By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
Biography
Uchenna Jennifer Eze Pedro, also called Uche Pedro, is a Nigerian entrepreneur, blogger, writer and founder of BellaNaija, a media brand popular for entertainment and lifestyle content.
Uche Pedro was born on July 26, 1984, in Maiduguri, Borno State.
She is credited with being among the pioneers of online media in Nigeria.
She is the founder and the brain behind Bainstone Limited and the renowned Nigerian blog, BellaNaija.
Education
After her primary and secondary education, Uche proceeded to Ivey Business School, London, Canada, where she bagged an Honors degree in Business Administration.
In 2020, she headed to Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, to acquire a Master’s in Public Administration.
Career
Before she started BellaNaija in 2006, Uche had worked with Shell Canada, Cadbury Middle East & Africa Unit in the UK and Cadbury in Nigeria.
The idea of BellaNaija came during her two-week break from her studies in Canada. She stated she started BellaNaija out of boredom.
When she got to Nigeria and saw the tremendous advancements in fashion, entertainment, and business, she was motivated to develop something that matched this vibrant young spirit in the nation.
Through the years, BellaNaija has been able to stay true to its niche and deliver relevant content, and this has increased the company’s social media presence.
BellaNaija is, however, subdivided into BellaNaija Weddings and BellaNaija Style, focusing on fashion and wedding features.
BellaNaija was registered under her parent company, BainStone Limited which was founded in 2009.
BainStone Limited’s main objective is to produce and manage fresh, cutting-edge digital media content for Africans.
The company was among the 50 high-potential SMEs chosen and received a British Airways, Opportunity Grant.
Uche is also committed to making a difference in her society and raising the next generation.
She is the creator of #BNDoGood, an effect-driven programme that continually supports a wide range of charities and social impact groups, including LEAP Africa, Slum2School, Django Girls, Junior Achievement Nigeria, and a long list of others.
Uche co-founded PVCitizen in 2018, an initiative to nudge millennials and Generation Z into voter registration and active citizenship.
Husband and Children
Uche married Bode Pedro, the son of a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Femi Pedro. The union is blessed with 3 children including twins.
However, Uche has been able to keep a private life and stay out of controversies all through the years.
Net worth
Her blog, BellaNaija.com, reportedly generates between $40,000 and $50,000 per month in revenue from Google Adsense. Additionally, she earns about $10,000 through direct advertising, sponsored posts, and wedding features.
Her net worth is valued at $4 million but this cannot be independently verified.
Achievements
BellaNaija is regarded as one of the most important websites in Africa with over a million unique visitors and nine million monthly hits.
Uche Eze has however gotten various accolades for her name and brand. They include:
- Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women – 2020 Forbes
- Countering Fake News” Event – 2019 Speaker BBC
- Bloomberg Africa Business Media Innovators – Speaker 2018
- OkayAfrica100 Women’s campaign.
- Gates Foundation/Gates Africa #GatesLetter Campaign
- 2017 Obama Summit – “Civic Leader Making a Difference Around the World”
- The Stanford Seed Transformation Programme
- SME 100 List of 100 most innovative female-owned businesses in Nigeria
- Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards – African Blogger of the Year.
- Nigeria’s 100 Most Inspiring Women – #YWomen100 #LLA100Women 2016
- Forbes 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in Africa- 2015
- QUARTZ’S List of 30 African Innovators
- Ventures Africa – Most Influential CEOs of 2015
- Tiffany Amber Women of Vision Honouree – 2014
- Forbes 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in Africa – 2014
- New African Magazine’s “50 Trailblazers under 50 Made in Africa” List.
- Forty-Forty: A Compendium of Young African Legends by Ventures Africa
- New African Woman Magazine – 10 Young Nigerian Women to Watch
- Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI) Future Leaders Seminar
- TEDGlobal Fellow.
- Uche is a Fellow of TEDGlobal and a Nigeria Leadership Initiative associate.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.
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