This story is part of a series of profiles of Global Women In Management alumni who have gone through training and mentorship with Counterpart International and brought the lessons learned back to their home countries, where they are changing the world for the better.
Mfon Edet is a Global Women In Management alum who has spent her entire career working to support environmental protection and sustainability in her home country of Nigeria. Growing up, Edet’s father was in the military and her family moved around often. She loved getting the chance to live in different parts of Nigeria, traveling for days by road through her beautiful country. Edet developed an appreciation for the natural beauty she saw on these trips—a feeling that grew into a professional desire to preserve it for future generations as she grew up.
In 2014, Edet created a foundation—Kids-Cycle Enlightenment Campaign—that runs environmental programs in schools to teach children about climate change and resource management, specifically focusing on the need to recycle and upcycle. Kids-Cycle went on to be endorsed by the Ministry of Environment, allowing her to create recycling programs in schools across Nigeria through which she facilitates conversations with students and their families on how to dispose of garbage more sustainably. Kids-Cycle asks youth to imagine the world they want to see, so they can work constructively towards that goal. Over the years, Kids-Cycle has expanded to addresses other critical issues facing youth in Nigeria, including gender-based violence, youth development, and health.
Despite its success, Kids-Cycle has struggled with funding, being forced to rely on volunteer efforts due to an inability to pay staff. This forces Edet to keep programming on a smaller scale than it could be with an adequate budget. But all that is about to change, Edet says confidently.
The value of networking and mentorship
While Kids-Cycle was in its early years, Edet learned about Counterpart’s Global Women In Management program and joined the mentorship program to gain critical skills in financial sustainability and fundraising. Back then, however, she was juggling her foundation with raising three school aged children, and her time was limited. Over the years, Edet stayed involved in the Global Women In Management alumni network. In 2023, she saw an advertisement for a new Global Women In Management Mentorship program open to alumni and she jumped at the opportunity. Her children were now adults and away at university, giving Edet the ability to focus on learning new skills that could take her foundation to the next level.
“The person you see in front of you is very different from the person I was two months ago when I started the mentorship program,” said Edet when we caught up with her shortly after the program started. “I joined this mentorship program to re-ignite the fire inside me. I want to learn how to better manage my time, learn how to write proposals, to expose myself to more opportunities, and partner with other women. I strongly believe that by the end of this program I will have the ability to achieve everything I have set out to and even more.”
Mfon Edet
New opportunities for partnerships have already come her way. Recently a program alumni from Argentina visited Nigeria and met with Edet and other alumni to discuss how they could collaborate and expand their businesses moving forward.
“I want to start a recycling plant that provides jobs to women and youth. And I believe I will,” Edet says confidently. “This is where I am supposed to be, in this mentorship program, learning from other women, sharing our strengths and being exposed to new opportunities.”
