Beneficiaries Spotlight Series Interview with Chioma Echegwisi

Meet Chioma Echegwisi, Founder and CEO of Davichi Farms & AgroTech Nigeria Ltd. Her company is committed to growing organic produce and livestock, with a focus on commercial broiler production and processing. Let’s explore her journey and the impact the Growth4Her Accelerator program has had on her business.

Interviewer: Can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your business?    

My name is Chioma Echegwisi, I am the Founder & CEO of Davichi Farms & AgroTech Nigeria Ltd. At Davichi Farms, we grow purely organic farm produce, organi-livestock and we’re into commercial boiler production and processing.  

Interviewer: What motivated you to join the Growth4Her Accelerator program?  

I joined the Growth4Her Accelerator program because I believed it was going to offer me the opportunity to network with other female entrepreneurs, like-minded people and people who are in similar journeys as I am, to find support, as well as gain knowledge for my business success.  

Interviewer: Were there specific challenges your business was faced with prior to joining the program? How did the Growth4Her Accelerator program help you overcome these challenges you faced in growing your business?  

Before joining the Growth4Her program, the major challenge I had was dealing with my staff, because a lot of times they were not measuring up to expected, a lot of farm hands want to make the money, but they don’t want to put in the work, and it was a major challenge for me, and I didn’t know what to do. Being a part of Growth4Her program taught me how to understand myself and my personality type as well as appreciating the uniqueness of other personality types. This helped me better understand my staff, being able to properly harness their strengths while working to help them become better.  

Interviewer: Can you share a memorable moment or experience from the Growth4Her Accelerator program that stood out to you?  

The memorable experience I had in Growth4Her program was with my mentor, she’s actually a Finance expert, a Tax Auditor, I remember having a challenge in my business regarding my taxes and I was told to pay a high amount of money to get my tax clearance certificate, so I put a call across to my mentor, Madam Tosin, explaining my challenge. Luckily enough, she knew someone in that office and asked that I give the phone to the person in charge, and she spoke with them on my behalf. Afterwards, I was able to get my tax clearance certificate without paying a dime because of her influence. It was Growth4Her who gave me that opportunity to meet Madam Tosin, my mentor, who helped me through that challenge. Thank you very much Growth4Her and thank you so much, Madam Tosin.   

Interviewer: Since completing the Growth4Her Accelerator program, how has your business grown or changed?   

Since completing the Growth4Her program, it has helped my business because right now I’m more self-aware, I’m better able to appreciate and handle the challenges I go through and I know that I would always succeed because I have people to support me, who I can always go back to, who are in the same path and journey as I am. It makes the entire process easy when you know you’re not alone.   

Interviewer: What advice would you give to other women entrepreneurs who are considering joining the Growth4Her Accelerator program?  

For anyone who wants to join future cohorts of Growth4Her program, I encourage you to seize the opportunity, for me it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. It is better experienced than imagined or explained. You know, it provides you a network of women who are doing great things, when you think you’re doing a lot and then you come into a community of women who are doing even more, it helps you buckle up and see that you can do much more, you can aspire to be more. So, I’ll say again seize any opportunity to be part of this program, don’t snooze or else you’ll lose!