HMC kicks off Online Hospitality Masterclass training as Dr. Peju Afanu speaks

HMC kicks off Online Hospitality Masterclass training as Dr. Peju Afanu speaks

 

Dr. Omopeju Afanu has been announced as the speaker to kick off the maiden edition of the Hotel Managers Conference & Awards Online Masterclass for hotels and hospitality practitioners and workers.

Speaking about the Online Masterclass sessions, Mr. Olugbenga Omotayo Sunday, the Convener of HMC, 'The Online Masterclass became pertinent to keep abreast of current global knowledge and skills in the industry.’

He explained that, 'The Masterclass is specifically for Hotels and Hospitality Managers operating within West Africa and Africa. Hotel owners, Hospitality Consultants, General Managers, heads of department, managers of Hospitality related businesses; eateries, restaurants, recreation and clubs and workers who aspire to attain excellence in their jobs’.

Dr. Omopeju B. Afanu is the Founder, Cooperhouse Hospitality, the Vice President, Enterprise Development Centre Alumni Association and the Honourable Secretary, Institute of Hospitality, U.K. (Nig. Int. Branch).

The online Masterclass is schedule for Saturday 3rd July by 4.00pm (WAT).

Duration: 1 hour 30minutes.

Interested participants should call or send a WhatsApp chat to +234 803 536 7918 to get their online pass for the class.

Meet the Speaker: Dr. Omopeju B. Afanu

DR. OMOPEJU AFANU is a serial entrepreneur, well versed in project management, finance and administration with experience in managing different scales of projects, earning her the position of Management Consultant, Managing Director and Vice President/COO of a few organizations. 

Dr. Peju, as she is fondly called, is the founder of a hospitality management company, Cooperhouse Hospitality Ltd, which though still in a start-up phase was engaged by the Lagos State Government as the sole Vocational Training Centre for its Lagos State Employability Support Programme (LSESP) providing hospitality industry based training to over 300 unemployed youths with 80% placed in jobs; a project funded by the Lagos State Employability Trust Fund (LSETF), UNDP and USADF.

She has been involved in conceptualizing and developing economic growth projects for companies and government for national development. She consults for various companies in the conceptualization, design, financing and execution of turn-key Hotel and Real Estate Development projects in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Benin, Abeokuta, Calabar, Obudu, Afikpo, Ilorin and Monrovia as partner, designer and creative consultant, supervising all Interior Designs, Fittings and Furnishings and Project Management. She has been able to secure funding for the set up and establishment of a boutique hotel in Lagos with a bid to scale up in the near future.

Her overall entrepreneurial experience span over 20 years commencing as a student in the University of Ibadan while her management experience span over a period of 15 years thus acquiring a robust experience in Entrepreneurship, Management, Administration, Finance and other related areas in the private sectors of the economy. 

She has been responsible for recruiting, managing and training staff for various projects. She was also an expert resource for the Cross River State 30-year Growth and Development Strategy under the auspices of Cross River State Government Planning Commission as well as the Edo State Agribusiness Summit.

Omopeju has a certificate in Entrepreneurial Management from Enterprise Development Centre; a Harvard Business School Executive Education Certificate: Africa Live! Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies; and a World Bank Group Certified Financing for Development Specialist with Distinction; a PMI Certified Project Manager in Entrepreneurship and; a soon to be Certified Business Development Service Provider by EDC and SMEDAN.

She is the Country Director in Nigeria for The Women Empowerment and Development Platform (TWEDP) an NGO dedicated to the growth and empowerment of women at grassroots level as well as supporting children of poor families in public schools by providing them with resources as well as

opportunities for qualitative education. She is the Vice President Lagos of the Enterprise

Development Centre Alumni Association (EDCAA). She is a Member of the STEAM UP LAGOS Nucleus an initiative of the Lagos State Government set up to implement STEAM Educational Methodology in

Lagos State Public Schools. She is the President of her Women-X cohort (Women-X 12) comprising 35 other women. She is the Hon. Secretary of the Institute of Hospitality, U.K and also the Vice President of United Nations Association of Nigeria.

Dr. Afanu also provides mentorship and other support to women and youths in business. She is a mentor for the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (2017 till date) as well as the VC4A Make-IT Mentor Driven Capital Programme a project sponsored by GIZ. 

Omopeju is a three-time Mentor in the Women in Africa Mentoring Programme by Deloitte. She was recently appointed a Mentor by LEAP Africa and WIMBIZ. She is a programme/course facilitator for Stylemark Pro Enterprise Academy an online business training platform targeted at Female Entrepreneurs; Top - Private Security Services and Kingdom Partners Assembly. She is a member of the Advisory Board of Nenis Autocare a female owned automobile garage. She was appointed Regional Impact Coordinator for The Youth Assembly organized by the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, U.S.A. She is a fellow of the WIMBIZ Women on Boards Mentoring programme.

BODY OF WORK

Dr. Afanu has presented various papers at local and international conferences, seminars and meetings such as:

 15th International H.S.E. Biennial Conference on the Oil and Gas Industry in Nigeria organised by the Department of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria

Title: Tank Maintenance Protocol, Waste Management and HSE Management Systems and their Relationship to Environment Management, 2012

 Development Project Proposal to the Executive Governor of Ogun State, Nigeria

Title: Lisabi Century City Development (a luxury real estate development comprising of residential, commercial and industrial zones with an 18 hole Golf Course), 2013

 An application-based paper at the Global Conference on Business and Finance organised by The Institute for Business and Finance Research in Las Vegas, U.S.A.

Title: Nigeria as an Emerging Market: Investment Hub for Venture Capitalist and Private Equity Funds, 2015

 Published a paper on a global platform (slide share) as her final project for the World Bank Course on Financing for Development

Title: The Path to Agricultural Development and Food Security in sub-Saharan Africa: Case Study Nigeria, 2015

 An application-based paper presented at the Prelaunch Event for The Women Advancement and Development Platform, London, United Kingdom

Title: Women Empowerment: Charting the way forward for Financial Inclusion and Economic Growth, July 2016

 An application-based paper approved for presentation at the 37th International Business Research Conference in Las Vegas, U.S.A

Title: The challenges of accessing funds by Female Entrepreneurs in Sub Saharan Africa: Shattering the Glass Ceiling, August 2016

 A policy driven paper presented to the Edo State Governor at the Edo State Agribusiness Workshop, Benin City - Edo State, Nigeria

Title: Harnessing Resources and Opportunities to Optimise Agribusiness in Edo State, Nigeria; Case Study: Fruit and Vegetables Critical Success Factors, January 2017

 A policy driven paper presented at the Cross River State Growth and Development Strategy Visioning Workshop, Calabar - Cross River State, Nigeria

Title: Cross River State Economic Development Roadmap/Strategy: Sustainable Development Breakout Session Report, 2017

 A poster presentation at the United Nations International Conference on Sustainable Development, New York, U.S.A.

Title: Achieving a Greener Environment: Implication on the Economy of OPEC - Case Study of Nigeria, September 2017

 An application based / policy driven paper presented at a side event organized by Okogun Odigie Safewomb International Foundation at the United Nations CSW63, New York, U.S.A.

Title: Power of Collaboration for Sustainable Development, Women and Youth Empowerment, March 2019

 An opinion piece written and published in the Guardian Newspaper and visionmedia.ng

Title: Implementation: The Bane of African Leadership, April 2020

 A policy driven piece for the United Nations Association of Morocco celebration of the 22nd Anniversary of the Moroccan Throne Day

Title: The Role of Youths in Nation Building, July 2021

 A paper presentation for the Centre for Management Development IWD celebration in collaboration with United Nations Association of Nigeria

Title: Supporting Women in Entrepreneurship, March 2022

 Panelist/Speaker Positions

 Moderator, International Women’s Day 2018 organised by the Enterprise Development Centre

 Speaker, International Widows Day 2018 organised by Media Women Forum

 Panelist, Nigerian Society of Engineers 2018 Public Lecture: Starting a New Business: The Challenges Facing Engineers (The Slot Story)

 Kingdom Partners Assembly 2018 Career Workshop: Zero to Zenith

 Panelist, International Women’s Day 2019 organised by United Nations Association of Nigeria

 Speaker, University of Nottingham Africa Summit 2019; Nottingham U.K.

 Moderator, Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria Lagos Chapter 2019 IWD event

 Speaker, SME Conference organised by Enterprise Development Centre September 2020

 Speaker, Girls Inspired Goal Setting Workshop, 2019

 Panelist, Joan Agha Foundation 7th Entrepreneurship Lecture for Women, 2020 IWD event

 Panelist, WARDC Forum, Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect, 2020

 Speaker, UN75: Civil Society in West Africa Consultative Dialogue, 2020

 Speaker, LEAP Africa Pre-SIPA Session: Leveraging Mentorship in Scaling Innovation, 2021

 Judge, 2021 National Enterprise Challenge organised by the Directorate of Entrepreneurship Centres in Nigeria Universities

 Panelist, International Hospitality, Tourism and Eco-Sustainability Forum, 2022

 Panelist, CEDRUS The Magnates’ Breakfast Session, 2022