Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Yasmin Belo-Osagie. I’m the second of Hakeem Belo-Osagie’s four children. I had my primary school education in Nigeria, then left for a boarding school in England when I was 10 years old. I was there for eight years then went to the United States where I studied at the Princeton University. I now live and work in Nigeria.
You were named in the 2014 edition of Forbes magazine as one of the 20 young and influential women in Africa. Tell us a bit about your project.
One of the first things I noticed in Africa in general was that when we speak about female entrepreneurs, I find the conversation is almost exclusively about low income female entrepreneurs and how they are helped to set up micro- and small businesses. But, one of the things that we believe in She Leads Africa is that we need to have women represented at the top also. We need to have more female business leaders. I think in terms of entrepreneurship space, we don’t have many women. We don’t have a female equivalent of an Aliko Dangote or a Tony Elumelu, or even my dad, with people mentioning them in the same breath. I think it’s really important for young African women to look up to women who create large businesses.
How much influence did your father have on you and your siblings in choosing your career paths?
My father and mother were tremendous influences. They are generally supportive of us doing whatever it is we want to do as long as we are passionate about it. They are of the opinion that one needs to first get a quality education, especially when one is young, to take risks and try out different things. I’m not naΓ―ve to not believe that it doesn’t help when you have such influential parents. I know it helps a great deal. Also, my dad is also a huge supporter of women succeeding in their chosen career paths. My mum went to Harvard Law School and started her own law practice. His mum was also very strong and ambitious. He has never placed barriers for us because we are women. He’s always been very supportive of us.
How has your dad’s name opened doors for you?
It definitely opens doors in terms of getting connections to the right people. For example, my dad comes from a finance background. When we wanted to get investors for She Leads Africa, he was able to connect us with a lot of them. Mr. (Aliko) Dangote came as a guest judge for the competition. I don’t know him personally, but my dad does. Because of this, we were able to send an invitation to him. Also, Mr. Dangote is very passionate about supporting young entrepreneurs. But, obviously, I would not have been able to randomly find his email address and send him an invitation. My dad has also been very helpful with giving us guidance on starting a business, because he started a number of successful businesses. It’s always very helpful to have someone that one can talk to and go for advice. He gives us good business advice.
Do you go to some places and when you mention your name, you get immediate access?
No, it doesn’t really work like that. I think some people in Nigeria tend to think that that’s all that matters. But, what I always say is, yes, having a name that is recognisable can help one to get through a door, but there are many rich people in Nigeria and not all their children are doing (great) things. I think a name can get your foot through the door, but you have to prove that you are worth being at the table. Also, I don’t necessarily focus only on leveraging on my father’s reputation.
From the banking sector to telecommunications, your dad’s name looms large. How does it feel to be the daughter of such a famous person?
Honestly, it’s a difficult question to answer. For me, he is just my father. When I look at him, I see my dad, one who gives me guidance and so on, the person who, when I have a disappointment with my friends, I go to and cry about it. I’m very close to my dad; we have quite very similar personalities. Now that I am starting my own business, we’ve become much closer. Beyond being my parents, my dad and my mum are my very good friends. I do think I’m very lucky to have someone like him to learn from because he is also my business mentor. I’m able to learn a lot from watching him. Having proximity to someone who has been successful would always be helpful, because one gets to watch them and see how they do things. I think I try to separate my dad’s success from him being my dad. I’m very proud of him, and that he works very hard. What he does is not easy. I see the amount of work it takes and the long hours. I’m very happy for him and proud of the fact that people are excited to meet him.
What kind of father is he?
He’s a great dad. He loves cracking jokes. He is a very funny person. I find it funny that people tend to think he’s quite serious. Yes, he looks really serious, but from my perspective he’s not. He’s a very warm, friendly and open person. I remember when we were on holiday in Dubai. Three young Nigerians walked up to him at a mall and they had a good conversation. He’s very simple and he enjoys what he does. I generally don’t think that he does what he does just to make money – because ultimately if he wants to just make money, he would retire right now. Also, dad’s very much a family man. He really likes spending time with his family. Every year, we go on family holidays together. He also carves out time for us. I can call my dad at 3am, seeking his advice about an issue. His family is his number one priority. He’s an extremely supportive person, he counselled me through university and he still does. He always made sure we were doing fine. I know situations where some parents send their children off to school and their parents don’t know anything about what they are doing. But, my dad and mum are super-involved in our lives. He’s a super dad and my mum’s a super mum. I am extremely lucky and grateful to have them as parents.
What are some of the values you’ve learnt from your dad?
The first thing would be hard work, everything comes from hard work. The second thing is humility. I find that a lot of times when people are successful in Nigeria, they seem to forget that it took a whole bunch of things to make them successful, whether that’s people helping them, the opportunity or luck; rather than just, “Oh, I’m the one who did it.” My dad has always taught us to be very humble and understand that, you are where you are mostly because of luck, not because of your background. I could have been born to completely different parents and I would have been in a completely different situation. I acknowledge that and this is something my parents have always impressed on us. So, when some young people are like, “Oh, I don’t get why you work so hard when your dad is so rich,” I reply them, “Yes, my dad is rich, but I’m not.” Dad tells us we need to go do our own thing and build our own legacy. I do not expect to be living on pocket money from my dad for the rest of my life. That’s not what I want to do. I would want to be independent of him at some point. During my university days, he would say, “I don’t think you need to get summer jobs because you have been working all your university life, summer is the time to enjoy yourself, to explore and to travel. It shouldn’t be about work all the time.” He would say to us that one should not just be a smart person, but also an interesting one. He never wanted us to turn out like really geeky and not being able to communicate with people. He encourages us to go out and try what we want. He tells us to do something different, enjoy ourselves, because the world is more than just work.
How does he create time for his family?
He might be able to answer that question better; I can only give my opinion. One of the things he has taught me is that one needs to create time out of work for relaxation or to do something one enjoys. He makes out the time for important things and priorities them. We go on holidays as a family. We speak regularly on the telephone. Also, we email each other all the time. Equally, he does the same with my siblings. Whenever he travels, he sends us updates about his trip and his location. He travels a lot, so we don’t see him that much in person. But when we see in person, he always ensures we have a couple of meals together. Recently, my mum, siblings and I, were with him in London and we all went out for a family dinner.
How did your dad discipline any of his children whenever they erred?
It was mainly usually through a conversation. I don’t really remember my parents yelling at any of us or using the cane, but it was more of genuine, intense conversation. We were sometimes grounded. But mostly, he would sit us down and make us understand what it was we did wrong and correct us. But, he is not a big disciplinarian. I’ve never had a curfew in my life.
How does he react when he’s angry?
I’m sure he gets angry sometimes, but I can’t remember the last time I saw my dad angry. He could get a bit irritated by a situation, but he does not have a temper.
You mentioned Dangote earlier. Who are some of your dad’s close friends?
He has close friends he likes to hang out with a lot.
How did it feel when you met Africa’s richest man, Dangote?
It was cool. He (Dangote) was very nice. I like the fact that he was very simple, unlike some wealthy people in Nigeria who may have oversized egos and go about with a huge entourage. Maybe it’s because of the family I grew up in, but I just like simplicity and he was very simple. He just came (to the event) with a friend, and I thought it was very cool that one could be so rich and so important and yet very simple.
How’s your dad’s relationship with your mum?
They have a very good relationship. I like the fact that they tend to seem to have more of a partnership. My dad wholly respects my mum, not only as his wife, but also as a professional and an intelligent person. Their relationship is a great model for me to look up to.
Is he a very social person?
Yes, he is very social, but not in the sense that he goes to a lot of parties.
What are his likes and dislikes?
He really likes walking and he likes reading a lot. He loves to watch television shows, like Homeland, 24, and so on. He loves to exercise regularly. He also likes meeting smart, interesting people, and he loves jazz music. I think he dislikes too much of pomp and celebration. He doesn’t like it when he walks into an occasion and his name is announced and everyone is getting excited; he’s not a big fan of that. I don’t think he likes too much attention. He likes to do his own thing and move on with his life.
Who are some of his favourite jazz artistes?
He likes a number of jazz artistes, from afro-jazz artistes to US-based jazz artistes, like Bob James, Marcus Miller, all the way down to Fela. He has a wide range of interests.
What kind of books does he read?
He likes to read books on history and politics. I think, in another life, he would have been an academic. At some point, I think he thought he would go into teaching or something like that. First, he started out in government, but I don’t think he ever really thought he would go into the private sector. I think he actually wanted to stay in the civil service, but because of the military coups and instability. He wanted to do public service.
What’s his daily routine like?
Honestly, I don’t know. I haven’t lived with my parents fully since I was 10, when I went to boarding school.
What’s his favourite meal?
He likes snails and desserts.
What’s his favourite drink?
He likes soft drinks and fruit cocktails.
What are some things you would also like to share about your dad?
I don’t like it when people just think he’s so harsh, because he is such a genuinely warm person. It’s not just because I’m his daughter. I see him interact with people and he’s very friendly. He’s a big philanthropist. He’s given a lot of money to organisations and causes. He is also passionate about supporting education. He’s still very involved with his alma mater, Harvard Business School. I think he also has a scholarship at Oxford for African students.
