big four accounting firms PwC to pursue a YouTube career full time, Vanessa Ideh Adekoy created her channel Launch To Wealth in June 2021. The digital creator seeks to educate and provide essential tools for women to help them thrive in a digital economy and make it a viable path towards financial wellbeing. Adekoy, who is a licensed financial education instructor, discusses hot topics including making money online, starting and growing a business, how women can make money on Metaverse, side hustles and investing.