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UNEKU ATAWODI The Polo Player
Small and medium-sized enterprises are currently the main source of job creation in Africa. They account for over 95 percent of firms and 60 to 70 percent of employment across the continent. Despite this, access to financing for those business remains challenging. Professional polo player Uneku Atawodi-Edun, better known at Neku Atawodi, founded Africa’s first impact-focused, equity crowd-funding portal, Malaik. Atawodi presented the portal in 2015 to the African Leadership Network. Another one of Atawodi’s charitable ventures “Ride to Shine” introduces orphans to polo and the equestrian world. “Ride to Shine does not accept donations,” says Atawodi. “We teach African orphans to ride and play polo, but more importantly, we create long-term international learning opportunities for the children through partnerships. I learned what I already experienced: equestrian sports teach a child an enviable amount of self-discipline and character.” As one of Africa’s most recognizable polo players, the Nigerian polo player was discouraged as a child from pursuing her passion for polo. Her father even stopped payment for her stable fees to dissuade her. Unbothered, Atawodi struck a deal to clean the stalls at England’s Epsum Club in exchange for her stable fees. When she became interested in culinary arts, her father also forbid that. So she enrolled in a French cooking school where she refined her culinary skills and eventually created a complete restaurant menu. Like we said, unbothered.
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