Stars do not struggle to shine, so it was not a hurdle for the 5th Northern Excellence Awards (NExA) organisers to identify and crown I-ZAR Group CEO, Rashida Saani Nasamu as the winner of the 2023 Most Outstanding Entrepreneur of The Year Award.
The coveted and prestigious award, mainly reserved for giants of the north, was presented to the astute business magnate in recognition of her outstanding achievements in the business sector.
The thickest darkness does not shroud Madam Rashida’s light as her impact seeps from Tamale to the north and south poles of the globe.
The humble and serial businesswoman joins a few illustrious elite sons and daughters of the north to wear the new title.
Rashida earns high plaudits as one of Africa’s youngest entrepreneurs.
Her empire spans communication consultancy, real estate, media, ICT, retail, social enterprise and the culinary industry.
Many institutions in Ghana and abroad have benefited immensely from her organisational development strategies.
At a ceremony to honour achievers on Sunday, March 5, in Tamale, the Northern Excellence Awards (NExA) organisers presented Madam Rashida with a plaque, medal and a citation.
The brains behind the Northern Excellence Award singled out Rashida for her hard work, determination and business acumen in developing a world-class conglomerate “with nothing beyond a phone and computer into a multi-million-dollar business empire”.
The organisers had praises beyond the roof for Madam Rashida as they listed her numerous social contributions, such as “the personal growth and development of young people, women, the less privileged and marginalised groups across the country”.
“Your service to humanity, youth and women empowerment is very much appreciated. You are undoubtedly an influential entrepreneur and a shiny role model to the youth and women across Ghana and Africa at large. Northern Ghana is super proud of your achievements and impact,” the organisers emphasised.
Madam Rashida was grateful after picking up the honours on the night and thanked the Almighty Allah, her family and associates for propelling her to reach the top.
In her speech, she emphasized the need for skills development for young people, adding that this was her motivation for constructing an ultra-modern factory in Tamale to train young people on income-generating activities, with a shift capacity of about one hundred people at a time.
Other recipients of various awards included the Member of Parliament (MP) for Yendi, Farouk Aliu Mahama, as well as Aziz Ayaba, MP for Mion, amongst others.
Executive Director of the Northern Excellence Awards, Latif Alhassan, explained that the programme was put together by the Celebrities Charity Development Foundation in collaboration with other partners to annually recognise and honour distinguished personalities who are positively contributing to the socio-economic development of Northern Ghana and beyond.
He made a clarion call to persons of northern descent, organisations and various entities to contribute towards the development of Northern Ghana.
Full Profile of Ms. Rashida Saani Nasamu
Rashida Saani Nasamu is an established young female business mogul with an enviable face of iconic motivation and inspiration to many people.
She is an astute communications consultant and entrepreneur with several successful multi-industry firms under her belt.
She has a wealth of experience spanning beyond a decade in broadcast journalism and seamlessly transitioned into owning a conglomerate, having learnt to do business from humble beginnings, inspired by her father.
Her company, I-ZAR Group, has affiliates in strategic communication, real estate, IT, retail and media investments.
I-ZAR Group boasts a range of clients and partners dotted across the globe with an impeccable track record.
Rashida’s developmental projects and footprints are engraved at the USAID, UNDP, the Constitution Review Commission and EximBank Ghana, among others.
What she touches turns to gold, as evident in her latest venture, “Alhaji’s Wife waakye”, which is fast catching up with ‘Waakye’ lovers in Ghana and beyond.
To contribute to the vast housing deficit problem of the country, I-ZAR Homes is the answer.
I-ZAR Homes provide affordable but modern, elegantly styled premium homes in prime locations, focusing on quality delivery in all projects.
Her advocacy for youth wealth-creation birthed RAWW Limited, a multi-million cedi ultra-modern factory in Northern Ghana, established as a social enterprise to offer skills training and value enhancement to shea butter, a leading agricultural product in the Northern Region of Ghana.
She actively champions the ‘BOYA Initiative,’ a non-profitable social enterprise designed to empower women and positively affect the lives of needy and deprived children.
Among her numerous high-profile activities was being a moderator of the Africa CEO Forum, the world’s leading international meeting of Africa CEOs in Geneva, Switzerland.
Rashida has also been a constant member of the panel of judges for Ghana’s Presidential Pitch, an annual initiative for startups by the government of Ghana.
Rashida holds a Masters in International Public Relations from Cardiff University in the UK, an MBA from the University of Ghana as well as Executive Certificates in leadership skills, improving under-performance, crisis management and coaching from PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Among the awards she has scooped over the years is the 40 Under 40 Alumni Achievement Award.
This was a few years after ultimately being crowned with the First Among Equals Award by the 40 Under 40 Awards organisers.
